No Knead Italian Focaccia Bread- Can you believe I am calling a Focaccia Recipe Easy? If you've never made focaccia this is the recipe to get you started!
Here are other variations you will love as well: Tomato Herb Focaccia (Best, Easiest Recipe), Apple, Brie, and Herb Focaccia Bread, Sweet Focaccia with Raspberries and Balsamic.
Why I love this Recipe
It is an Italian NO KNEAD focaccia recipe that will get you the perfect crisp and bubbly, soft, and fragrant olive oil bread! It is one of the most fun and easiest breads to make.
This NO FAIL RECIPE you don't want to miss. Be the person that makes focaccia on the regular- your friends and family will thank you for it! This easy No Knead Focaccia bread recipe is going to blow your mind! Serve it with this Italian Sauteed Eggplant and Tomatoes Recipe, Orzo Pasta with Vegetables, or Spaghetti alla Nerano Recipe.
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Great for Beginning Bread Bakers
- The no-knead, 4-ingredient dough takes 5 minutes to mix together. The hardest part is waiting for the long rise!
- It requires no special equipment, no tricky technique, or scoring.
- If you have a 9×13-inch baking pan and your fingertips (for dimpling), that is all you need. Making the deep dimples is the best part.
- The taste and texture are unmatched and unique: soft and pillowy, olive oil golden crust, and it’s completely irresistible.
This is an easy focaccia recipe anyone can make!
What is Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia (Italian pronunciation: foh-kah-chuh) is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called "pizza bianca".
Focaccia is an olive oil-rich Italian bread that resembles a sponge or a springy mattress. The surface of the dough is coated in olive oil and salt- for the most simple version.
It’s crispy and golden on the top and bottom crusts, and inside, it has an airy crumb (meaning there are tons of air holes, big and small, that squish in the best way possible). It is ONE OF MY FAVORITE BREADS.
Simple Ingredients
- Flour: bread flour or all-purpose flour will work equally well for focaccia.
- Yeast: instant yeast is my preference, but active dry yeast works just as well. See recipe box for instructions on how to use active-dry yeast in place of instant.
- Salt: I say this all the time, but a big part of making a good loaf of bread comes down simply to using the right amount of salt given the amount of flour you are using by weight.
- Flake Salt: this is used to top the focaccia and give it a nice salty crust. FLAKE SALT I LOVE!! MALDONS
- Water: There is a lot of water in this dough it has a very high hydration level. The water helps produce a light, airy, pillowy dough.
- Good Olive oil: Olive oil both in the bottom of the pan and on top of the dough is essential for encouraging nice browning, flavor, and that traditional oiliness we all love about focaccia. Great Basic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this Recipe COLAVITA
How to Serve
Focaccia bread can be eaten as it is. It can be cut into various shapes, including squares, long skinny rectangles, and triangles.
Since focaccia is pretty thick, focaccia can be sliced in half and used for making sandwiches. It's also a tasty addition to a bread basket or accompaniment to a soup or salad bowl.
Thickness Tips
Focaccia is sometimes thick (as seen in all of these photos) or sometimes very thin, depending on your preference and style. I prefer thicker focaccia, so I make it in a classic 13X9 glass baking dish with a height of 2 inches.
If you like a thinner focaccia, you can follow the same recipe and use a Cookie sheet with a hight of 0.75 inches.
Either way, you like it- focaccia has the best texture!
Storing Tips
Storing: The focaccia will keep at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days. Reheat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.
To freeze focaccia, cut it in pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place in resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month.
Can I Make Focaccia In Less Time?
Yes, you can! Start-to-finish it can be made in about three hours. The finished bread will not be as pillowy, but it will still be light, airy, and delicious.
- To skip the long rise (12 hours and up to 48 hours), simply let the mixed dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours. Then proceed with the recipe, knowing the second rise will only take about 30 minutes.
Focaccia is a great treat to wrap and bring to a friend or neighbor!
Toppings Suggestions
I recommend starting your focaccia journey with this plain recipe that does not include toppings. The salty olive oil brine is enough to make this a tasty treat all by itself. Once you taste it you can explore options by adding different toppings.
Common focaccia bread toppings include olives, mushrooms, green onions, red onions, or cherry tomatoes, and fruit with cheese. Fresh rosemary focaccia is also quite popular and sage is another herb that is often used instead of rosemary.
In Italy, there are a lot of regional-based focaccia variations. For example, in the Northwest of Italy, there is a popular recipe for focaccia dolce (sweet focaccia).
It's made with a focaccia base that is sprinkled with sugar and incorporated into the dough are raisins, honey, or other sweet ingredients (courtesy of All About Focaccia Bread).
I listed my favorite variations of focaccia at the top of this post.
Focaccia Story: Nonno Livio's Bribe
Every summer morning at our beach home in Italy, my Nonno Livio walked to the market to get the newspaper. He went separate from my nonna and aunts, who went for the other food items.
He loved when we went with him, but he often went early (before 8 a.m)... and those lazy summer mornings were meant for sleeping as the salty sea breeze gently waltzed through the window.
Nonno cherished our company so much that he would bribe us to accompany him.
His bribes included a sweet pastry or savory bread, like focaccia, and even gelato! (shhh! Don't tell Nonna Laura).
