No Knead Italian Focaccia Bread
Updated May 15, 2025, Published May 08, 2021
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No-Knead Italian Focaccia Bread—Can you believe I am calling this recipe easy? If you’ve never made focaccia, this is the recipe to get you started! The steam created during baking gives rise to a soft interior with a slightly chewy crust that is simply divine. This is a recipe you will come back to time and time again!
Best Focaccia Recipe
“This was amazing- I have wanted to try making focaccia for years and felt so intimidated, but I made this recipe and had no problem following the directions. I am so happy I tried this and we will be making this often in my home.”
– DIANNA
Try my Ciabatta Bread, Crusty Bread, Neaopletan pizza, and Pinsa Romana next!
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
- Flour: Bread flour or all-purpose flour will work equally well for focaccia. You can also use Cup4Cup gluten free flour!
- Yeast: I prefer instant yeast, but active dry yeast works just as well. See the 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: used to top the focaccia and give it a nice salty crust.
- Water: This dough has a very high hydration level because it contains a lot of water. 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.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
How To Make Focaccia Bread
The beauty of no-knead focaccia lies in its simplicity. Without extensive kneading, the dough relies on a long, slow fermentation process. This develops a complex flavor and creates a wonderfully porous, light texture. It’s a perfect recipe for beginners and seasoned bakers alike. See the recipe at the bottom for complete instructions.
Add the yeast to the warm water.
After the water, yeast, and sugar rest it should get nice and bubbly.
Add the flour.
Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Add the shaggy dough to an oiled large bowl. Fold over a few times.
Let the dough proof in the fridge overnight (see recipe card for quick-rise version). Then, place it in a baking tray or baking pan and let it rise again.
After the second rise, dimple with your fingers, then let it rise one last time!
Bake in the preheated oven and enjoy the best Italian focaccia bread!
Topping Variations
This no-knead focaccia bread recipe is a great canvas for many toppings. Miz and match, or keep it simple!
- Classic Fresh Rosemary & Sea Salt – Always a favorite
- Caramelized Onions & Thyme – Sweet and savory
- Olives & Oregano – Mediterranean flavor bomb
- Garlic & Parmesan – Bold and cheesy
- Za’atar & Olive Oil – Earthy and aromatic
- Roasted Peppers & Goat Cheese – Creamy with a kick
Here are other variations you will love as well: Tomato focaccia, Apple, Brie, and Herb Focaccia Bread, Bread Pudding, Sweet Focaccia with Raspberries and Balsamic.
FAQ’s
Focaccia (Italian pronunciation: foh-kah-chuh) 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. It is a high hydration dough that creates its signature air bubbles.
Yes, you can! From start to finish, you can make it 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.
To prevent your no-knead focaccia from sticking, generously oil your baking pan and your hands with good-quality olive oil before handling the dough. Additionally, you can use parchment paper or butter on the bottom of the pan to ensure that the bread is released easily after baking. These steps help create a non-stick surface and contribute to the deliciously crispy crust of the focaccia.
The high hydration in focaccia dough makes it quite sticky and loose. This is normal! The wetter dough contributes to the light, airy texture of the bread. Just use a lot of olive oil on your hands and the pan to prevent sticking.
Dimpling the dough before baking isn’t just for aesthetics; it helps to prevent the dough from rising too much and becoming too fluffy. It also allows the olive oil and toppings to pool into the indentations, adding more flavor throughout the bread.
You’ll know the focaccia is ready to bake when it has visibly puffed up and filled the pan, and the surface is dotted with bubbly indentations. If you’ve let it rise in a cool place, it may take longer, but it should look airy and more than doubled in size.
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 height of 0.75 inches. Either way, you like it- focaccia has the best texture!
Storage
Store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days. Reheat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.
To freeze focaccia, cut it into pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place it in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month.
More Recipes
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this delicious focaccia bread with this Italian Sauteed Eggplant and Tomatoes Recipe, Orzo Pasta with Vegetables, Copycat Panera Squash Soup, Italian Chopped Salad, or Spaghetti alla Nerano Recipe. Use this to make our favorite porchetta sandwich or Mortadella Sandwich!
