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Here is my NO-KNEAD easy focaccia recipe that you can make in 1 bowl. Believe me, its golden crisp oil-scented crust and chewy texture are absolutely delicious.
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The real Italian focaccia is not thick and heavy bread, but it’s light, moist, and with a melt-in-your-mouth chewy interior. And it’s packed with flavor and delicious hints of olive oil.
It’s so hard to resist the AMAZING smell of freshly baked focaccia when you pass by a bakery in Italy.
And homemade focaccia is so good that you just can’t stop eating it!
Here I share my favorite easy focaccia recipes, that I’ve tested so many times over the years, and it never fails.
And although the dough is wet and sticky, the good news is that it requires nokneading, no stand mixer,nostarter,nospecial knowledge.
All you have to do is mix the ingredients in ONE BOWL with a spoon and the dough is done. It’s that EASY!!
If you’ve never made focaccia before, you’ll want to bookmark this recipe to give it a go. Following this easy method with the step-by-step photos will be a breeze!
List of the ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Instant yeast (or Active dry yeast, see notes)
- Water
- Herbs (rosemary, thyme or oregano…)
- Salt flakes(optional, but delicious!!)
How to make it
(Note: this is a quick description withstep-by-step photos,the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Mix flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl until combined.
- Add the water and the olive oil to the dry ingredients.
- Mix with a spoon or a spatula to incorporate all the liquid into the flour.
- Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl with the spatula, you want to shape the dough into a ball, more or less (it looks lumpy, but that’s totally fine).
- Let the dough rest in the warm oven for 40 MINUTES (On the left you see how the dough looks like after this rest).
- With a spatula, pour the dough onto a baking tray.
- Dust with some flour and stretch the dough out with your fingers to fit the baking tray.
- Leave to rise again for an extra 30 MINUTES (do not cover the dough with a damp towel this time, it will stick to it).
- Make the brine by shaking olive oil, water and salt in a jam jar.
- Pour the brine all over the dough (it looks a lot, but it’s fine).
- Poke dimples with your fingertips and spread the brine to fill them.
- Scatter fresh rosemary or your favorite dried herbs.
- Bake for 20-25 MINUTES until golden and crispy.
Recipe Notes & tips
Easy focaccia ingredients
All-purpose flour: unbleached all-purpose flour is perfect, but bread four works fine too. Make sure to measure the flour correctly (see notes in the recipe card).
Yeast: I used convenient instant yeast, you can stir it directly into the flour. Alternatively, Active dry yeast works just fine, but you’ll need to activate it in water first (follow the manufacturer’s directions).
Salt: fine salt is for the dough and the brine, while sprinkling some sea salt flakes on top add more texture and flavor.
Extra virgin olive oil: it’s the best and adds plenty of flavor.
How to make focaccia moist and tasty
The brine makes all the difference here. It adds moisture and makes a golden crust with a pronounced yet delicate olive oil flavor.
Essentially, it’s anemulsion of olive oil, water, and salt that you spread on the surface of the focaccia. It will evaporate during cooking, but it will keep focaccia moist, especially the holes you made with your fingertips.
For more flavor, you can also add a fresh pressed or grated garlic clove or 1/4 tsp of garlic powder to the brine.
How to make the dough rise faster?
The warm oven method is a shortcut that helps when you need to speed up the proofing time or if the room is cold.
All you have to do is preheat the oven at low temperature, then turn it off and create a warm environmentfor the dough to rise in. However, feel free to skip this step if the room is warm or if you don’t need to speed up the proofing.
Fancy focaccia ready in 1 hour?
Originally, this was 1-hour focaccia recipe that I published in 2020. Although that speedy method worked and allowed to get fresh focaccia in about 1 hour, I thought that extending the proofing time a little bit gives best results.
That’s why I’ve decided to update this recipe. ; )
But the shortcut is still possible, and if you want focaccia ready in 1 HOUR you can reduce the proofing time (see the recipe card for more instructions).
Easy focaccia variations
Focaccia is super versatile, when it comes to toppings, the sky is the limit!
Aside from herbs like rosemary, oregano and thyme, you can add olives or tomatoes like in this amazing focaccia with olives or juicy focaccia with tomatoes.
But thinly sliced red onions like in this onion pizza, and grilled veggies make other terrific add-ins. Don’t miss my latest collection of 15 focaccia toppings to inspire you!
How long does it keep?