The way he came and gave us mustache kisses and little pinches on our arm to wake us up is a memory I can feel to this day. I didn't really need the bribe to want to go with him, but I happily took the offer.
I wrote a story about Slow Walk with Nonno Livio, if you would like a little more into that experience.
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The Best Italian Bread-Dipping Oil
Brioche Bun Recipe (Italian Style)
Goat Cheese Salad Recipe with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Arugula, Apple, and Pistachio Salad in Parmigiano Cups
Berry and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing
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Made with Amore, Elena
From my Cucina (Kitchen) to your Table- Mangia! Mangia! (Eat!)
Have you checked out my NEW CBE PRODUCTS? Look at the 2-in-1 cutting and charcuterie board, gorgeous apron, and unique pasta server that you absolutely need. The wood products are all handmade in Salt Lake City, Utah. They make great gifts as well!
Recipe adapted from Basically
It’s one of the simplest focaccia bread recipes that barely takes any work to create an unbelievably tasty Italian bread! Perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle, perfect Focaccia Bread every single time!
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No-Knead Italian Focaccia Bread
EASY AND DELICIOUS ITALIAN FOCACCIA RECIPE! This recipe is shockingly easy. It is a NO KNEAD focaccia recipe that will get you the perfect crisp and bubbly top with a soft and tender interior. You will treasure this fragrant olive oil BREAD! It is a NO FAIL RECIPE YOU will make again and again.
- Total Time: 42 minute
- Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
• 1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2 ¼ tsp.)
• 2 ½ cups (590 ml) lukewarm water (98 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 36.5 to 40.5 Celsius)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands such as, COLAVITA
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing pan
• Flake sea salt, such a Maldons
Instructions
1. Place 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium/large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir slightly but do not mix. Let sit 5-10 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).
2. Add flour and kosher salt and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain. It will seem a little wet. That is normal.
3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Turn over a few times, but do NOT mix in the oil with the dough.
4. Cover plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. If you're in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours. The longer you let it raise in the fridge the more it flavorful it will be.
5. Grease your desired baking pan or baking sheet depended on preference (classic 9X13 glass baking dish or 9X13 cookie sheet ) with butter. Add the 1 Tbs olive oil to the baking pan and coat bottom. Take out dough from the fridge, uncover, and punch down one time. Then turn the dough over a few times in the bowl. Move dough to the prepared pan.
6. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.
7. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you won't need to do this if using a baking pan).
8. Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers. This is my favorite part! Keep poking away until there are lots of poke marks in the dough.
9.Drizzle the top of poked dough with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. OPtional: brush lightly with olive oil at the right after taking it out of the oven. Enjoy warm or cold!
Notes
Makes great sandwich bread. Simply cut a slice in half lengthwise and use for a sandwich!
Storing: The focaccia will keep at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days. Reheat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes. To freeze focaccia, cut it in pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place in resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. *I do not recommend freezing the tomatoes. Remove them before freezing.
Short Rise Option: To skip the long rise (12 hours and up to 48 hours), simply let the mixed dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours. Then proceed with the recipe, knowing the second rise will only take about 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 8-24 hours
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: italian bread, bread, focaccia, olive oil, sea salt, flour, Italian baking, bread recipe, focaccia recipe, easy recipe
Theresa Nicolosi says
This is such a hit ! It is so very easy and tastes amazing. It is better than any focaccia I have had, even in a fresh bread store on Arthur Ave or NYC’s little Italy !
★★★★★
Elena says
WOW! So happy it turned out amazing and you can make it at home any time you want now!
Gina Fiorillo says
Best focaccia recipe! Simple and delicious. We added olives . Never going to use any other focaccia recipe.
★★★★★
Elena says
Yay!
Gina says
This is the most amazing focaccia recipe. Simple but exquisite. Best ever. Highly recommend it.
Elena says
So happy you loved it! Now you can try with different toppings!
Mary Ann Angelisi says
This recipe is one of the few focaccia recipes that is true to its nature. You truly don’t have to knead it. It rose so beautifully overnight and then again the next morning and it baked up perfectly. And I actually adjusted the recipe-I replaced 2 of the cups of flour with whole wheat which I was nervous about. But the bread still came out moist and flavorful and still with enough olive oil. This is a great easy focaccia recipe that I will over and over.
Elena says
So happy it still came out great with the whole wheat! Enjoy it every time 🙂
Maria says
so easy and it comes out great every time. it's a go to for some warm bread for any dinner
★★★★★
Elena says
Yes! Happy you loved it!
Gina Fiorillo says
Best focaccia recipe! Simple and delicious. We added olives . Never going to use any other focaccia recipe.
★★★★★
Diane T says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful and simple recipe Elena!❤️
I made this for the first time and it came out perfect and my family absolutely loved it!!!
★★★★★
Elena says
You are welcome! I hope to bring many more your way! This simple focaccia is loved by all.
Diane says
I followed the instructions for the recipe and it came out awesome!
Now I’m looking forward to making variations for some other flavors.
Thank you for sharing❤️
★★★★★
Elena says
Yes! It is easy and delicious. The tomato one is great for summer. Enjoy!
Geralyn says
Comes perfect every time!!
★★★★★
Elena says
Happy you love it!