Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe
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Cold, refrigerated dough is the secret to making delicious focaccia! Allowing the dough to rest 18 to 48 hours in the fridge will yield extra-pillowy and airy focaccia, though if you are pressed for time, you can make this start-to-finish in 3 hours. This 4-ingredient recipe requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time. Video guidance below!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:
“Love this recipe! I’ve made this so many times that I’ve lost count. Super simple and delicious. My family loves it. Whenever someone asks me for a focaccia recipe, I always show them this one. This recipe is awesome. Thank you for sharing!” — Lucy
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: focaccia is the bread recipe for beginners. Why? Because:
- The no-knead, 4-ingredient dough takes 5 minutes to mix together.
- It requires no special equipment, no tricky shaping technique, and no scoring.
- If you have a 9×13-inch baking pan and your fingertips (for dimpling), you’re good to go.
- It emerges soft and pillowy, olive oil-crusted, golden all around, and it’s completely irresistible.
In sum, it’s hard to beat focaccia (pronounced foh-kah-chuh) in the effort-to-reward category. If you are intimidated by bread baking, this is the recipe I suggest making first, both for its simplicity and flavor. After all, this focaccia bread recipe is adapted from my mother’s simple peasant bread recipe, a recipe that has removed the fear of the bread baking process for many.
For the past few months, I’ve been making the focaccia bread recipe from my cookbook Bread Toast Crumbs, but changing the method: using more yeast, using less yeast, doing longer, slower rises at room temperature, doing longer, slower rises in the refrigerator. Find the results below.
This post is organized as follows:
- What Makes The Best Focaccia
- Four Tips for Success
- How This Focaccia Recipe Differs from Others
- Focaccia Bread Ingredients
- How to Make Focaccia, Step by Step
- Adding Rosemary, Herbs and Other Toppings to your Focaccia Dough
- How to Make a Focaccia Bread Art
- Tomato Focaccia
- How to Make a Focaccia Bread Sandwich
- Can I Skip the Overnight Rise?
PS: Once you master this simple focaccia, try your hand at this simple sourdough bread recipe, another recipe that requires minimal effort but yields spectacular results.
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: high-hydration, 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 requires more 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 — a light, airy, pillowy dough — is well worth it.
As important as refrigerating the dough is using a high hydration dough, meaning a dough with a high proportion of water relative to the flour. The high proportion of water will create a dough with beautiful air pockets throughout. (Incidentally, this is the secret to making excellent pizza dough as well as light, airy sourdough sandwich bread.)
How This Focaccia Recipe Differs from Others
There are lots of focaccia bread recipes out there, so why make this one? This one differs from many of the recipes out there in two ways:
- The long, cold, refrigerator rise.
- The absence of sugar or honey or any sort of sweetener.
Why isn’t there any sweetener in this recipe? Simply stated, a sweetener is just not needed — the yeast, contrary to popular belief, does not need sugar to activate or thrive. Sugar will speed things up, but when you’re employing a long, slow rise, speed is not the name of the game.
Moreover, and this is getting a little scientific, but during the long, cold fermentation: enzymes in both the flour and the yeast will break down the starches in the flour into simple sugars, which will contribute both to flavor and to browning, again rendering sugar unnecessary. Cool, right?
Four Tips for Success
- Allowing the dough to rest 18 to 24 hours in the fridge yields the best results. (You can leave the dough in the fridge for as long as 72 hours.)
- A buttered or parchment-lined pan in addition to the olive oil will prevent sticking. When I use Pyrex or other glass pans, butter plus oil is essential to prevent sticking. When I use my 9×13-inch USA Pan, I can get away with using olive oil alone.
- Count on 2 to 4 hours for the second rise. This will depend on the temperature of your kitchen and the time of year.
- 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.
Ingredients
- Flour: bread flour or all-purpose flour will work equally well here. If you live in a humid environment or abroad, I suggest trying to get your hands on bread flour. King Arthur Flour is my preference.
- Yeast: SAF Instant Yeast is my preference, but active dry yeast works just as well. See recipe box for instructions on how to use active-dry yeast in place of instant.
