No-Knead Focaccia: Easy & Bubbly Bread
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked no-knead focaccia filling your kitchen! With its crispy golden crust, pillowy soft center, and signature dimples, this easy focaccia bread recipe delivers bakery-quality results—without the need for kneading.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 203kcal
Equipment
- Dough whisk
- 9-inch square baking pan
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups (12.5 ounces, 354 grams) all-purpose flour (See Note 1)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (See Note 2)
- 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces, 284 grams) warm filtered water (See Notes 3 and 4)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pan and Topping
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Maldon flaky sea salt
Instructions
Dough
- Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.
- Add water and olive oil. Stir with a dough whisk or spatula until the dough is thoroughly combined and no dry patches or lumps remain. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Use a wet hand to grab a section of dough from one side of the bowl, then lift it up and press it into the center. Repeat this motion, grabbing a new section of dough each time, until you've made a full circle around the bowl, about 8 to 12 times. Once you’ve circled the bowl, flip the dough over in the bowl so that the smooth side is up. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Repeat the lift and stretch, and flip the dough for the second time. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Repeat the lift and stretch, and flip the dough for the third time. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Repeat the lift and stretch, and flip the dough for the final time. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at a warm room temperature (70°F to 75°F) for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the dough should have nearly doubled in size and will be very puffy; it may even have a few bubbles on the surface.
Pan and Topping
- Once the dough has risen, spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Cut a 3"-wide strip of parchment that's about 16" long. Lay the strip across the center of the pan, leaving a few inches of overhang on 2 sides; press it firmly into the pan and secure with two binder clips. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray, then add one tablespoon of the olive oil and tilt the pan to spread the oil evenly across the bottom.
- Use a bowl scraper or flexible spatula to gently transfer the risen dough to the center of the pan. Using your hand as paddles swiftly but gently flip the dough over so that it’s coated in oil; try to handle the dough minimally to keep it from deflating.
- Cover the pan and let the dough rise in a warm location for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until it’s marshmallowy and jiggly; the dough should nearly fill the corners of the pan and be very close to the top edge.
- Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 475°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Once the dough has risen, lightly coat your fingers in oil. Starting at one edge, press your fingertips into the dough until they reach the bottom of the pan, creating dimples. Repeat this process, working your way from one edge to the other, spacing the dimples about 1 ½" apart. The goal is to thoroughly dimple the dough without deflating it — aim for decisive yet gentle motions. If there are any large untouched areas of the dough, add additional dimples using one finger.
- Brush the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon of Maldon flaky salt.
- Bake the focaccia on the lower rack for 15 to 18 minutes, until brown in the highest spots and golden in the crevices. Remove the focaccia from the oven. Using the parchment tabs as handles, lift the focaccia out of the pan and transfer it to a wire rack or cutting board; remove the parchment strip. Turn off the oven and slide the focaccia back into the oven, directly on the lower rack, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sides are golden brown and crisp. Remove the focaccia from the oven once again and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Yield: 9-inch focaccia.
Video
Notes
- For best results, weigh the flour. Significant variability exists in flour measurements based on how the flour is measured.
- Active dry yeast differs from instant or bread machine yeast used in this recipe. Active dry yeast must bloom, whereas instant yeast can be added directly to the dry ingredients.
- Avoid using tap water, which contains chlorine. Chlorine in tap water can retard the growth of the yeast and even kill the yeast if the concentration is too high.
- The temperature of the water should be between 90°F and 110°F.
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 2mg
