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Shockingly Easy Italian Focaccia Bread (No-knead!)

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Throw six basic ingredients in a bowl, quickly gather it into a ball of dough, then forget all about it. A bit later, press into a baking tin and bake. Your reward? Warm homemade Italian focaccia bread that’s lightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Not to mention a kitchen that smells incredible all day!

Squares of focaccia bread on a wooden cutting board

What you’re going to love about it

If homemade bread making has been in the ‘too hard’ category in your head for years, that might be about to change.

This easy focaccia bread recipe has lived here since my site’s humble beginnings, but it’s been given a well overdue makeover. I’ve tweaked and tested it to make sure you get a delicious and fluffy loaf of bread every time.

I’ve boldly called this recipe for one of everyone’s favourite types of Italian bread ‘shockingly easy’ because:

  • you can make the dough in minutes – roughly about ten minutes, I’d say. You need a few minutes to get your 6 basic ingredients together, a few more minutes to add them all to a big bowl, and a final few minutes to mix them and gather them together into a ball.
  • you don’t really need to knead the dough. You might knead it a few times just to help you form it into a ball, but that’s it. It’s something to do with the type of dough and the type of crumb and crust that you’re looking for when you make focaccia bread compared to other types of bread. Whatever the science, I’ll take it!
  • it rises quickly. Relatively. Leave to rise for one to three hours (depending… I’ll explain!).
  • you can prepare it ahead. I LOVE this part. You can pop the bowl of dough in the fridge overnight. Or – wait for it – for UP TO A WEEK (some say even longer…) until you’re craving some fresh and fluffy focaccia.
  • it’s super easy to ‘shape’. Just press the dough into a small-ish cake tin or baking dish.
  • it comes out beautifully crunchy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside – every time. Delicious!

I’m very confident this recipe can convert you too into a smug homemade bread making champ!

About the ingredients

  • ‘Normal’ bread ingredients: bread flour (all purpose works well too), sugar, yeast, salt
  • Olive oil
  • A cup of tepid water (it should feel like ‘nothing’ – neither warm nor cold)
  • For optional but recommended toppings choose from: fresh or dried herbs, olives, more olive oil, cherry or sundried tomatoes, pesto, garlic etc (see more suggestions below!)

How to make it

You are just a few very simple steps away from fresh bread heaven.

A collage of process shots showing how to make Italian focaccia bread

Step 1: Gather your six dough ingredients. Mix them together in a big bowl.

Step 2: Gather into a ball. You may need to work the dough for a few seconds with your hands.

Step 3: Cover the bowl and leave to rise for one to three hours. The dough has risen enough when it’s roughly doubled in size. You can just leave it on the kitchen counter if you like. The warmer the temperature, the faster it’ll rise.

Step 4: Mix some herbs or chopped olives into the dough if you like (I like rosemary). Roughly press the dough into a smallish baking tin or dish.

Step 5: Let the dough ‘prove’ (or rest) for a final 30 minutes before it goes into the oven.

Step 6: Press little ‘dimples’ into the dough with your fingers. Add any toppings you want to add, a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Then eat! Make a delicious sandwich, or check out the other ways to eat focaccia below.

Two common problems and how to fix them

This bread is pretty forgiving, but just in case…

1. Your dough is too wet and sticky to form a ball

The dough is supposed to be on the wet and sticky side. If it’s too sticky to handle, however, just add a tiny bit more flour. Just enough to bring it into a ball.

2. Your dough isn’t rising very much

Leave it to rise for longer. It should roughly double in size.

Is your house quite cold today? If so, turn on the oven on a low or ‘keep warm’ setting. As soon as it’s warmed up a little, turn it off and open the door. Pop covered bowl of bread inside.

It only needs to be slightly warm in there. The ideal temperature for dough to rise is between 25 and 32 degrees centigrade (80 to 90F). Higher temperatures than this will kill the yeast.

If your dough still isn’t rising, there are several possible reasons for this. Try popping it into the fridge until the next day, and baking it anyway.

Can you make the dough ahead?

Yes! This is one of the many great things about this recipe.

Make the dough in the evening, then pop it into the fridge either in a bowl covered with cling wrap/plastic wrap or in a big food bag. Your dough will rise very slowly overnight. The next day, take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to shape it so that it can come to room temperature again. Then press it into a baking pan and proceed with the recipe as normal!

Unbelievably, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to a week! Some say even longer! How clever is that?

How to eat focaccia bread

When Mr. Scrummy and I lived in the UK, we got into the habit of buying pre-packaged focaccia bread to have with meals like this sausage pappardelle, this amazing baked chicken with chorizo and tomatoes, and this traditional Greek salad.

