Breads & buns

January 11, 2023

No Knead Focaccia

Super Easy No Knead Focaccia

A soft, light & airy focaccia with just the right chewiness and a crunchy exterior without the hassle of kneading?? Say no more! 

Homemade focaccia is incredibly easy and minimum effort or equipment is required. The bread has a crispy exterior and a chewy and soft texture on the inside. This recipe will set you up with a basic focaccia, leaving endless topping options to you! 

The dough needs to be chilled in the fridge overnight to make sure that the flavours and gluten can develop. However, I did test the recipe in a shorter amount of time and it worked just fine. If you do choose to skip the rising in the fridge, replace it with a rise outside of the fridge for 60 minutes and leave it in the fridge until you are going to bake it. 

Ingredients needed for a homemade focaccia

Strong bread flour - The protein content of the flour is the most important factor here. Your flour preferably has at least 12% of protein. Protein aids the development of gluten which means that you will have a chewy end product, which is exactly what you’re looking for. Not enough protein will cause the bread to easily tear and your focaccia will be more resemblant to cake than bread. Can’t find strong bread flour? De Notenshop sells ‘tarwegluten’, which is basically gluten that you’re adding to your bread. 

Yeast - This recipe uses instant yeast, which does not require activation and can be mixed into the dough immediately. Always be careful not to mix yeast and salt, as salt kills yeast and your bread won’t rise

Salt - Salt is essential for flavour in your bread

Honey - This recipe calls for a little bit of honey, so we give the yeast something to eat and activate. Don’t have honey or want to make it vegan? Replace the honey with a tablespoon of regular sugar

Olive oil - I always recommend using high-quality olive oil. A bit will go into the dough and a lot will go into the pan so the bread can absorb all that delicious oil and get nice and crispy 

Water - The wetter the dough, the fluffier your bread will be. Stick to the ratios in the recipe, but add a tablespoon at a time in case your dough feels too dry. Use lukewarm water to activate and help the yeast do its thing. Don’t use hot water, just warm to the touch! Hot water will kill the yeast completely. 

Toppings - I topped this focaccia with crushed red chilli peppers, fresh cherry tomatoes, thyme, olive oil & flaky sea salt. But feel free to add whatever toppings you like. 

How do I store focaccia?

Store your focaccia in an airtight container or store it inside a turned-off oven. The bread is best eaten on the same day as it will go stale the next day. If you end up having leftovers and you want to reheat the focaccia, spray it with some water and then reheat it in the oven until crispy and delicious again. 

Baking time and oven temperature

Baking time and oven temperature may vary depending on the oven you are using.  All oven temperatures in my recipes are based on a conventional oven. If you bake with a fan-assisted oven, turn down the temperature slightly as these ovens tend to become hotter than a conventional oven at that temperature setting. Ovens have the tendency to deviate from the temperature you set the oven to. I would highly recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure the inside of your oven is at the right temperature. My oven for example only goes up to 160C even though I turn it up to 230C 

An oven that is too hot may result in an overbaked or burnt bake and an oven that is too cold may result in underbaked and soggy bakes. Having the thermometer will not only help in getting the right temperature but also helps in determining the right baking time. 

Other factors that may affect baking time

The size of your baking dish may also highly affect your baking time. A wider pan means that the batter spreads out more, resulting in it baking faster than in a smaller pan where the batter is thicker in height. 

Enjoy loves xx

No Knead Focaccia

A fluffy, focaccia with just the right chewiness without the hassle of kneading?? Say no more!

Author:

Demi Bruggink

Prep:

720

min

cook:

20

min

total:

740

min

Yield:

8

Portions

Ingredients

  • 500gr bread flour (at least 12% proteïne content)
  • 5gr instant yeast
  • 430gr lukewarm water
  • 5gr honey
  • 15gr olive oil
  • 10gr fine sea salt
  • Toppings of choice

Instructions

  1. Combine your flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. 
  2. Combine your honey, lukewarm water and yeast and leave to sit for 2 minutes
  3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir together until it forms a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes
  4. Now it’s time to perform the stretch and folds. To do this, wet your hands, then take a section of the dough and stretch it up and fold it onto itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretches. Repeat this so you have done 8 stretches and folds in total and have gone around the bowl twice.
  5. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rest for another 10 minutes
  6. Perform a second set of 8 stretches and folds like in step 4
  7. Lightly oil the top of your dough and cover your bowl in cling film. Place your dough in the fridge for 8+ hours. 
  8. Take your dough out of the fridge the next day. Don’t knock the air out! We want to keep the air bubbles that were formed overnight. Generously grease a pan. I use a rectangular one of 35x24x5cm
  9. Carefully drop the dough into the pan. Grease your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. Carefully lift up the long end of your dough and fold it onto itself, repeat this on the other side. Then pick up the dough from the middle and tuck the short ends underneath the dough. You should end up with a square packet of dough that is evenly thick 
  10. Cover the pan with a sheet pan and leave the dough to rest and rise outside of the fridge for around 2 hours
  11. After 2 hours, the dough should have spread neatly to the corners of the pan. If it hasn’t, carefully help the dough a little by pulling the dough from underneath to the edges of the pan
  12. Dimple the dough using your fingers and top the focaccia to your liking. You can add olives, tomatoes, chilli paste, and herbs such as oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme. Always add a little extra olive oil on top before baking and sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt
  13. Bake the focaccia at 200C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through

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