- Salt: I say this all the time, but a big part of making a good loaf of bread comes down simply to using the right amount of salt given the amount of flour you are using by weight. It’s like anything: bread has to be well seasoned. At a minimum, use 10 grams (2 teaspoons) of salt for every 500 grams (4 cups) of flour. I highly recommend investing in some good, flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top of the focaccia dough — it tastes better than the more finely ground varieties of salt. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the dough, but any salt you have on hand will work just fine for the dough.
- Water: There is a lot of water in this dough — it’s 88% hydration — and all of that water helps produce a light, airy, pillowy dough.
- Olive oil: Olive oil both in the bottom of the pan and on top of the dough is essential for encouraging nice browning, flavor, and that quintessential oiliness we all love about focaccia.
- Rosemary or other seasonings: Rosemary is a classic focaccia topping, and you can either sprinkle it over the dough before baking or you can chop it up and add it to the dough. Many people love sun-dried tomatoes and olives in their focaccia. See below for how to incorporate these other ingredients into your focaccia dough.
How to Make Focaccia Bread, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: 4 cups (512 g) flour, 2 teaspoons (10 g) salt, 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast (SAF is my preference), 2 cups (455 g) water:
Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast first:
Add the water:
Use a spatula to stir the two together.
Slick the dough with olive oil:
Slick the surface of the dough with olive oil; then cover the bowl. You all have one of these, right? Stick the bowl in the fridge immediately; leave it there to rise for 12 to 18 hours (or longer—I’ve left it there for as long as three days). NOTE: It is important the dough really be slicked with olive oil especially if you are using a cloth bowl cover or tea towel as opposed to plastic wrap or the lid pictured in the photo below this one. If you are using a tea towel, consider securing it with a rubber band to make a more airtight cover. If you do not slick the dough with enough oil, you risk the dough drying out and forming a crust over the top layer.
Another option: the lid that comes with the 4-Qt Pyrex bowl. This is handy for fridge storage because you can stack things on top of it.
Remove from fridge, and remove the cover:
Deflate the dough and transfer to a prepared pan. I love this 9×13-inch USA pan. If you don’t have one you can use two 8- or 9-inch pie plates or something similar. If you are using glass baking dishes be sure to grease the dishes with butter before pouring a tablespoon of olive oil into each. (The butter will ensure the bread doesn’t stick.) Don’t touch the dough again for 2 to 4 hours depending on your environment.
After two to four hours, or when the dough looks like this…:
… it’s time to dimple it! You can use simply olive oil and salt — I recommend good, flaky sea salt for this. Note, the dough in the photo below spent three days in the fridge, and the dough was super bubbly!
if you are using rosemary, sprinkle it over the dough. Then pour two tablespoons of olive oil over the dough, and using your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt — again, something like Maldon is great here.
Transfer to oven immediately and bake at 425ºF for 25 minutes or until golden all around. Remove focaccia from pans and place on cooling racks.
How to Incorporate Rosemary, Herbs, and Other Ingredients & Toppings into Your Focaccia Dough
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is: How can I add other toppings or ingredients to my focaccia bread? You can do this in two ways:
- Add them on top as you would rosemary or other herbs. The key is to make sure the ingredients are slicked lightly with olive oil to ensure they do not burn in the oven. I like to sprinkle the rosemary over top of the dough, then drizzle it with olive oil, then dimple the dough.
- You can add them directly to the dough. In step one, when you whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast, add your ingredients — chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic — to the flour and toss to coat; then add the water.
How to Make a Focaccia Bread Art
Pictured above is my “Ode to Spring” (🤣) Focaccia Bread Art (or Garden Scape). As noted above, the key with adding toppings is to slick them lightly with olive oil to ensure they don’t completely char. Keep in mind that some items will char, and a little charring is not a bad thing.
To make a focaccia bread art:
- Follow the recipe through the step in which you dimple the dough just before baking. Arrange your toppings — sliced peppers, asparagus, scallions, olives, tomatoes, onions, etc. — over top and dimple again, pressing the ingredients into the dough to embed them — you can be more aggressive than you think.
- Brush the entire surface with olive oil; then sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake as directed.
