Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe
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A few summers ago, I bumped into Richard Bourdon at Berkshire Mountain Bakery. During our brief chat, he told me, among other things, he would never write a cookbook because he’s always changing his methods.
I was shocked to hear this because I would have thought that after 30+ years of running his renowned bakery, he would know all there is to know about bread baking, that his formula would require zero tinkering, and that he and all of his staff could churn out the acclaimed BMB breads in their sleep.
But it was refreshing and reassuring to hear this, too, because I’m constantly changing how I make things, and I don’t know that I’ll ever stop. For the past few months, I’ve been making the base focaccia bread recipe from Bread Toast Crumbs, but trying different things: using more yeast, using less yeast, doing longer, slower rises at room temperature, doing longer, slower rises in the refrigerator.
What Makes The Best Focaccia?
I’ll spare you all the details of the various experiments and skip straight to what I’ve found creates the best focaccia, one that emerges golden all around, looking like a brain, its surface woven with a winding labyrinth of deep crevices: refrigerated dough.
This is nothing novel—many bakers extol the virtues of the cold fermentation process—and it came as no surprise to me either: it was, after all, past-prime Jim Lahey refrigerated dough that showed me how easy focaccia could be: place cold, several-days-old pizza dough in a well-oiled pan, let it rise for several hours or until it doubles, drizzle with more oil, dimple with your fingers, sprinkle with sea salt, then bake until done.
Employing a refrigerator rise takes time because the cold environment slows everything down initially, and during the second rise, the cold dough takes time to warm to room temperature. The overall effort, however, is very hands off, and the result is worth it. In sum, I’ve found:
- Allowing the dough to rest 18 to 24 hours in the fridge yields the best results.
- The amount of yeast doesn’t really matter.
- A buttered or parchment-lined pan in addition to the olive oil will prevent sticking. I’ve been baking the focaccia in two 9-inch Pyrex pie plates. Butter + oil is essential to prevent sticking. I also love my 9×13-inch USA Pan for this one.
- Count on 2 to 4 hours for the second rise.
- After the second rise, dimple the dough, then immediately stick the pans in the oven — this has been a critical difference for me in terms of keeping those desirable crevices. If you dimple and let the dough rise again even for 20 minutes before popping the pan in the oven, the crevices begin to dissolve. Note: The bread still tastes delicious without all of those crevices, but there’s something appetizing about the brain-like appearance … or is that just me?
Friends, the above video shows how to bake the focaccia in a 9×13-inch USA Pan and the below photo play-by-play offers the same instruction but for glass Pyrex pie plates. With my USA Pan, I do not need to butter before it before I oil it; with my Pyrex pie plates, butter is essential to prevent sticking. As always, I am here if you have questions.
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A familiar scene: 4 cups (512 g) flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons instant yeast:
Add 2 cups lukewarm water:
Mix dough:
Cover bowl. You all have one of these, right? Stick bowl in the fridge immediately; leave it there to rise for 12 to 18 hours (or longer—I’ve left it there for two days).
Remove from fridge, and remove cover:
Deflate dough:
Butter or line with parchment paper two 8- or 9-inch pie plates or something similar; then pour a tablespoon of olive oil into each. (The butter/parchment will ensure the bread doesn’t stick.) Divide the dough in half and place each half into the prepare pans. Use your hands to turn the dough in the oil, creating a rough ball. Don’t touch the dough again for 2 to 4 hours depending on your environment.
When the dough looks like this…
…pour another tablespoon of olive oil over each round, and using your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, such as Maldon.
Transfer to oven immediately and bake at 425ºF for 25 minutes or until golden all around.
Focaccia brain.
Remove focaccia from pans and place on cooling racks.
One of my favorite thing to do with these rounds of focaccia (besides serving them with olive oil and dukkah) is to make a slab sandwich. Here are three fun ideas:
- Prosciutto, Arugula & Mozzarella:
2. Mashed Avocado, Pickled Beets and Turnips, Pea Shoots:
3.Roasted Red Peppers, Olive Tapenade, & Whipped Honey Goat Cheese
The Best, Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 18 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 18 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Adapted from the focaccia and pissaladière recipes in Bread Toast Crumbs.
A few notes:
- I’ve been baking the focaccia in two 9-inch Pyrex pie plates. Butter + oil is essential to prevent sticking.
- Other pan options include: A 9×13-inch pan — do not split the dough in half, if you use this option, which will create a thicker focaccia (I love this USA pan for this one). A 13×18-inch rimmed sheet pan — this creates a thinner focaccia, which is great for slab sandwiches.
- As always, for best results, use a digital scale to measure the flour.
- I love SAF instant yeast. I buy it in bulk, transfer it to a quart storage container, and store it in my fridge for months. You can store it in the freezer also.
