No Knead Focaccia Bread

This crazy easy and delicious no knead focaccia bread is so simple to make and comes out perfect every time.  It requires no special equipment and very little hands on time.

About This Recipe

• It is quick to put together with less than 10 minutes to prepare.
• It can be flavoured with any topping you like.
• It has a light golden brown crisp crust with a chewy and airy texture inside.
• It’s perfect on the dinner table with any number of dishes because you can flavour match the toppings.
• Focaccia bread can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
• It can be eaten plain or can be used to make delicious thick sandwiches.
• This focaccia bread recipe can even be used to make no-knead focaccia pizza – see below for ideas.
• It’s cheaper and fresher than anything you could buy and healthier too because, it is preservative free.

Ingredient Notes

Bread flour (baker’s flour / strong flour) is best because it gives the bread it’s characteristic soft chewy texture.

However, if all you have is all purpose flour (plain flour) this can be used instead. The focaccia will still be nice but, the texture and chewiness will be a little different than bread made with baker’s flour.

Yeast – I always use instant yeast granules for my bread recipes. This yeast does not require activation and can be added in with the other dry ingredients.

Salt – is a must in bread making, it adds flavour to the bread and without it you will find the bread can be a little bland.

Sugar – is added not to give the bread sweetness but to feed the yeast. Only one teaspoon is used, and you will hardly notice it in the finished bread.

Water – Use lukewarm water, you don’t want to use hot water because, you can kill the yeast. If in doubt use cold tap water.

Olive oil – this is used to oil the pan and coat the dough before baking.

Toppings – I used garlic powder, onion powder, Italian herbs, sliced black olives and cherry tomatoes for the breads shown on this page.

However, you can use other toppings if you prefer, see our “Focaccia Topping Ideas” section below for ideas.

Recipe Steps

Step 1 – Place the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Use a large sturdy wooden spoon and mix well making sure there are not dry patches of flour. The dough should be soft and sticky

Step 2 – Tightly cover the bowl with plastic food wrap, place it in a warm area and allow to double in size – this can take anywhere between 1 ½ – 3 hours.

Step 3 – After dough has doubled in size divide it into two equal parts and place them into two well oiled baking pans (or you can line the pans with baking paper).

You could use two 25 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inch) rectangle baking tins or two 23 cm (9 inch) round tins or one of each.

However, if you don’t have suitable tins, you can still make this no knead focaccia bread using baking sheets. After dividing the dough shape into two balls, place each ball onto an oiled rimmed baking sheet (or line the baking sheets with baking paper).

Pour a little bit of olive oil over each dough ball, then with oiled fingers gently press and dimple the dough, spreading it out to about 2cm (1 inch) thick.

Step 4 – Loosely cover the tins with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and allow the dough to double in size.

Step 5 – Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) about 10- 15 minutes before baking the bread.

Step 6 – Just before baking add the topping and drizzle over a little more olive oil. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked.

Tip: When using cherry tomatoes as a topping place them cut side up, this will stop the focaccia from getting soggy.

Step 7 – Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Tip: Toppings like cherry tomatoes can fall off the top of the bread when upturned. Place a sheet of baking paper over top of the bread before turning upside down, then turn the bread right side up and allow to cool.

Recipe Tips

Handling sticky dough. This no knead focaccia dough is very sticky so, dust your hands and bench with flour throughout the shaping process to stop the dough from sticking.

Lightly oil your fingers before dimpling dough, this will stop the dough from sticking to your fingers when lifting them from the dough.

Generously oil the tins, especially the base as the dough does stick or, line the base with baking paper.

Line the base and sides of the tins with baking paper for easy lifting out. This is also good when using like tomatoes that and fall off when the bread is turn upside down.

Focaccia Topping Ideas

With all these focaccia topping ideas don’t forget to drizzle over 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil, before popping into the oven.

1. Olive oil and sea salt.
2. Caramelised onions.
3. Sage and mozzarella cheese.
4. Thinly sliced garlic cloves and fresh rosemary leaves.
5. Cherry tomato halves (cut sides up) and basil leaves.
6. Anchovy fillets, capers, corn kernels, fresh or dry oregano and bottled artichoke hearts.
7. Mozzarella cheese, goats’ cheese, parmesan cheese, fresh or dried rosemary.
8. Sun dried tomatoes, black olives, red onion slices and feta cheese.
9. Thin slices of tomato and dried herbs with grated parmesan added after baking.
10.  Thin slices of red onion, thinly sliced garlic, sliced black olives, grated cheese, sea salt and dried herbs.
11. Zaatar (A Lebanese spice blend) get the recipe from masalaherb.com).
12. Generous dusting of garlic and onion powers, a light sprinkle of Italian herbs and a little sea salt.

Recipe Variation

No knead focaccia pizza

Use this no knead focaccia recipe to make a thick no knead focaccia pizza. Replace the focaccia toppings your favorite pizza toppings and bake for about 15- 20 minutes or until the focaccia is cooked.

Just like pizza you don’t want a thick layer of toppings keep it light. If too much topping is added the dough may be under cooked.

Frequently Asked Questions

More No Knead Bread Recipes

• Easy soft dinner rolls
• Very easy no knead hot cross buns
• Browse all our easy bread recipes

If you make this no knead focaccia, please come back and leave a comment below because, I would love to hear how it went.

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