Tomato Focaccia
Pictured above is a cross between pissaladière and tomato focaccia. I love the addition of tomatoes to pissaladière because it adds a freshness and brightness, a hit of acidity to offset the sweet caramelized onions and salty anchovies, olives, and capers.
You can use any summer tomatoes you have on hand — diced cherry tomatoes, Roma, plum, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, etc. If you choose to dice up Roma or plum tomatoes, there is no need to seed them, but leave any juices lingering on the cutting board behind.
Top the unbaked focaccia with a thin layer of tomatoes; then bake as directed.
How to Make Focaccia Bread Sandwiches
One of my favorite things to do with either the rounds of focaccia or the 9×13-inch slab of focaccia is to make a giant sandwich: simply halve the whole finished loaf of focaccia in half crosswise; fill it as you wish, close the sandwich; then slice and serve.
Here’s one of my favorites: Roasted Red Peppers, Olive Tapenade, & Whipped Honey Goat Cheese
Can I Make this Overnight Focaccia Without the Overnight Rise?
Yes, you can. In fact, in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs, I do not employ an overnight rise. Start-to-finish it can be made in about three hours. The finished bread will not be as pillowy, but it will still be light, airy, and delicious.
To skip the overnight rise, simply let the mixed dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Then proceed with the recipe, knowing the second rise will only take about 30 minutes.
The Best, Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe
- Total Time: 18 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Cold, refrigerated dough is the secret to making delicious focaccia! Allowing the dough to rest 18 to 24 hours in the fridge will yield extra-pillowy and airy focaccia, though if you are pressed for time, you can make this start-to-finish in 3 hours. This 4-ingredient recipe requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time. Video guidance below!
Adapted from the focaccia recipe in Bread Toast Crumbs.
A few notes:
- 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.
- If you are short on time and need to make the focaccia tonight: Let the mixed dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Then proceed with the recipe, knowing the second rise will only take about 30 minutes.
- You can use various pans to make this focaccia such as: two 9-inch Pyrex pie plates. (Use butter + oil to prevent sticking.) One 9×13-inch pan, such as this USA pan — do not split the dough in half, if you use this option, which will create a thicker focaccia . 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 and water.
- 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.
- If you are using active-dry yeast, simply sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water and let it stand for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy; then proceed with the recipe.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose or bread flour here with great results. If you live in a humid environment, I would suggest using bread flour. If you are in Canada or the UK, also consider using bread flour or consider holding back some of the water. Reference the video for how the texture of the bread should look; then add water back as needed.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour or bread flour, see notes above
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, see notes above if using active dry
- 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
- 1 to 2 teaspoons whole rosemary leaves, optional
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, cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours or for as long as three days. (See notes above if you need to skip the overnight rise for time purposes.) NOTE: It is important the dough really be slicked with olive oil especially if you are using a cloth bowl cover or tea towel as opposed to plastic wrap or a hard lid. If you are using a tea towel, consider securing it with a rubber band to make a more airtight cover. If you do not slick the dough with enough oil, you risk the dough drying out and forming a crust over the top layer.
- 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 (Note: no need to cover for this room temperature rise).
- Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 425°F. If using the rosemary, sprinkle it over the dough. Pour a tablespoon of oil over each round of dough (or two tablespoons if using a 9×13-inch pan). 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 or pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pans or pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. 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.
- Prep Time: 18 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
4,150 Comments on “Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe”
Hi! This was by FAR the best and easiest focaccia recipe. Crusty on the outside and soft inside. I divided the dough into 2 pans. Kept one plain and garnished the other with cherry tomatos and olives. Absolutely Divine!
Many thanks!
Aditi
Wonderful to hear this Aditi!
Hi.. I m totally fascinated with this Brain Bread..I m trying this today.. can we keep the dough in a warm place instead of refrigerator? How long it would take outside to rise.? Does it tastes good then too.?
Hi Ritu! Yes, you can let it rise at room temperature, but it will rise much more quickly, so just keep an eye on it. The beauty of the fridge rise is that it really slows down the fermentation, which creates beautiful air pockets throughout the dough in the end.
Hi there!
I currently have my dough rising in the fridge until tmrw afternoon – I am just hoping for some clarification on the second rise – should it be in the fridge or just left on the counter for 2-4hrs?!