- Plan ahead: While you certainly could make this more quickly, it turns out especially well if you mix the dough the day before you plan on baking it. The second rise, too, takes 2 to 4 hours.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
- 2 cups (455 g) lukewarm water, made by combining 1/2 cup boiling water with 1 1/2 cups cold water
- butter for greasing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours.
- Line two 8- or 9-inch pie plates or a 9×13-inch pan (see notes above) with parchment paper or grease with butter or coat with nonstick cooking spray. (Note: This greasing step may seem excessive, but with some pans, it is imperative to do so to prevent sticking. With my USA pans, I can get away with olive oil alone; with my glass baking dishes, butter is a must.)
- Pour a tablespoon of oil into the center of each pan or 2 tablespoons of oil if using the 9×13-inch pan. Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball. Use the forks to split the dough into two equal pieces (or do not split if using the 9×13-inch pan). Place one piece into one of the prepared pans. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over, forming a rough ball. Repeat with the remaining piece. Let the dough balls rest for 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 425°F. Pour another tablespoon of oil over each round of dough. Rub your hands lightly in the oil to coat, then, using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over.
- Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the focaccia to cooling racks. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving; let it cool completely if you are halving it with the intention of making a sandwich.
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: bread, focaccia, overnight, refrigerator, cold, dough
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
760 Comments on “Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe”
I made this dough (weighed out the bread flour) with the intention of making focaccia. I left it in the fridge for 27 hours. Then I decided to make pizza instead as the dough was essentially the same. It was absolutely wonderful. The crust had a light, airy yet chewy texture. I will never use a recipe other than this. I think the secret is just as you stated… handle the dough minimally. This pizza was better than any high-end restaurant made pizza I’ve ever had. I cannot thank you enough for the step by step instructions! If I could give it 10 stars I would!
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Oh yay! Gloria, it’s so wonderful to hear this. Thank you so much for writing and for sharing all of this 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
Quick question – could I essentially “reverse” the two rises? As in: make the dough, let it rise for 1-3 hours at room temp, stretch the dough into a baking sheet, then proof overnight in the fridge? My goal is to be able to take the pan from the fridge, let it come to room temp, and throw it in the oven without having to mess with it (except for adding the dimples right before). Hopefully I explained that well enough, I’m new to baking! I basically just want to do all the work on day 1 and go straight to baking on day 2. Any thoughts you have would be helpful! Thank you so much!
Hi Carly! I think this will work well. The key will be to be sure the dough is coated in oil so that it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. If you have a large ziplock bag or if you have plastic wrap that you can wrap the pan with, do that, again to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out. I would remove it from the fridge a few hours before you plan on baking it… it may not need a ton of time, but I haven’t done this, so I can’t advise entirely. What you are going to look for is the dough looking nicely puffed; then you’ll want to dimple it, salt it, and bake it. Hope that all makes sense!
aaaargh…. I am so inept when it comes to dough. I want to make this foccacia so badly but I’m worried its not going to turn out. I measured my flour on a scale and added the rest of the ingredients. When I mixed it all together it was nothing like your picture. It was a really REALLY soft dough…wouldn’t hold any kind of shape. I added at least a cup more flour and finally gave up. Just stuck it in the fridge to see what happens.
Any thoughts on what the problem might be?? There isn’t a lot to it so I’m a bit confused how it could go so wrong??
Thanks for any help! It looks soooo yummy i really want it to work
Hi LuAnn! Bummer to hear this. Questions for you: what type of flour are you using? And did you measure the water on the scale?
Yikes mine turned out HORRIBLE. I used gluten free flour which was to be one to one ration with regular flour. I will try using reg flour. But it never seemed to raise and looked like crumbled play doh???
Any suggestions.
Hi Beveryly! Gluten-free flour is a different animal … you unfortunately can’t use a one-to-one swap with wheat flour. I have one gluten-free bread recipe on my site that people have great success with. Here it is: gluten-free peasant bread.
I’ve tried this several times and it has come out beautifully each time. I wanted to know can I use 00 flour (the ones used for pizza) and if so how would it change the texture of the focaccia?
Hi Meg! Great to hear. You may find that with 00 flour, the dough is wetter, so I would suggest holding back some of the water. If the dough looks stiff, add the reserved water slowly until it looks right. You may find you don’t need to alter the recipe at all. Recently, due to the change of seasons, I find all of my doughs to be on the stiffer side.
Is it open if I leave the dough in the frig for 48 hours?
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It should be fine. You may want to go in there once and deflate/punch down the dough. Be sure its surface is slicked with oil so that the dough doesn’t dry out. Ideally if it’s going to be in the fridge that long, it should be in a vessel that’s lidded.
Hi Alexandra! Started making this, really excited just a quick question: could I use aluminum trays (2x 8inch square trays) if I do not have the alternatives you listed? Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!
Hi Olga! Sorry just seeing this! The trays you mention should be just fine. Hope it turned out OK!