We’d slice it in half across the width, lightly toast it and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, just like in this olive oil toasts recipe.

My mouth is watering at the very thought of serving this homemade focaccia with any kind of casserole, soup, one pot meal, salad, and more. You have to try it!

But there are so many more ways to enjoy this quick and easy bread:

  1. Need an easy appetizer? Serve small slices of focaccia warm and with a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze ‘dipping sauce’.
  2. Need a slightly fancier appetizer or side dish? Try topping the focaccia dough with simple tings like halved cherry tomatoes, olive oil and crushed garlic, caramelized onions, or different cheeses before baking. (see long list of more ideas below!)
  3. Make a simple but delicious sandwich. Slice the focaccia loaf into 4 or 6 slices – depending on how hungry you are! – and fill with your favourite sandwich fillings. My fave is tuna salad. Don’t forget the salt and pepper – it makes all the difference.
  4. Use it to make a focaccia pizza. Add your favourite toppings and grill/broil until lightly golden and bubbling. Yum.
  5. Make toasted sandwiches if you have leftovers the next day. Or make focaccia croutons for a soup or salad. Toss in olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper and bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 180C/355F until golden brown.
  6. Make focaccia art if you’re feeling artistic and want to impress everyone. Forever. Here’s a tutorial on focaccia bread art if this idea interests you!

All these ideas are great. BUT… my absolute favourite way to eat this is as this Italian toasted veggie sandwich. You just have to try it!

A piece of Italian focaccia bread on its side so you can see the fluffy inside

Focaccia topping ideas

Usually I just knead a bit of chopped fresh rosemary into my bread, then I sprinkle more on the top. Because we have the world’s biggest rosemary bush in our garden!

Then I sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with more olive oil. I also sneakily drizzle with yet more olive oil after it comes out of the oven.

You can jazz focaccia up with so many other yummy toppings, though – before or after baking (it’s up to you!). Here are some ideas, but really the possibilities are endless:

  1. any kind of fresh or dried herbs you have or like (I love rosemary and thyme, but any herbs work)
  2. parmesan cheese either in the dough and/or on the top
  3. other kinds of cheese such as feta, goat’s cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, blue cheese or cheddar
  4. tomatoes of any and every description – cherry, on the vine, roasted, semi-dried, sundried… (although it’s best to sprinkle sundried or semi-dried tomatoes on the top AFTER baking, or they can burn in the oven)
  5. onions caramelised with a bit of balsamic vinegar
  6. olives, either chopped or whole (without the stone, of course)
  7. garlic butter – mmmmm!
  8. jarred artichokes or red peppers
  9. asparagus!
  10. little bits of cooked bacon, salami, sausage, pepperoni or prosciutto (best to add these after the bread’s baked so that they don’t burn)
  11. sliced chilies
  12. grapes or sliced apples!
  13. sesame seeds or pine nuts
  14. mushrooms (cooked)
  15. roasted eggplant/aubergine or zucchini/courgette
  16. any kind of spice and/or herb mixes from your pantry!
A pan of freshly baked Italian focaccia bread from above

More shockingly easy breads, pizzas, bruschettas and pastries

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Freshly baked Italian focaccia bread in the baking tin

Shockingly easy Italian focaccia bread (no knead!)

A quick and easy traditional Italian focaccia bread that requires only 6 very basic pantry ingredients, and that impreses every time. Make the dough in minutes, leave it to rise, and press it into a pan. Then it's ready in 20 minutes. No kneading or other fussing necessary!
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Cuisine Italian
Servings (click to change) 4 to 6
Author Helen

Equipment (affiliate links)

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)

cups/ounces – grams/ml
  • 2 cups white flour (I usually just use plain flour, but strong bread flour may yield even better results!)
  • ½ tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing the pan and drizzling over at the end
  • 1 cup tepid water (it should feel neither warm nor cold, almost like nothing)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary optional, chopped finely
  • balsamic vinegar and more olive oil optional – for dipping!

