Easy No-Knead Focaccia Recipe

Learn to breezily make no-knead focaccia, a golden, airy, irresistible Italian flatbread perfect for sandwiches or snacking.

Prep Time:15

Cook Time:25

Resting Time:4

Servings 12 servings

Author Marie Asselin

Ingredients

US Customary / Metric

2 ½ cups water
2 tsp honey
1 packet active dry yeast (1 ¼ oz/35 g, or 2 ¼ tsp)
5 cups all-purpose flour, or Tipo 00 flour
1 tbsp kosher salt, or fine sea salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Butter, room temperature
Fleur de sel, or Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Instructions

In the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove, heat up the water until it’s just warm (100°F/37°C). Transfer the water to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the honey, then sprinkle the active dry yeast over the surface. Let rest without mixing for about 5 minutes, until the mixture gets creamy and foamy. (If it doesn’t, it means your yeast is expired and you need to start again!)
Add the flour and salt and mix using a spatula until a craggy dough forms and no streaks of dry flour remain.
In a second large bowl, pour the olive oil, then tilt and rotate the bowl to make sure the oil fully coats the inside of the bowl. This will prevent the dough from sticking.
Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, then turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
At this point, you can either:
- Let the no-knead focaccia dough rise in a warm place (such as your turned off oven) for 3 hours;
- Or refrigerate the dough overnight for a slower rise.
PRO TIP: A slower, cooler rise allows more complex flavors to develop, but the regular 3-hour rise also create a really delicious focaccia!
Meanwhile, generously butter a 13 x 9-in (33 x 23 cm) baking pan to make a thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches, or an 18 x 13-in (46 x 33 cm) baking sheet to create a thinner, crispy focaccia you can top with garnishes and snack on.
PRO TIP: Butter might seem like an unnecessary step, but it ensures the focaccia doesn’t stick, and also creates an extra-crunchy crust.
Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up the edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into the center of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this twice more. This technique will deflate the dough and turn it into a rough ball.
Transfer the no-knead focaccia dough to the buttered prepared pan. Scrape out any oil left in the bowl over the dough, then flip the dough over to coat with oil. Gently stretch the dough to form a rough rectangle. (It doesn’t need to cover the entire surface of the pan at this point.)
Let rise, uncovered, in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours more.
To bake the focaccia, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
WARNING: If you put the dough in the oven for the second rise, make sure to remove it before you turn the oven on!
If you’re using an 18 x 13-in (46 x 33 cm) baking sheet and the dough isn’t fully covering the surface of the pan, you can gently stretch it to ensure it does.
Lightly oil the tip of your fingers, then dimple the no-knead focaccia all over, making sure your fingers reach all the way to the bottom of the pan. Think of it as energetically playing piano on pillowy notes!
Drizzle with bit of extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. At this step, you can also sprinkle herbs, sliced garlic, olives, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, or any other garnishes you can dream of.
Bake the no-knead focaccia until it’s puffed and browned all over, about 25 minutes. If you can to give the focaccia extra color and crunchiness, you turn the oven up to broil for an extra couple of minutes at the end of the cooking time.
Transfer the pan with the focaccia to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, slice, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Bon Appétit.

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