Thank you!
After you remove it from the fridge, you let it rise in the pan for 2-4 hours at room temperature on the counter. Good luck!
Foe the second rise is the pan covered ?
No!
I have a question about this, if I don’t cover it, I worry it will get a stray fruit fly or something in it. Not sure if I’m just a disgusting person because I always have one of these lingering around or if everyone deals with this. I swear I empty the trash! Any suggestions?
I hear you on the fruit flies … is it a particularly bad year for them? I keep wondering the same thing: where are they coming from?? You can definitely lightly cover the focaccia pan with a dish towel.
Hi,
Am just wondering how does the yeast work in the absence of sugar ?
As far as I know salt kills yeast !!
Hi Rania! The yeast is fine without the sugar. The flour is its food. The salt will not kill the yeast. Good luck!
Hi Alexandra! I have made this multiple times in the past and LOVED it! I meant to start the dough last night for dinner tonight, but forgot – can you give me some insight for rising times when making this bread day of?
Hi Kayla! If you mix the dough right now and let it rise for 1.5 hours at room temperature, you can then deflate it and stick it in the fridge — slick it with oil. Then; 3 to 4 hours before you plan on baking it, remove it and proceed with the recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you!!
This recipe looks amazing!! I’m about to try it, but am considering sticking it in the fridge for 36 hours. Do you think that will give it too long a ride?
36 hours will be fine!
I tried this today, and my bread crumb ended up being shiny, translucent, and elastic. Did i underbake my dough? What couldve went wrong? 🙁
Hi Jb! It’s possible you under-baked it. Was it golden on top? Did you make any changes to the recipe? How long was the second rise before you baked it?
Yes it was golden on top already when i took it out, didnt change the recipe, just halved it because i wanted to make one loaf. The second rise was 2 hours long – i did the poke test to see if it was ready. I think my oven is hotter than the actual temp that the outside cooked faster than the inside! Will try it again with hopefully the right temp and update you! Do you have any tips for my next bake?
I just took out of dough from the fridge and its very tough. What didi i do wrong ?
The dough will definitely stiffen in the fridge. If you let it sit at room temperature, it should soften up.
Did you follow the recipe? As in, did you use a scale? Instant yeast? Lukewarm water?
What brand of olive oil do you use?
California Olive Ranch. Love!
Hello there!
I just mixed together the dough for the overnight foccacia recipe. I measured everything exactly but my dough is really wet and did not really come into a ball after mixing. I covered it and put it in the fridge. It’s been about half an hour and it’s already risen a lot. Is it ok to keep going with the recipe even though the dough is so wet? Should I start again and use less water? I appreciate any tips! I’m very excited about this recipe 😀
Hi Courtney! Did you use a scale to measure? I would just keep going with the recipe. The dough definitely is on the wet side. Keep me posted on how it turns out!
This is the easiest focaccia I have made. I think the overnight fermentation really brings the flavor out. Also, the instructions were very easy to follow.
Wonderful to hear this, Laura!
Hi, it is my first time to make a focaccia bread, this by far is the simpliest recipe and procedure i bumped in. I just want to ask, is it okay if i put the dough in a stainless bowl? I don’t have any glass bowl. Does it affect the dough?
Wonderful to hear this, Evelyn! Yes, absolutely, stainless steel is great.
Love this recipe, so easy to follow. Can I use gluten free flour for this recipe?
Hi Hana! I have not experimented with gf flour with this recipe, so I cannot advise. You may want to reference this recipe as a guide.
Gonna stick this bad boy in the fridge for 36-40 hours so my gluten sensitive tummy can eat it. Yummy!!
Hoping my 9×13 cake pan will work fine for it.
Do I roll it out as a ball or more of a square since it’s a rectangle pan?
Hi Maggie! A 9×13-inch pan is perfect. No need to roll it out. Just plop the dough into the oiled pan (buttered first to prevent sticking); get it into a ball, and leave it alone. Watch the video for more guidance on this step. Good luck!
Loved your SD Version of this recipe but don’t have enough to make it work right now and am going to try this one! If this is made with bread flour instead of AP how will if impact the overall outcome? Thanks!
The difference will be subtle to unnoticeable! Go for it. Bread flour is great here.
Can’t wait to try this! How do I keep the bread fresh for use the next day? Thanks!
Hi Tamara!
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other eco-friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag. You can re-use the bags again and again.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would freeze it. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
I made this for dinner today, we ate it “pizza” style with tomato confit, ricotta, bacon and basil. Absolutely delicious, thanks for another great recipe!
Yum! Wonderful to hear this, Jeannine!
Hello, thank you for the great looking and specific recipe. When I leave the dough in the fridge, What should I be checking for in the refrigerator? What is the goal I am looking for from the dough’s appearance? As well why is it important to deflate the dough after it comes out of the fridge? Should we really squash the air out as we shape it into the ball, or should we be gentle with it, trying to preserve the air that we have created inside? And as I let the dough balls rest for 3 to 4 hours after they come out of the fridge, what should I look for visually? Should the dough “double” in size, or should it be 1.5 times bigger, etc? What size exactly should I be looking for to know that it is ready for the oven? I only ask because in the past I have over proofed doughs yielding dense breads. As well I am going to make this in a 9×9 square cast iron pan. Should I half the recipe for this size pan?
Also, since it is a black cast iron pan, should i decrease oven temp by 25 degrees?
Hi! I worry a 9×9-inch pan is too small for all of this dough. I would either use a 9×13-inch pan or split the dough in half and bake it in two 9-inch or 8-inch pans.
I don’t think you need to reduce the temperature, but keep an eye on it.
Hi! Questions answered below:
What should I be checking for in the refrigerator? What is the goal I am looking for from the dough’s appearance?
In the refrigerator, the dough should double or if not double increase by 1.5 x in volume.
As well why is it important to deflate the dough after it comes out of the fridge? Should we really squash the air out as we shape it into the ball, or should we be gentle with it, trying to preserve the air that we have created inside?
You don’t want to deflate all of the air out, but you do want to shape the dough into a rough ball. Watch the video for guidance on this step. The dough is forgiving — you don’t have to be super delicate, but you don’t want to be super aggressive either.
And as I let the dough balls rest for 3 to 4 hours after they come out of the fridge, what should I look for visually?
Should the dough “double” in size, or should it be 1.5 times bigger, etc?
Again, check the video or reference the photos for guidance. You are looking for the dough to fill the pan. If you use two 9-inch pans with half the dough in each, the dough will grow to fill the pan before you dimple it. Same for the 9×13-inch pan. If you put all of the dough in the 9×13-inch pan, it will grow to fit the pan during those 3-4 hours. Doubling is probably mostly accurate.
As well I am going to make this in a 9×9 square cast iron pan. Should I half the recipe for this size pan? Yes
Hello Alexandra, just one more question 🙂 Lol! I’m really impressed with your recipe. How would you go about turning it into a nice square pizza topped with sauce and cheese? For example at which stage would you add the sauce and cheese and would you bake it the same way? Would you par-bake the focaccia without toppings, and then add sauce cheese after it is somewhat browned, or start with them on from the very beginning? I do love a crispy but light and fluffy sicilian style pizza! 🙂
Hi again! Questions answered below:
How would you go about turning it into a nice square pizza topped with sauce and cheese?
First, I think you do need to make half a recipe if you are using a 9-inch square pan.
For example at which stage would you add the sauce and cheese and would you bake it the same way? Would you par-bake the focaccia without toppings, and then add sauce cheese after it is somewhat browned, or start with them on from the very beginning?
To be honest, I don’t know. My instinct is to suggest you par-bake it: bake it for 10-12 minutes; then add sauce and cheese, and bake for another 12-15 minutes more. It may take some trial and error on your part to get it just right. Report back if you give it a go!
Simple and easy recipe that turned out absolutely delicious! It’s going to be hard not to eat the whole loaf myself. I topped it with roasted garlic & herb seasoning and fresh grated parmesan before baking. Baked it in a 17.25×11 inch pan (closest I had to the suggested13x18) – perfect for sandwiches!
Oh Yay! Wonderful to hear this, Ashley! The seasonings sound amazing!
