Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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.
4,117 Comments on “Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe”
So so good!! Always nervous using yeast but turned out so easy and amazing. Thank you 🙂
Hooray 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Hi! Is it possible to halve the recipe to fit a 7 inch square pan?
Yes!
Hi! This looks great 🙂 Can I use fresh yeast instead of the instant yeast? I guess then I would need to double the amount, that is, use 16g of fresh yeast?
Hi Jelena! Yes, you can! And yes, 16 g of fresh yeast is about right.
Thank you for the quick reply! Will be making it this week, looking forward to it 🙂
Have just made this and your easy sourdough and I’m in love!! So easy, as you say, and just delicious! Pita bread is next and then I think the rest of your website! It’s so easy to read and follow, your pictures and videos are such a great help, thank you!!
Wonderful to hear this, Lulu! Thanks so much for writing 💕💕💕💕💕💕
I did this last night with rosemary and grapes and it was AMAZING. So easy to do as well, you just need the time. Thanks for this recipe!
Wonderful to hear this, Hattie!
Hi Alexandra! Love your website! Is its possible to make this foccacia recipe with gluten-free flour like Cup 4 Cup?
Hi Jeanne! I worry about focaccia made with g-f flour … it’s totally worth a shot, and I have had great results with Cup4Cup in other recipes, but with other recipes, I add things like eggs for structure. You may want to check out this recipe for gluten-free bread and adapt it to this one.
Hi, it’s Ko again. I’m hooked on your blog (and book)! I made the peasent bread and now I’m onto this focaccia! Question: it’s a little chilly here in New Jersey. For the second rise, should I put the bread in an open oven or something?
Hi Ko! So nice to hear this. You can try doing the oven trick or just see how it goes slowly at room temperature, which is what I prefer. For whatever reason, when focaccia dough rises more slowly (both first and second rises), it seems to turn out extra pillowly. If I’m getting to you in time, I would let the second rise be at room temperature. Based on your results, next time around, you could do the oven rise. Hope that helps! Thank you for the kind words 🙂
Thanks it came out amazing!!!
Yay!
Hi, I can’t say enough how great this recipe is. I see you recommend the USA pan for this recipe. Is this type of pan mainly for making cakes and pastries or can/should it be used to roast chicken and other things like that as well? Side question: What kind of 9×13 pan do you recommend for roasting chicken or chicken pieces? Thank you!
As well would this USA pan be recommended for the no fuss
enchilada casserole? Or would you keep the USA pans for breads/cakes and saucy items like that, in other pans?
I love the USA pan for so many things — breads, cakes, enchiladas, etc. It is SO versatile. Definitely worth adding to your cooking arsenal.
Hi! So nice to hear this. You can use the USA Pan for many many things, including chicken. That said, I often use a shallower-sided pan like a cast iron skillet for roasting chicken or even a sheet pan — I almost always spatchcock a chicken (meaning butterfly it by removing the backbone) before roasting it because I find it cooks more easily. When you spatchcock a chicken, it lays flat, so you can use a sheet pan with only an inch-high side or so without creating a mess. The idea with roasting a chicken is that you want shallower sides on the pan to allow air to circulate which promotes browning. You likely have a rimmed sheet pan on hand … try that first with your next roast chicken (spatchcocked preferably) before you invest in another pan specifically for roast chicken.
So interesting to know about the value of the 1″ sided sheet pans! I have an aluminized steel half sheet pan, non stick from cuisinart chef’s classic (bronze) that I am going to put to much more use with this new information.
I have another question. For a large focaccia, I was wondering if it is better to use the cuisinart aluminized steel half sheet pan I have, or is it better to use the following heavy lasagna/roasting pan?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BLD3HZF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is a heavy, stainless steel pan, large. Because it is heavy, high quality, with a stainless steel mirrored type finish, I have convinced myself it will result in a crispier bottom to my focaccia. But it does have 3″ sides, which I imagine wouldn’t be ideal. What do you think and what types of things would you use this large pan for, as opposed to the normal half sheet pan? Also interesting about this pan: You can put it on the stove top as well, perhaps if you want to crisp up the bottom of your focaccia after the top is done cooking, if needed. THANK YOU! hope all is well!
It’s so hard to say which one would be best! Honestly, the nonstick pan gives me a little pause, because I don’t always have luck getting a good crust with nonstick. That said, perhaps Cuisinart’s product is superior to what I have used. The large lasagna pan also seems great. I would definitely butter it before using oil to prevent the dough from sticking. It will be a thinner focaccia due to the large size.
There’s only one way to know which pan will be superior… test each one! Would love to hear what you discover.
I have mixed the ingredients into a ball – however it is just a sloppy mixture so have added 50g extra flour as I had already added all the water but that hasn’t done much really and I don’t want to keep adding flour.
Will put in fridge but when it comes out if it continues to be too wet should I add more flour?
Many thanks
Hi Ruth! Question: are you using a scale?
It is definitely a wet, sticky dough. I see you are from the UK. I have noticed that on a lot of my bread and pizza recipe posts, people from the UK have trouble with the doughs being wetter, which makes me think it must come down to the flour.
