Ingredients

Success tip - Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.

How To Make No Knead Focaccia

All you need to make Easy No Knead Focaccia Bread is a large bowl, a spoon, a metal pan (like an 8 x 8-inch square, or an 8 x 12 inch, or a round 8 or 9-inch cake pan), and some patience.

Here's how it's done in a few easy steps:

Add everything to a bowl, starting with the dry ingredients and ending with the water. Mix it all up with a big spoon (I like to use a wooden spoon) to make a sticky, wet, slightly lumpy dough.
Cover and leave at room temperature for about 8 hours. It will be risen and full of air bubbles.
Transfer the dough into the prepared pan. Just scrape/spoon it out with a silicone spatula or spoon.
Dimple it with your fingers then pour over olive oil, sprinkle flaky sea salt and herbs, then bake.

It really is that easy! The only hands-on time needed is a couple of minutes to mix the flour, yeast, salt, and water together with a spoon, and later, a couple of minutes to scrape the dough into a pan and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with rosemary and salt. No kneading. No shaping.

You can mix it up before you go to bed at night and then bake it in the morning, or you can mix it up in the morning, head off to work, then bake it when you get home. Either way, you are this close to fresh Rosemary and Sea Salt Crusted Focaccia perfection!

Wait! What? Focaccia you don't need to knead? Yes! This Easy No Knead Focaccia with Rosemary & Sea Salt is virtually fool proof. As long as you are able to stir some ingredients together in a bowl & turn on the oven you can do it. And nothing, and I mean nothing, can beat the smell & taste of fresh bread straight from the oven! ♡

How Long Can You Let No Knead Bread Rise?

Because you aren't kneading the bread, time is needed to develop the gluten. The sweet spot is about 8 hours in a 20 °C (68 °F) kitchen but it's pretty flexible. You still get a good result if you bake it a little earlier or later.

If it's hotter where you are you can get away with less time. Use my progress pictures for a guide as to how it should look at each stage and judge accordingly when it's ready to bake.

You can extend the resting time if you need to by putting the bowl of dough in the fridge. You could probably get away with leaving it there for up to 24 to 48 hours dependent on your fridge's temperature. The lower temperatures slow down the activity of the yeast which helps to delay things. If you try this though I advise keeping an eye on it the first time you do it, and baking it once it has just about doubled in size. Once you've done it once you'll have a good idea of how long you can get away with leaving it.

Variations

Go with the rosemary and sea salt option or switch things up. Some ideas include:

Whole cherry tomatoes or large tomato slices & fresh basil
Roasted garlic cloves with rosemary or thyme
Pitted olives
Caramelized onions and fresh thyme
Melty vegan cheese
Roasted red pepper, swirls of pesto and vegan parmesan

How To Serve

This No Knead Rosemary Focaccia is wonderful served warm or cool. It makes the perfect accompaniment to pasta dishes like spaghetti and Vegan Marinara Sauce, my Vegan Vodka Sauce Pasta, soups like Vegan Potato Soup, Easy Tomato Basil Soup, or Red Lentil Soup with Lemon. Or stews and casseroles. It is also great used to make sandwiches (try it with my White Bean & Artichoke Sandwich Filling) and makes the most wonderful paninis.

Storage, Freezing & Reheating Tips

No Knead Focaccia Bread is best on the day it's baked but leftovers can be wrapped and kept for a day or two. They are best warmed before eating though. I like to wrap them in foil and then pop them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at about 350° F. Or if you are in a hurry you can microwave for 20 or 30 seconds.

The bread also freezes well. Wrap very well and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe