No Knead Focaccia Bread (Overnight Recipe)

Perfectly crispy golden crust, soft chewy texture loaded with olives, cherry tomatoes & rosemary, this overnight no-knead homemade focaccia bread is surely going to be your next favourite bake. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch, high tea or to serve as snack or appetiser.

It is super easy, fun to make without requiring any kneading effort. With this recipe you will be able to bake bubbly focaccia at home with soft-bouncy airy texture, without needing any fancy kitchen equipment like bread machine or stand mixer.

It is a lovely addition to snack board for wine night and also tastes amazing with some garlic-herb infused olive oil dip. It can even be sliced in half to make delicious tempting focaccia sandwiches (like caprese salad sandwich or smashed chickpea sandwich) or simply pizza with them like the way we made these naan pizza in air fryer.

The focaccia bread recipe shared here is-

Eggless
Vegetarian
Vegan (Dairy free)
No Knead and easy to make
Made using Overnight Cold Fermentation Method

Focaccia Topping Ideas:

I personally like to keep it simple with cherry tomatoes, olives, rosemary and generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top but you can definitely use your creativity with other toppings like caramelised onions, jalapeños, coloured bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, cheddar or mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme etc to make beautiful artistic focaccia.

The recipe is flexible and customisable as you can also infuse the dough with freshly cracked black pepper, chilli flakes or mixed dried Italian herbs (aka Italian seasoning) to pack a punch of flavour.

Focaccia Ingredients:

Flour: You can use bread flour or regular all purpose flour (maida) to make this bread. Bread flour gives better results because of its higher protein content which means better gluten development. As it is not readily available everywhere, I have used all purpose flour which is easily available in everyone’s pantry.

Yeast: You can use active or instant dry yeast in this focaccia recipe. Active yeast needs to be activated in (warm water+sugar) mixture whereas instant dry yeast can be used directly.

However I would always recommend to activate any dry yeast before using, as the formation of foam (which you will see in step images) makes sure that yeast is working as intended and the entire bread making effort does not go in vain later.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I cannot emphasise enough on how important it is to use good quality extra virgin olive for making focaccia as it is the main flavour of this bread and makes it so satisfying to eat. Always smell the oil before using. If it smells off, its definitely rancid and may taste bad later in bread too.

Overnight Fermentation:

One trick that has helped me to get perfect focaccia is cold overnight fermentation i.e slow fermentation in fridge (not freezer) over the time of 8-10 hrs. The cold fermentation helps in developing better flavours by slowing down the yeast activity and also improves the structure of bread by making it more airy.

To make focaccia I generally prepare the dough a night before and cold proof it till next day, to bake it for breakfast or dinner. You can store the dough in fridge for upto 48 hrs to use later. I have tried this exact recipe to make ‘same day’ focaccia; It tasted good but overnight fermentation gives better structure to bread.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

All Purpose flour or Plain flour (Maida) – 3 cups (360 gms)
Warm Water – 1 cup (250 gms)
Extra virgin Olive Oil – 5 tbsp (divided)
Instant Dry Yeast – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp (5 gms)
Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
For toppings: (use any)
- Cherry Tomatoes (halved)- 5 to 6
- Green or Black Olives (sliced)- 5 to 6
- Sea Salt (or any coarse salt) – to taste
- Fresh rosemary or basil leaves

Directions:

Step 1:
Take warm water in a bowl and add sugar and yeast to it. Mix well. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes till you notice bubbly foam on top (to bloom yeast).

Step 2:
First add flour to this bowl and then salt. Mix well using a spatula till you get sticky dough. If you notice dry specs of flour, add 1-2 tsp water more.

Step 3:
Add 2 tbsp olive oil and keep mixing with spatula till you get smooth dough. It will be slightly sticky but continue mixing till oil is incorporated in the dough. Cover with a kitchen cloth or lid and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Step 4:
Pick the top end of the dough and lift with fingers while bringing it over to the opposite end. Repeat this on all sides (total 3-4 times). Cover and rest for 20 minutes more. (Tip: If the dough seems sticky, wet your fingers by dipping in bowl of water before handling it).

Step 5:
After 15-20 minutes, repeat the above step again (This incorporates air in dough). Flip over the dough to bring the smooth side up & rub some olive oil on it to prevent from crusting. Cover the bowl with lid or cling film.

Step 6:
Let it rest in fridge overnight or for at least 8-12 hrs (can keep it in fridge for upto 2 days). After resting you will notice how the dough almost doubles in size.

Step 7:
Line a baking tray (8″x11″) with parchment paper & brush olive oil generously on it to prevent the dough from sticking. Bring the dough out of fridge & slip it on this tray. First fold left & right sides till the centre and the top-bottom edges as shown below-

Step 8:
Flip over to bring the smooth side up. Cover with another baking tray and let it rest for 1 to 2 hrs till it doubles in volume (In hotter climate it may take lesser time). As you can see below, after second proofing the dough almost fills the tray.

Step 9:
Drizzle 2-3 tbsp olive oil on the proofed dough (& apply some on your fingers too). Poke holes in it with fingers while almost going all the way down to the base. Add more olive oil if required.

Step 10:
Add any toppings of choice like cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic, jalapeños, rosemary or thyme etc along with generous sprinkle of sea salt on top to enhance the taste.

Preheat the oven at 220°C (430°F). Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 25-30 minutes. Time can vary slightly depending on the size of oven so keep an eye after 25 minutes.

Once done bring the bread out of oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Do transfer it on a wire rack to cool completely. You can brush some olive oil on top when the bread is straight out of oven to soften the crust but it is totally optional. Slice and enjoy it warm or at room temp.

You can serve focaccia with dips like chilli garlic oil, chimmichurri sauce or olive oil dip which is also my personal favourite and I have shared the method below. I simply eye ball ingredients and taste in the end to adjust the seasoning.

Olive Oil Dip: Take 4-5 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl. Add garlic powder or fresh / roasted minced garlic along chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme (or use Italian seasoning). For spiciness, add chilli flakes or freshly ground black pepper. Little bit balsamic vinegar also tastes great in it but it is optional. Add salt to taste and mix well.

Tips:

1. Sometimes fresh herbs start to burn early while the bread is still baking. To prevent this, toss them in little bit olive oil first.

2. The water should not be too hot otherwise it will kill the yeast. To test the temp., dip your little finger in warm water. If you are able to hold it in for 5 seconds and it feels sufficiently warm, you are good to go.

3. If you are baking the bread in convection mode in small microwave oven, then lower the temp to 200°C. The time can very little bit depending on the oven size so please keep an eye after 25 minutes.

4. If your oven has hot-spots, then rotate the bread tray after half time to get even browning on top.

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Hope you will try and like this easy overnight focaccia recipe. If you try this recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)