Ended up using aluminum trays and it worked well, thanks for your feedback. Love this recipe, so easy to follow and it tasted delicious!!
Wonderful to hear this, Olga!
made the recipe and cooked it in my brick oven. 8 minutes rotating every 2 minutes at 350-425 degrees. Everyone LOVED it!!! best comment was “I could eat just this for the rest of my life, an I would be very happy…”
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Oh that sounds amazing, Linda! So great to hear this. My mom cooks her focaccia on her grill in a cast-iron skillet and it comes out so well. Why is it more fun to cook bread outside??
Hi Ali! I just made the dough and put it in the fridge 😊. I made your Challah recipe yesterday and it came out fantastic so now it got me inspired to try this one. I wanted to ask you, how would you go about adding black olives and rosemary? I thought about adding them into the dough during the last 2-4 hour rise but then I wonder if they’ll interfere? I guess the alternative would be to put them as toppings? But then I wonder if they’ll interfere with the brain holes!? Thank you!
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Hi Valentina! So sorry for the delay here. What did you end up doing? Next time, I would add them right into the dry ingredients and toss them to coat. The issue some people run into with toppings such as olives is that the toppings tend to burn a bit.
I ended up only topping with rosemary and eating the olives aside with the arugula and prosciutto and burrata and cherry tomatoes! It came out GREAT. my husband was in awe. Said it reminded him of his childhood bakery’s focaccia in Italy. 😊 THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness, amazing! I love this 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am wondering if I missed something… I even used a digital scale but my dough came out very dry and floury…. I tried to add a little more lukewarm water but this made it very sticky … HELP lol. I really want to try this!
He Leah! What type of flour are you using? Sticky is OK — it’s definitely a sticky dough. Did you end up baking it?
Happy New Year! I tried your recipe and it tasted amazing. I just got one question. After the overnight fridge fermentation, should i deflate/fold the dought right after i take it out of the fridge or should i wait for the dough to get to the room temp and then fold it. Thank you.
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Hi Mike! Happy New Year and sorry for the delay here. You can deflate the dough right away — no need to let it get to room temperature first.
So grateful for this super-easy, ridiculously delicious, crazy-addictive recipe. My family requests it back-to-back-to-back. I just use a sheet pan + parchment for the full recipe, easy-peasy. (It’s also so very forgiving. No extra room in my fridge for a bread bowl, so I tuck it outside in the BBQ, where twice it has partially frozen overnight. No worries, just let it defrost in the bowl until moving onto the next step. Still perfect.)
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Oh my goodness, I love this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing, Kristin! And thanks for sharing all of your tips/notes, too.
Thank you for the recipe! It looks delicious… my dough is currently resting in the fridge overnight, if I wanted to “decorate” with veggies (the garden/underwater scenes and whatnot) like onions and tomatoes, do you recommend putting the veggies in right after the second rise? I’ve seen comments online that doing this makes the dough puff up too much and swallow the decorations… would a 30-min wait time be better (before placing the veggies and then baking)? Any general advice/things I should do differently if looking to decorate?
Hi Annika! I would wait until you dimple the dough. When it’s time, dimple the dough gently; then arrange your toppings; then dimple again to nestle the toppings into the dough. I think that should work — I don’t think the dough will swallow the decorations.
I’m not sure I’m getting to you in time… let me know what you did and how it turned out. Thanks!
You did get to me in time, thank you! It ended up tasting really nice! The top wasn’t as brown or uniform as your recipe, probably having to do with the second rise–I left it for 4 hours but it still didn’t seem as puffy as yours, does humidity affect rise? (I also did add veggies so I’m sure that affected the bake), I will definitely be trying again and making more batches in the future!
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Hi Annika! Great to hear. Humidity can affect rise in that in more humid environments, your dough may be wetter — did your dough feel on the wet side? If so, you can start with less water next time around. If a dough is too wet, it can bake up too dense. Good luck on future endeavors!
Hi Ali, I made this last night and had some issues last night that I assume were user error. My dough didn’t really rise in the oven and resulted in a very thin bread. I didn’t have two pie plates or two 9x13in pans, so I used a 13×18 cookie sheet to bake the bread. I figured this would result in a slightly thinner bread as you put in your post, but this was two thin to real cut in half which leads me to think that it was not right. Also the dough didn’t brown on top like you’d expect so I ended up overcooking it waiting for that golden brown color to appear. Mine was a very pale gold color. My dough looked like your pictures up to the point where I put it in the oven, so I am not sure where I went wrong. In summary these were my main issues: bread didn’t brown on the top and was very thin. I would love to try it again so any help you can give me would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Laurie! Bummer to hear this.
OK, questions: what type of flour are you using? It’s not bleached, is it? Are you confident in the freshness of your yeast? When you pulled the dough from the fridge, had it risen at all? And after the dough spend 4 hours or so at room temperature, had it bubbled up?
Hi Alexandra, thanks so much for your fast reply. I am not sure about the flour. I bough all-purpose unbleached flour to use but my roommate had an open bag and I foolishly used that without thinking or checking to make sure it matched what the recipe called for. Rookie mistake by an inexperienced baker! The yeast I used I had just purchased and well before the expiation date and opened right before I used it. The dough did rise a good amount in the refrigerator over night. After the 4 hours are room temperature I am not sure if it bubbled up, I am very new to baking so I am not sure what I need to look out for at this step.
Can I use bread flour for this recipe and would it be a one to one substitution with all purpose flour? Would I need to change the quantities of water, yeast, or olive oil if using bread flour?
Yes, use the same amount!
Hi Ali,
My dough turned out very wet. I use the measuring cups, should I weigh everything instead?
Thanks
WG
Weiging is best, Wendy! That said, it is a very wet, sticky dough. It may be fine … unless the dough was more like a batter. Reference the video regarding texture.
I made this recipe many times and it is delicious !!! I also eat the bread several hours later and the texture is crispy and chewy. Is there any way I can cook it in Le Creuset Dutch oven ?
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Hi again! Yes! Just be sure to grease it well — it would be a shame for it to stick. How large is the DO?
Helen
I baked this bread and it is delicious !!! Even after many hours, the texture is soft, chewy and crispy at the same time and so delicious !!! I was wondering, can I bake it in Le Creuset Dutch oven and would I need to change anything in terms of rising the dough, oven temperature and the ingredients ???
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Hi Helen! Wonderful to hear this. Yes, you definitely can. Just be sure to grease it well — it would be a shame for it to stick. How large is the DO?
Hi Alexandra,
I made your focaccia bread in the Le Cruset Dutch oven, following your instructions. It is delicious, crispy, chewy and tender at the same time !!! I end up baking with lid on for 30 minutes and lid off for 10 minutes. Thank you for a yummy recipe. !!!
Oh wonderful! Great to hear, Helen. Thanks for reporting back!
I’ve used this recipe several times now and it turns out great. A curious question though: My dimpling doesn’t stay even when placed in the oven immediately after dimpling. Am I not proofing the dough enough? I don’t want to overproof and the finger poke test always seem “inconclusive”. Since my kitchen is around 60 degrees, I’ve let the dough proof from 2-1/2 to 3 hrs. The important note is that despite the lack of dimples, no one has complained when gifted with a round of focaccia! It’s wet and cold in Seattle right now. To account for the humidity, I often hold back about 2 tablespoons (28g) water when mixing and add in as needed. This may help with the too wet dough issue from some commenters.
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Hi Wendy! Great to hear all of this! A few thoughts: Be more aggressive with the dimpling — you would be surprised by how aggressive you can be. Since you’ve tried 3 hours, maybe try 4. My kitchen is about the same temperature in the winter, and I find 3-4 hours for the second rise is about right. Finally, you could consider holding back those 2 tablespoons (or more) of water and seeing if using a teensy bit less water makes a difference.
This is my go-to bread. I make it at least twice a month. It is so delicious. I stick to the basic recipe, but one day I may branch out and add some toppings.
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So nice to hear this, Deborah! Thanks for writing 🙂
Hi Alexandra,
Thank you very much for your prompt response. From the last email I ask about baking your foccacia bread in a dutch oven, my Le Creuset Dutch oven is 4 and a half quarts. The texture of the bread is so good, chewy and airy which I love !!!
So when I bake in the dutch oven, I follow the recipe exactly and with the same oven temperature. Do I bake with covered lid or no lid?
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Hi Helen! No lid. The only time you’d want to bake with the lid on is if you were trying to make one of those super crusty boules, which require preheating the DO, then carefully lowering the bread into the hot vessel; then baking covered for some of the time and uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes or so.
Regarding the size, this will likely be a pretty thick focaccia — just keep in mind. The shape will be a little different than what you’ve baked in the past. Be sure to grease the DO well with butter. Hope it turns out great!
Can I cover with pan with plastic wrap during the 3-4 hr rise?
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Yes!
Wonderful! Works every time and sooo delicious I always have some frozen!
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Wonderful to hear this, Teresa!
I’m making this for a party but I want to bake it just before it’s served at the party. Do you think traveling with the dough uncooked in pans will deflate the second rise???
Hi Leah! How long is the drive? It should be fine… can you secure the pans with towels or something to ensure they’re not jumping all over the place?
Hi! I thought I’d be able to find this answer in the comments but for some reason I can’t. I only have active dry yeast so should I add extra or change how I do this? I’m so excited to try this recipe!
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Hi! To use active dry yeast here, simply sprinkle it over the lukewarm water and let it stand for 15 minutes or so; then proceed with the recipe. Good luck!