Completely foolproof No Knead Focaccia bread. It is so easy! Mix everything up in a bowl with a spoon, leave for a few hours, then bake!
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"Well, now you are making me feel like a REAL BAKER!!! I tried making foccacia a few months ago using someone else's recipe and it was a BIG FAIL. This recipe of yours, as are all your other recipes is perfect! Thank you, Mel! I've never made such delicious "fancy-feeling" bread and the rosemary and flaked salt on top are ideal! " - Mandy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Good bread is one of my favorite foods, especially fresh from the oven and slathered in my Easy Vegan Butter or dipped in good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I realize that when it comes to yeast and bread baking a lot of people are wary because they think it's not easy. And that can be right. Some breads are difficult to make. But, this easy focaccia is different. It is virtually foolproof. If you can put some ingredients in a bowl and stir them all together then you've got this!
The only hands-on time needed is a couple of minutes to mix the flour, yeast, salt, and water 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!
The rosemary-infused focaccia bread smell that permeates your house while this little miracle bakes is the stuff of dreams. It smells amazing! When you break into that salt and rosemary scattered crust you will find a soft and fluffy interior that is just begging you to eat it. All of it. Now!
If you love no-knead bread recipes check out my Easy No-Knead Vegan Dinner Rolls. They are so good and ridiculously easy too!
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Flour - You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. If you are in the UK you need to use strong flour. I have only tested this recipe with white flour. It might not work the same with wholewheat or spelt flour.
- Olive oil - I recommend using a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best possible flavor.
- Yeast - You can use quick/fast action yeast or active dry yeast.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt in my recipes. If you use a salt that is not fine you will need to weigh it rather than use teaspoon measures as the volume is different. It's important to use the correct amount of salt in bread recipes because it can affect how the yeast works. I also like to sprinkle this focaccia with some good quality flaky salt for extra texture and flavor. Maldon Salt is my favorite for finishing bread/dishes.
- Rosemary - You can use fresh or dried. Fresh gives the best flavor though.
Let's 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 have risen and be 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 and bake.
It really is that easy!
No Knead Bread Rising Tips
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 is 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.
Flavor Variations
Go with the rosemary and sea salt option or switch things up. Some ideas include:
- Whole cherry tomatoes (poke them whole into the top of the dough) 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.
Serving Suggestions
This No Knead Rosemary Focaccia is wonderful served warm or cool and is great to serve at family dinners and holiday meals. It's also wonderful served as an appetizer with some good extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
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 or Spicy Chickpea Smash) and makes the most wonderful paninis.
Recipe
No Knead Focaccia
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour or bread flour cups measured by spooning the flour into the cups and levelling off with the back of a knife - do not scoop and do not compact the flour down by pressing on it as you fill the cup (in the UK use strong bread flour)
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) instant yeast or quick rise yeast , (if you only have active yeast see recipe notes)
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , divided
- 1¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (450 mls) water , (cold straight from the tap/faucet. Don't warm it up).
- 2 tablespoons rosemary , fresh or dried
- flaky sea salt for scattering
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, and salt then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the water. Mix well until you can no longer see any dry flour and you have a wet, slightly lumpy-looking messy dough. Make sure to scrape right into the bottom of the bowl. (See my picture in the post above for reference).
- Cover with cling wrap, a clean shower cap or a wet dish towel and leave on the kitchen counter for a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 9 hours. Do not refrigerate and do not leave anywhere really warm. Just normal room temperature is fine.
- About 20 minutes before the time is up preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a cake pan or brownie pan with parchment paper. (any pan from 8 x 8 inch to 8 x 12 is fine or an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan - just ensure it's metal. Don't use silicone). You can even spread the dough out on a parchment paper- lined regular baking tray if that's all you have.
- When the oven is at temperature, scrape the dough out of the bowl and into the pan. I use a dough scraper but a silicone spatula or spoon will be fine. It will be clingy and sticky but that is normal.
- Once it's all in the pan, flatten it out so it's as even as you can get it all over, then using fingers dipped in olive oil, make dimples all over the top.
- Drizzle over the olive oil (be as generous as you feel comfortable with) and sprinkle on the rosemary and salt.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 37 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, lift out using the paper as handles, and place on a wire rack. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
NOTES
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Monica says
Wow wow wow... umm yeah so I just made this and it is the best damn bread ever!! My dough was a lot more moist an I used a cookie sheet. It did take about 42 minutes maybe bc it was a wetter dough , I also added tomatoes on top. I do not know why but it brought the flavor to the next level!
A Virtual Vegan says
Tomatoes on top are so good! Glad you enjoyed it!
Krista Marsh says
Making this for the 2nd time now and added some oregano to the dough. I used Smoked Wood Infused Olive Oil for the bread and on top, used 1 Tbsp of Herbs de Provence and 1 Tbsp Rosemary. Amazing! Looking forward to making it again and switching it up a little bit. Thanks for sharing your incredible recipe.
Patience says
This recipe has become a legend in my neighborhood! We live 2 hours from stores, so fresh bread is amazing to have. My neighbors will ask “are you making the bread” or “I hear you made some bread for someone else, where is my loaf” haha I’ve started giving them away as gifts.