Instructions
 

  • Add the first 5 ingredients to a large bowl. Pour over the water.
  • Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until everything is combined and a ball of dough starts to form.
  • Add a tiny bit more flour if the dough is still really sticky (but not too much – you want the dough to be on the wetter/stickier side). Then, with floured hands, knead just enough times to gather into a smooth ball of dough.
  • Lift up the dough while you spray or brush a little oil over the bottom and sides of the bowl. Then cover the bowl of dough with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 to 3 hours, or until roughly doubled in size (or leave for longer – see note below for details). If you leave the dough in a warm place it will rise faster (again, see notes below).
  • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the chopped rosemary over the dough and mix it in with floured hands (optional). Add any other mix-ins at this point.
  • Press the dough into a rectangular or circular cake pan or baking dish. I usually use a 10 x 7 inch cake pan or an 8 inch circular cake tin. Roughly push the dough right to the edges.
  • Cover with a tea towel again and leave for about 30 minutes more. After 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 220C / 430F.
  • Push your thumb into the dough in a few places to make indentations. Then sprinkle over the rest of the rosemary, if using. Drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil. Grind over some sea salt (optional).
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread is golden on top and has started to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  • Serve warm with a meal, slice into 4-6 and make sandwiches, or slice into fingers and serve with a dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as an appetizer. The bread is best eaten the same day, but you can make a toasted sandwich or croutons the next day. You can also freeze leftovers for 3 to 6 months (but best eaten within a month).

Notes

Getting the dough right

Don’t worry, your measurements don’t have to be perfectly exact!
If your dough seems really wet and sticky when you’ve stirred all the ingredients together, simply sprinkle over a little more flour so that you can knead a few times and gather it all up into a ball. 
Don’t add too much extra flour, though. The dough should be on the wetter/stickier side to help it rise fairly quickly. 

How long to let it rise

The rising time varies according to how warm it is, but you’re aiming for it to roughly double in size. 
If it’s warm in your kitchen, you might find your dough has doubled in size after barely an hour. If it’s really cold, it’ll still rise but it’ll take longer – up to 3 hours. 
If you’d like your dough to rise quickly, here’s a simple trick: Switch on your oven to the ‘keep warm’ or similar setting (turn it on to a low heat, basically). When it’s heated up a little bit (not too much), turn the oven off and open the door. Place your covered bowl of dough inside. Just make sure it isn’t too hot in there – you don’t want the temperature to be above about 32C/90F or you’ll kill the yeast. 
If you use fast acting yeast AND your kitchen is warm, you might even get away with just half an hour rising time. Just make sure your dough has roughly doubled in size. 

How to make the dough ahead

Yes, you can make the dough ahead – up to a week (or some say even longer) ahead, actually. 
Just pop the dough into a large food or freezer bag and seal it until you want to bake your fresh bread. Take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you’re ready to shape it to let it come to room temperature. Then press it into a pan and proceed with the recipe as normal. 
You can even freeze the dough for up to 3 months if you want to. Let it rise as if you are going to bake it immediately, then punch it down, rub it with a little olive oil (to stop it sticking to the wrapping) and freeze it in a freezer bag. Let it defrost thoroughly before pressing into a pan and proceeding with the recipe as normal. 

Shaping the dough

Don’t worry if the dough seems quite stretchy and difficult to push into the corners of your pan. It doesn’t have to be perfect – it’ll still bake up to perfection. 

How long does focaccia keep?

Enjoy it the same day if possible, but focaccia bread will keep well for 2 days if wrapped well. 
I usually eat mine as is on the day of baking and if there are any leftovers the next day (IF!) I make a toasted sandwich with it – yum!
If there are still leftovers (unlikely, but it happens) I freeze big slices of it in portions. The bread is best eaten within a month but it keeps pretty well for 3 to 6 months. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 8gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 585mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know if you liked it!

Comments

  1. Janice says

    I love this bread, thank you for this recipe! I’ve made it three times now 🙂 I am not a cook, and this is the very first time I’ve attempted to bake bread in my life, and it came out really good the first time. Thank you for demystifying bread baking for me. Is there a whole wheat flour version?

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hello Janice, and thank you so much for the great review! It always makes me happy to hear that someone enjoyed a recipe, but even more so if it becomes a family favourite! I’m especially happy it made you feel like a great bread baker! I’m like you – not really a baker so I love it when I find a yeast recipe that I can get to turn out well every time. May I also suggest trying my cinnamon scrolls, too? They’re so great for when you have people coming over for a morning tea. As for making this bread with whole wheat flour, I have to be honest – I haven’t tried it and don’t remember coming across any whole wheat focaccia in bakeries before either now come to think of it, but I usually find that if you sub around half of the flour for whole wheat it doesn’t impact the results – so it’s fine. I often do this with pizza dough and it turns out really well. Do let me know if you end up giving it a try – I’d be curious to know how it turned out.
      P.s. If you get another moment, would you mind rating the recipe with the stars next to the comments section? Thank you so much! 🙂

      Reply

      • Janice Villaverde says

        5 stars
        Done rating — 5 stars 🙂

        Will try subbing out half of the flour with whole wheat for my next batch this weekend.