Focaccia is best the day it is made but can be stored in anairtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 day.
Can you freeze focaccia? Yes, It freezes very well. Defrost at room temperature, then reheat in a 350F oven for a few minutes and serve warmed and crisped.
More focaccia and pizza recipes!
If you love pizza and focaccia as much as I do, you’ll enjoy this easy versatile pizza dough and this collection of delicious 17 veggie pizza recipes or 25 incredible pizza toppings. Below a few of my favorites:
- Artichoke pizza
- Veggie pizza
- Greek pizza with feta cheese
- Pizza with gorgonzola
- Anchovy pizza
- Spinach Pizza with feta
- Caprese pizza
If you make thiseasy focaccia, or if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
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Print Recipe
5 from 12 votes
Easy Focaccia (no-knead)
Here is myNO-KNEAD easy focacciarecipe that you can make in1 bowl. Believe me, its goldencrisp oil-scented crust and chewy textureare absolutely delicious.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Proofing time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer, Bread
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Quick Italian focaccia
Servings: 6
Calories: 307kcal
Author: Katia
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour,plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ tsp dry instant yeast (or Active dry yeast, see notes)
- ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp (200 ml) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
BRINE
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) warm water
- 1/4 heaped teaspoon fine salt
- 1 garlic clove, grated (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (or 2 tsp dried rosemary or oregano)
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt flakes, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200F°/90C° and turn it off. This helps to create a warm oven to speed up the proofing time. Feel free to skip this step, but allow an extra 20 minutes until the dough doubles in size.
Combine flour, salt, yeast in a large bowl.
Add water, olive oil, and mix with a spoon or a spatula to incorporate the flour (see notes). Mix until no dry flour remains, but lumps are totally fine.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, then let it rest in the warm oven for 40 minutes (or until the dough doubles in size)
Grease a baking tray or line with parchment paper (mine is 9 x 13 inches).
Scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula and pour the dough onto the baking tray.
Dust with some flour (the dough is sticky and you need to dust it with flour a little bit) and press the dough out with your fingers to fit the baking tray.
Place the baking tray in the warm oven again for 20 minutes. No worries if the oven is less warm now, there's no need to preheat it again.
Meanwhile make the brine by placing the olive oil, the water and the fine salt in a jam jar and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Remove the baking tray from the oven, pour the brine all over the focaccia and poke dimples into the surface with your fingertips, you want to fill the holes with the brine. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Scatter the focaccia with fresh rosemary and the sea salt flakes (optional, but I love them) and bake in the preheated oven until golden and crusty, it will take about 20-25 minutes.
Let it cool for 10 before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Quantities: the recipe yields 6 square slices like the ones shown in the picture. But if you serve focaccia as an appetizer, you can turn those 6 servings at least into 24 bite-sized smaller nibbles.
Brine:if you use a smaller round pan (for example a 9 inches/25 cm Ø) you need to reduce the brine by half.
Storage:focacciais best the day it is made but can be stored in anairtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 day. Plus, it freezes very well.
Measurements:I use both US cups and grams. The cups of flour are leveled:fill the measuring cup all the way to the top letting the flour flow over a little. Then, use the back of a knife to levelthe topoff.
Flour:all-purpose flour is perfect for focaccia bread, but you can use also bread flour.
Yeast:Active dry yeast and instant yeast canbe used interchangeably in this recipe. However,Active dry yeast needs to be activated in water and let it sit until slightly foamy before adding to the flour (follow the manufacturer’s instructions). Also, you might need to extend the proofing time if needed.
Water absorption: water absorption is the amount of water taken up by flour and may vary significantly depending on the type of flour, brand, and weather conditions. When you add water to the flour, start with the amount stated in the recipe. If the liquid is not enough to achieve that dough consistency as shown in the pictures above, just add gradually a little extra water until the flourhas been incorporated.
Warm oven method:preheating the oven at low temperatures creates a warm environmentfor the dough to rise in faster. This shortcut works great when you’re in a hurry and want freshly baked focaccia ready in record time.
Focaccia ready in 1 hour:follow the instructions in the recipe, except for the proofing time. For the first proofing, cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel, then let rest in the warm oven for 20 minutes only. The second time, when the dough is in the baking tray, place it in the warm oven for 20 minutes. After this time, add the brine and bake as per the recipe.
Nutritional values: the nutritional facts are estimates only.
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 2mg