You can also serve it with white bean dip! And for a sweet twist, try pairing it with Italian pistachio cream.
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Focaccia Bread Recipe (No Knead)
Ingredients
- 1 ¼-ounce envelope. active dry yeast, about 2 ¼ tsp.
- 2 ½ cups lukewarm water (98 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 36.5 to 40.5 Celsius), 590 ml
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 5 cups all-purpose flour or 00 flour, 625 g
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons good quality extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- Flaky sea salt, such a Maldons
Instructions
- 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!).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- Drizzle the top of poked dough with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (see notes for topping options). 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
- Classic Rosemary & Sea Salt – Always a favorite
- Cherry Tomatoes & Basil – Fresh and summery
- Caramelized Onions & Thyme – Sweet and savory
- Olives & Oregano – Mediterranean flavor bomb
- Garlic & Parmesan – Bold and cheesy
- Za’atar & Olive Oil – Earthy and aromatic
- Roasted Peppers & Goat Cheese – Creamy with a kick
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This bread is delicious. The crispy, chewy outside and spongy, fresh inside is perfect for dipping or as a side to any pasta dish. I am so proud of myself for being able to say I can make focaccia bread! Your recipe is easy to follow. I LOVE gently pressing my fingers into the dough. It is almost therapeutic. Thank you, Elena, for sharing this recipe!
You are most welcome! Thank you. The fingers in the dough are the BEST part of making it. I call it focaccia therapy! Enjoy time and time again.
This bread is amazing. I topped it with roasted garlic and rosemary seasoning, Mediterranean oregano and parmigiano reggiano. It smelled so good baking and tasted even better. Crusty on the outside and super soft on the inside. It made a great sandwich too. I will definitely be making it again!
So happy you loved our family favorite bread recipe. It is one to make time and time again!
This recipe is perfetto! We appreciate the added instructions. We love the plain focaccia and the options you can add. We topped one with caramelized onions, one with garlic, and one with nine Italian spices. I love it hot, but it’s even good the next day unheated. I even had a piece of focaccia topped with Nutella (sweet and savory).
Wow! Yumm, I love your topping additions. That sounds delightful. I am glad you enjoyed this easy focaccia recipe!
This recipe did not disappoint!!! So super easy made it last night after work to bake the next day. Turned out perfect. The hardest part is not eating it all myself. Thanks so much for sharing. Loving your recipes!!!!
Ha! I know the feeling- it’s hard to stop with just one piece! I am glad you love it! We love to eat focaccia with soup, or make a sandwich with it. Enjoy!
Patiently waiting! The dough has been in the fridge for almost 5 hours now. Can’t wait to bake it! Question: does it have to stay refrigerated for the full 8 hours ? Or can it be less?
Then it has to rest at room temperature for an another couple hours before baking correct?
I noticed you have Kamut flour on your bread box. Have you used it for the focaccia bread? If so, do you just substitute the same amount for the flour in the recipe?
Yes! You can sub cup for cup. You will want to get the same consistency as seen in the process photos, so you can always adjust. It is a very forgiving dough and the long fermentation helps with that.
This was amazing- I have wanted to try making focaccia for years and felt so intimidated but I made it and had no problem following the directions. I am so happy I tried this we will be making this often in my home.
I made your focaccia recipe yesterday and was very pleased! It was a hit. So easy and delicious. The other recipe I’ve use was way more work. Thank you!!
So happy you loved it!
I made this recipe using kamut flour
It tastes amazing but it didn’t rise very tall
It was in my fridge for 14 hours and on my counter for two hours before baking
It passed the poke test
Does kamut not work quite as well in this recipe?
I made it to use for your mortadella sandwich but cutting it in half makes for very thin slices
So I want to try again another time but maybe try a different flour?
Would love your thoughts and ideas
Hi there! Thank you for a yummy recipe! It came out delicious. One question…the instructions in recipe say to put bread in oven after making dimples. The photo caption says to let it rest one more time after making dimples. ow long do you let it rest after making the dimples?
You can put it in the oven right after resting and making the dimples :). Either way will actually work so whatever works best for you!
Super easy and delicious! My whole family loves this!
Yay! So happy to hear this! It is a yummy recipe we make often.