        As for cinnamon scrolls, I will give it a try and report back, thanks for the recommendation!

      • Helen says

        Thank you so much, Janice – I really appreciate that! Good luck with the whole wheat version and cinnamon scrolls if you try them 🙂

  2. Jane says

    Oh my goodness Helen this is amazing
    Just made my second one
    Thank you x
    P.S just made the peanut chicken for tonight
    and you know how much we love that !

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hello Jane. It’s so lovely to hear from you again, and of course I’m thrilled that you’ve been enjoying this recipe now as well as the peanut chicken! Do you also like cinnamon rolls? The recipe I just posted for them seems to be going down quite well too so far, just in case you feel inclined to try those too 😉 Thank you so much, and have a great day!
      P.S. If you get another spare moment, would you mind leaving a rating for the focaccia bread by clicking on the stars right where the comments are? Thank you so much!

      Reply

  3. Rohini Nitin Kodikal says

    5 stars
    Dear Helen
    Awesome recipe. My focassia turned out very well and yummy. Thank you

    Reply

    • Helen says

      So happy to hear this, Rohini! Thank you for your review. I found some of this I made a few months ago in the freezer and it was just as good as fresh! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Helen says

    Hi Jenny. Sorry this didn’t turn out well for you. Recipe has been duly changed! This is one of my older recipes and with the best will in the world this sort of thing sometimes happens!

    Reply

  5. Evan @ Getinmymouf says

    Hey Helen – I have fond memories of a really special focaccia bread in San Francisco at Liguria Bakery. It tastes like an italian grandmother from the early 1900s made it, so to say it was “good” is hardly enough. It is historically good and a time machine for my mouth.

    Despite my fond memories of focaccia, for some strange reason, I’ve never actually thought about making it at home. *slaps head* Duh! Thanks for the inspiration and for something so easy that I might actually make it!

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi Evan! Hope the blog’s going well! Thanks so much for passing by and leaving a comment. I’ve never been someone who makes much bread, so I was amazed how easy this was when I finally bit the bullet and gave it a go. Do try it – I couldn’t believe how amazing it tasted straight out of the oven 🙂

      Reply

  6. Mariana says

    I have always been a bit suspicious of “food trends” and just jumping in the bandwagon…but always count me in when it comes to focaccia! Such a great addition to any meal!

    Reply

  7. Jay @ IndustryEats says

    Hi Helen,

    I have to tell you, I’m proud of you for making that video. And I don’t throw that out there often. It really does help. I’ve been fairly content with reading through recipes and looking at pictures for the past few years, but this is just great. Congrats and keep going.

    I agree – there’s so much you can do with Focaccia bread. I mean, like you said with the cheese and the garlic and the tomatoes – it’s good stuff. And your recipe is super easy to pull off. I might give it a try. I’ve had my eye on a recipe from Cooks Country, but that one is no where near as quick as this one. I’m also going to try my hand at Ciabatta, since I’m in the market.

    Nice job and keep up the great work! You’ve made me a fan.

    Jay

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi Jay,
      Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words! I must admit I’ve surprised myself with the videos. They’re a work in progress, but I’m really enjoying making them. It’s really good to hear that you do feel they add something to a post.
      Glad you like the recipe, too. It works really well, so long as you remember to pick up quick rise yeast.
      Really happy to have made you a fan!
      Helen

      Reply

  10. Marissa says

    I’m so in the – ‘jump on the bandwagon five years after everyone else has already tried it’ camp. And the whole ‘no knead’ bread is no exception. 🙂 This focaccia of yours has my mouth watering…loved your video too!

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Thanks, Marissa! Glad I’m not the only one who usually lags behind. We can have a party over there in that camp together!

      Reply

  11. Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says

    Oh my gosh, Helen! How did I miss this?!!! And your first video too! I LOVE focaccia! And if you and Mr. Scrummy have it most nights with dinner, then I’m having dinner at your house 😛 So yes, I love focaccia – especially homemade. But I rarely make it because of all the kneading and time to rise. This recipe is definitely going in my box! Can’t wait to try! And your video is fantastic! You’re a star baby! 🙂

    Reply

    • Helen says

      Hi Paul! Haha … sorry, I’ve just googled it and it’s a British term. It’s just ‘bread flour’ in the USA, I believe. I should update the recipe to make this clear. 🙂

      Reply

  16. Maggie says

    This is such an interesting bread! The savory flavor is definitely my type. I love your video Helen! It looks so easy to make and so delicious 🙂

    Reply

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