I make 2 loafs every other week. I roast a handful of garlic and mix in the huge chunks.
I currently have three loafs waiting to be cooked.
Thank you so much for this staple that will live with my family forever.
A Virtual Vegan says
I love this! I'm so pleased that you and your neighbourhood are enjoying the recipe so much and thanks so much for coming back to leave a review. It's much appreciated!
ja says
Perfect! added some fried shallots on top as per another recipe and family loved it. Thanks :)
Sarah L says
I honest to god make this once a week - it is AMAZING! I found the recipe maybe 2 years ago, and it is a staple. I usually double the recipe and bake it on a baking sheet with sides, and parchment underneath. Trader Joe’s garlic salt or rosemary and salt is really good on it. 10/10 would recommend!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Sarah. I'm really pleased you're enjoying the recipe!
Norizah Abidin says
I have made this!
Ruthanne Jeffords says
This recipe is amazing! Five minutes at night to mix the dough, another five minutes in the morning to prepare it for the oven -- and then you have delicious fresh bread!
Bonnie says
This looks fantastic and I definitely want to try making it!
I'm fairly new to eating vegan but I've always heard white flour isn't good for you, please comment and thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't recommend using wholewheat flour (or any other type) for this recipe. The flavour doesn't work as well and it won't end up as light and fluffy. Focaccia is traditionally made with white flour and it's what works best for no-knead breads like this. Health-wise, no white flour isn't as healthy as whole grain flour but the aim of the recipe isn't to be healthy, it's for it to taste good and I can assure you that this tastes amazing! Hope that helps!
Char says
Came out absolutely perfect and taste great!!
Joy says
Would a loaf pan work - and if so, what would the cooking time be? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
No it wouldn't for this loaf. It needs to be a shallow pan to cook properly. It's such a wet dough and wouldn't work well in a loaf shape. You can use a regular big baking tray though like you'd use to cook oven fries or something on. Just follow the instructions as they are but line the baking tray with parchment paper and tip/scrape the dough out onto it. Use damp hands or rub them in oil, to spread the dough out so it's no more than an inch thick all over. It's hard work because it keeps springing back but you'll get there. Oil and herbs as per the recipe, and bake probably for 5 minutes less than it says. Just keep an eye on it towards the end and remove when golden and crusty around the edges.
Joy says
Thank you so much for the detailed response. I will try per your suggestion!
Anne says
This bread is amazing and so easy to make. I put some Italian seasoning in the dough and also on top. This will be a regular for dinner parties - my guests were very impressed. ???
Chaz Nicholas says
Curious why 10 grams of yeast is a very full tablespoon but 10 grams of salt is 2 teaspoons?
A Virtual Vegan says
Because they are different things. Every ingredient has a different volume and density. Like 2 teaspoons of water would be heavier than 2 teaspoons of flour. There's the feathers and rocks example too which demonstrates it well. 1 kg of rocks would barely be any but 1kg of feathers would be a huge amount.
Natasha says
This is such an amazing, fool-proof recipe! I've made it several times and added 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp oregano to the dry mix. Also decorate it with tomatoes, rosemary, and bell peppers! Would this recipe work with 100% whole wheat flour?
A Virtual Vegan says
It won't be anywhere near as good with wholewheat flour. It would be a lot heavier and denser and also focaccia lends itself to white flour really well. The flavours just work better with it than they do with wholewheat flour. Hope that helps!
Ana Lisa says
This bread is just...WOW! I followed the directions exactly as written, let it proof for 8 hours, and used an 8x8 pan. It was my first time ever using yeast, and I had no problems whatsoever. I made this because I'm attending a virtual wine-tasting workshop this evening and I need something to munch on. This is perfect! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Ah that's awesome! I'm so pleased you're enjoying it. A side of wine sounds just perfect. Enjoy your virtual wine-tasting. That sounds so fun!
klvdm says
Absolutely the best! I never do breads because of the kneading needed but this came out as a nice surprise! Thanks so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. So pleased you enjoyed it!
Gwen says
Quite literally the BEST bread I have ever eaten in my entire life & sooooooo easy to make! THANK YOU for this amazing recipe I make once a week minimum! It's absolutely DELISH!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Gwen! It's a weekly occurrence here too!
b says
Did not expand as it should have...fair. I know how to make a good one...
Emily F. says
So easy and fantastic. Lots of olive oil and the maldon sea salt with the rosemary is so good!
Joy says
Ah I missed my opportunity then as I made the dough this morning. Will try the next time! And will def add in the cherry tomatoes. Thanks!
Joy says
This was so foolproof and fabulous!! Thank you so much. If I were to add sundried tomatoes, when do you suggest I do this? I tried to add on top with the rosemary but the tomatoes burned.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you're enjoying it! You could mix the sundried tomatoes right into the dough in the beginning. It will be fine like that. Maybe some caramelized onions or roasted garlic cloves too. That would be a nice combo.
One of my favourite ways to make this is to stick whole cherry tomatoes into the top of the dough once it's in the pan. They become so sweet and delicious and don't burn because they have so much moisture in them. Hope that helps and have fin experimenting with it!