I am from Australia and we don’t have instant yeast just dried yeast, I know can be different to USA.
Should I use still the same amount?
Hi Laura! Yes, use the same amount, but sprinkle it over the lukewarm water and let it rest for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy. Then proceed with the recipe.
Hi – from Australia too and noticed Laura’s my supermarket (Woolworths) sells instant dry yeast – just checking that it’s what is in your recipe (can’t wait to make it!!)
Hi Ania! Yes, instant dry yeast is what you want!
Thank you! It’s in the fridge rising… can’t wait to see how it turns out. Love your sandwich filling ideas. Thanks for all the great recipes!
My pleasure, Ania!
I could not believe the result based on how easy this recipe is. It IS the easiest and the best foccacia. I’ve got to make it again just to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. So crispy on the outside.
Tender and chewy on the inside. Mine was about 2 inches thick. WOW!
Wonderful to hear this, Annier!
hi! thank you for sharing the recipe, I am very excited to try this and share with my family! :).
Q: at what point should i add dry herbs? what about fresh herbs?
more power to you.
Hi MJ! You can stir dried herbs right in with the flour or you can add them on top when you add the sea salt (after you dimple the dough). You can add fresh herbs, such as rosemary, when you add the sea salt (after you dimple the focaccia). Good luck!
Love this recipe! It is so easy and so good! I made a half recipe this weekend and it worked beautifully to fit in a 9 inch round cake pan. I served it with a side of spaghetti marinara.
The overnight proof in the refrigerator to develop flavor is perfect. I will make this again as a substitute for ciabatta.
Wonderful to hear this, Diane! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I have made this foccacia, many times now, to rave reviews from family and friends. It’s the easiest and most reliable recipe. I’ve made it with lots of different toppings too. Definitely my favourite bread recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Sonia!
I have made this recipe a ridiculous number of times since discovering it a month ago. We actually just made pizza with it today and nearly ate the whole thing in one sitting.
One question I have: Even though I put it in the fridge immediately after forming the dough, it seems to rise very quickly – like doubled within a couple hours. Is that normal? And it’s just supposed to keep fermenting for the rest of the time, even though it’s already doubled in size?
I also have to watch it when I get it on the counter since I’ve let it overproof a few times. After working with a lot of sourdough I can’t believe how quickly this comes together!
So nice to hear all of this, Meghan!
Yes, the doubling in the fridge quickly happens to me as well. I do find this happens more in these hotter months. In the winter, it will not double quite so quickly in the fridge.
If the method has been working out for you, there is no need to change, but you can play around with cutting back the yeast. More and more I realize how powerful my SAF instant yeast is, and I can often get away with using less, especially when I have the time for a long, slower rise, refrigerated or not.
And I hear you: I love sourdough, but man am I grateful for yeast, when I just don’t have the time.
Dear Alexandra
In my quest for the best recipe, yours was the 5th and last I’ve set up on… simply amazing!
Just 1 question, in the long refrigerator fermentation, can I “punch the dough (in the bowl) and fold 4 edges-across once” regularly ? Say 1-2 times / day ? I’m just wondering if the co2 from yeast would harm it somehow ?!
Or is it totally safe?
Wonderful to hear this, Danah! And yes, absolutely re punching and folding the dough. Totally safe. Go for it!
Easy and so tasty! (Also very pretty). I added some fresh rosemary along with the Maldon flakes. Looking forward to having it again tomorrow now that it’s soup weather. And we’re looking forward to egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches. Yum. Thanks for another great recipe, Ali.
So nice to hear this, Leslie! Hope you love the breakfast sandwiches 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Alexandra, great recipe, as usual! Would this technique work also with sourdough starter instead of yeast? I was thinking of using approximately 75 gr. of starter, and of adjusting the quantity of flour and water accordingly. Thank you!
Hi Girgio! I have a sourdough focaccia recipe that is based on this recipe. It’s my favorite: simple sourdough focaccia
Excellent bread. So easy to bake and always one to share with a friend.
ONE NOTE: The gram measurements of flour and water seem off in the printed recipe. While we are always told to use 4-cups flour and 2-cups water, the grams measurements are like 532 to 455. Not 50% hydration. Thanks.