Next time, I would reduce the water amount by 50 grams from the start and see if that helps. I wouldn’t advise adding more flour after it comes out of the fridge.
Keep me posted! Sorry about the trouble with this.
Easiest bread recipe ever. And you can modify by adding herbs and/or parmesan (or whatever you prefer). Want to make a smaller batch? No problem, cut the recipe in half and it works just fine! Adjust pan size accordingly.
Personal preference, I use avocado oil instead of olive oil. Regardless, it’s fool-proof as long as you allow the right rise times. For me, I let the first rise sit in the fridge for 24 hours and second rise sit on the counter for 4 hours.
I’ve made this multiple times and it turns out perfectly.
So nice to hear all of this, Doug! I’m going to try it with avocado oil next. Thanks so much for writing.
455g of water is a LOT more than 2 cups?
Hi Lila! I think you’ll find that if you weigh 2 cups of water, you’ll get something close to 455g. Do you have a digital scale?
Such an amazing recipe! I’m shocked how well it turned out and how easy it was. What is the best way to store the bread?
Hi Kelly! So nice to hear this. Regarding your question:
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 reusable/environmentally friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would stick the ziplock bag in the freezer, and pull out slices or hunks as you wish. 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.
Love this recipe and have used it many times! Just wondering how long I can leave the dough in the fridge? Is 2 days okay? Thanks!!
It should be fine! I might punch it down/deflate it with a couple of forks once or twice.
I see that you mention that you can vary the amount of yeast. Any suggestions or changes to the procedure if I keep the recipe the same but reduce the yeast perhaps to 1 tsp or even 1/4 tsp? Thank you!
No changes, just keep in mind that when you use less yeast, you need to allow for more time — the bread will rise more slowly.
I see. So would it take longer than 18-24 hours if I use only 1 tsp of yeast, or 1/4 tsp of yeast? And then about how long would it take to proof after placing the dough in the pan after the refrigerator rise? Thanks
Honestly, it shouldn’t take more than 18-24 hours in the fridge with a teaspoon of instant yeast. If you use a quarter teaspoon, it likely will take longer… you’ll just have to play it by ear.
Second rise I can’t say: again, play it by ear, rely on the visual cues (doubling in volume, puffy, reference the video or photos for a visual guide) before baking it.
Hello..can I use a 9inch round pan and a 8inch square pan to bake this bread? I do not have 2 9inch round pan. Thank you.
Yes, absolutely!
If you wanted a slightly sweet bread – how much honey would you add?
I would add 1/4 to 1/3 cup, depending on how sweet you want it. Let me know if you give it a go!
Amazing recipe ,2 times tried with rosemary nd other herbs.came out so delicious,soft inside nd with golden crust out side so yummy
A big thumbs up👍
Wonderful to hear this, Veenu! Thanks for writing 🙂
If I use active dry yeast will I need to reduce or increase the amount I add? Can I also use bread flour instead of AP flour? Thank you, I really want to try this recipe out!
Hi Michelle,
Yes to bread flour.
With active dry yeast, I would sprinkle it over the lukewarm water and let it stand for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy before adding it to the flour and salt.
I loved the taste and the ease of making this bread. I used a glass 9×13 pan and it stuck some so I had a challenge getting out. I did oil Pam and bread. But so delicious! Thank you!
So great to hear this, Sharan! I do find that buttering the pan (before adding the couple tablespoons of olive oil) is the best barrier to prevent sticking. Glad you loved it even so!
Hello Ali,
Thanks for the recipe.
I don’t have a breathable cover like the one you’ve got , can I use cling film instead to cover the bowl to put in the fridge?
Hi Mahsa! So sorry for the delay here. Yes, absolutely! Hope it turned out OK.
Hi. Is it possible to add garlic and corriander to this? If so, when would be the best point to add these ingredients? Thanks
Hi Em! You can add garlic and coriander to the dough if you want to flavor the dough — add it right to the flour. If you want to top it with garlic and coriander, then you’ll want to sprinkle it on top with the sea salt.
Hi! I live in Denmark where we mostly use fresh yeast – how much do you think I would need for this recipe? I was thinking maybe 5-10 grams
Hi Laura, I would say at least 10 grams if not more: maybe 15 grams. Generally, you use twice as much fresh yeast by weight than dry. Good luck!
Hello, this recipe continues to be such a keeper around my house! I have a question. Sometimes, even though my dough rises very nicely, I occasionally have to coax it and stretch it’s corners so that it reaches all 4 corners of the pan. When I do this, it deflates a fair bit. How should I proceed after that point, in terms of letting it rise once more after the little stretching? Or would it be recommended to do a general shaping job in the beginning after coming out of the fridge, so that it rises and proofs in the (general) shape that I have started it out with? Thanks again!
Hi! What size pan are you using? I generally don’t advise stretching too much, but rather letting the dough naturally expand as you dimple — when I dimple, sometimes I stretch outward with my fingers, but I try to be gentle. It’s OK if the dough doesn’t fit the entire pan. I’d rather the dough retain its nice air bubbles and not fit the pan than deflate in order to fit the pan.
But: I think your idea is good: if in the beginning, right after the dough is removed from the fridge, if you want to be a little more aggressive then in terms of stretching the dough out, I think that’s a good move.
Hello! I am using my new 9×13 USA pan! This time I am using it to experiment with your slab bacon egg and cheese, and a simple creation of my own, slab chicken breast sandwiches with cilantro lime mayo, provolone and arugula. Each loaf will yield about 6 sandwiches. In order to achieve a thinner bread for the slab sandwiches in this pan, I’ve taken the original recipe and am using only 70% of all the ingredients. I find that if i let the dough rise and fill the pan on its own, it mainly stays as a big fluffy blob in the center of the pan and doesn’t reach its way out to the corners. Maybe 80% of the recipe would be better for the slab in 9×13 and maybe just letting it rest will fill most of the pan? I know you had suggested in your post to use the half sheet pan for a thinner slab sandwich but I predict the bottom will not be as crispy in my non stick half sheet pan as it would if I stick with my USA pan. Thanks again!!
Oh fun! And yes, I would agree: go with your USA pan as opposed to the nonstick pan. Those sandwiches sound FABULOUS! Enjoy!
So easy and so good! One of the few recipes that didn’t use any sugar or didn’t have to knead and it came out so yummy. LOVED the texture and crust. It’s definitely a wet dough, but your directions were very clear and following the mostly “hands off” instructions – it turned out great! The slow overnight rise makes all the difference. Thank you for testing and sharing a great recipe. 🙂
So nice to hear all of this, Jo! Thanks so much for writing.
Hi there! Hoping to try this soon 🙂 just wondering if I add rosemary will that alter any part of how I should prepare this? Thanks!!
Hi! Nope, no need to make any adjustments to the recipe. Good luck!
I would really like to try this recipe but I have a doubt. I do have a 9×13 glass rectangular baking dish so my question is do I butter it or just use olive oil like shown in the video? Also, can I use regular salt instead of sea salt?
Hi Marco! Definitely butter the glass pan before adding olive oil. You can use regular salt in the dough, yes. Use the same amount by weight. In terms of sprinkling it over top, you. may want to cut back a little bit. What do you mean exactly by regular salt?
I meant the classic salt we buy in the supermarket with iodine or not. I know that exists also kosher salt but I was just wondering, does it really make a difference from a baking perspective?
Got it! It does not from a baking perspective. As a seasoning on top, I worry it could be a little salty, so just use a light touch. But when you use it in the dough, use the same amount by weight.
I tried to do the bread and I was careful with measuring the ingredient but for some reason when I mixed the dry ingredient the dough consistency wasn’t getting the right consistency, not liquid but soft, so my question is could be that my scale is not functioning correctly ( I measure the right amount) or maybe an issue with the yeast ( I used Fleishman)? Also, should I try anyway to do the focaccia in these less than ideal conditions or throw away everything? Thanks for your advice.
Hi Marco,
So sorry for the delay here. What did you end up doing? I would have suggested pushing forward and making the focaccia as opposed to throwing it away.
I’m thinking the difference in consistency likely has to do with the flour. What kind of flour are you using?
Hi, could I make the dough and leave it overnight in the frig?
Yes, absolutely.
The easiest and best Focaccia’s recipe!
Great to hear, Rodolfo!
This is one of my favorite recipes EVER! I’ve made at least 20 loaves of this focaccia since quarantine started. I like to add a bit more salt and some fresh garlic as well to make it a garlicky focaccia. I’ve even doubled the recipe before. This bread never lasts more than two days in my house:). I’ve actually got some on it’s second rise right now! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
So nice to hear this, Scarlett! I love garlic as well, so this is right up my alley. Thanks so much for writing and happy baking!
This is such a simple recipe and it is wonderful. I put everything spice and sea salt chunks on top. Wonderful! Thank you.
Great to hear! Everything spice sounds delicious.
I love how flexible this recipe can be! This is my second time making it, and I decided to go savory this time. I pushed a piece of sauteed lapcheong (Chinese sausage) into each dimple and sprinkled with flaky salt. It came out wonderful! I actually paused in the middle of my pandemic Thanksgiving meal (Japanese takeout for one!) to get another piece of focaccia. 🙂 Thank you for all the tips and tricks, Ali!
So great to hear this, Willa!! I love Chenese sausage!! The chef I worked for in Philadelphia would make me egg sandwiches with Chinese sausage … they were THE BEST. Thank you for conjuring that memory 🙂
Ohhh my goodness, a Chinese sausage/scrambled egg slab sandwich with this focaccia sounds FABULOUS! 😀
Hi, Alexandra! Have you by chance tested this recipe with bread flour vs. regular AP flour? Just curious. Looks amazing. Trying it today. Thank you!
Yes! You can use either — the difference when using bread flour vs ap flour is very subtle. Both work great!
Please help. I forgot to rub olive oil on my dough ball before putting it in the refrigerator (for 18 hours) – will this be the demise of my focaccia? 😢
Thank you for your help.
Gloria
It will be fine!