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No Knead Focaccia

By Snejana Andreeva

on Mar 04, 2023, Updated Jun 08, 2025

No Knead Focaccia is a traditional Italian 🇮🇹 bread that traces its roots back to the second century BC. This ancient bread, thought to have originated with the Etruscans, was traditionally made from flour, salt and water, flattened over a stone slab, and cooked under hot ashes – hence its Latin name, Panis Focacius which means “hearth bread.”

Why You’ll Love No Knead Focaccia
How To Prepare
Variations and Substitutions for No Knead Focaccia
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
Common Questions
No Knead Focaccia Recipe

The recipe has since evolved and is now most commonly made with yeast and 🫒 olive oil . Focaccia seems to be most closely linked to Genoa, where it’s known as pizza Genovese and often topped with sautéed onions and herbs. Around Bologna it’s known as Crescentina , and in Tuscany and parts of central Italy it becomes Schiacciata .

The best-known forms of focaccia have a golden , dimpled , slightly salty crust and a soft center. However, texture varies according to region of Italy, and the flavors will vary with ingredients.

Close-up of sliced focaccia bread with a golden crust on white parchment paper. The bread has a fluffy texture with visible herbs and toppings. A white tiled wall serves as the background. - 3

Why You’ll Love No Knead Focaccia

This No Knead Focaccia 🥖 recipe is perfect for the most novice baker and requires minimal effort. If you can stir a few ingredients in a bowl, you are capable of making one of Italy’s most iconic foods! Focaccia is delicious on its own , but can also be split in half and used as 🍞 sandwich bread or as the bookends for a delicious panini (grilled sandwich). It goes perfectly alongside a big fresh salad or for sopping up the last bits of Italian sugo served on pasta. Delicious and versatile, the options for toppings are endless. Have some leftover 🧅 onions , garlic or 🌿 herbs ? Throw them on top! Create a focaccia flavor profile to match your meal!

How To Prepare

🥣 Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and warm water (between 100-110°F) in a large bowl , mixing until a sticky dough forms. Remember, there’s no need to knead the dough, just shape it into a ball .

Bowls with flour, yellow and red tomatoes, olives, olive oil, yeast, oregano, salt, and water on a white surface. - 4

😴 After you’ve shaped the dough into a ball, oil it, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm spot for at least 8 hours (I let mine rest overnight). Make sure the dough is not in a drafty area.

👊 After it triples in size, punch down the center.

A stainless steel bowl filled with smooth, mixed bread dough sits on a white marbled surface. - 5

⏲️ Now prepare the pan by lining a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Next, drizzle it with olive oil, and stretch the dough evenly into it. Then, cover again and let it double in size. This usually takes about an hour.

🫒 Preheat the oven to 425°F. Uncover the dough and drizzle generously with olive oil. Make dimples with your fingers and add olives, tomatoes, and dry oregano.

♨️ Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Enjoy your homemade focaccia!

Variations and Substitutions for No Knead Focaccia

The options for toppings for your focaccia are endless! Try sun-dried 🍅 tomatoes , caramelized onions , grated 🧀 parmesan , or fresh 🌿 herbs like rosemary or basil.
Infused olive oil gives a boost of added flavor to your focaccia.
I used all-purpose flour in this recipe, but feel free to use gluten-free flour or whole-wheat .
Use your sourdough starter for this recipe in place of the yeast! Be sure to adjust the water amounts accordingly.
Add various spices like black pepper , red pepper flakes , or other spice blends you may have on hand.

Similar Recipes

A golden, freshly-baked loaf of bread with a glossy crust rests on a white cloth inside a wooden bowl, set on a white surface in a bright kitchen—perfect for pairing with creamy whipped Brie. - 8

No Knead Olive Bread

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A round, freshly baked artisan bread with a golden, crusty texture sits on parchment paper in a glass dish. The bread has a cracked surface, suggesting a crunchy exterior. The dish rests on a light wooden surface. - 10

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6 hrs 20 mins

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A golden-brown loaf of crusty bread sits on parchment paper atop a wooden board in a bright kitchen, ready to be paired with creamy whipped Brie. - 14

A golden-brown loaf of crusty bread sits on parchment paper atop a wooden board in a bright kitchen, ready to be paired with creamy whipped Brie. - 15

No Knead Cheddar Bread

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Best Served With

My No Knead Focaccia recipe pairs wonderfully with soups. Try it with my Easy Pastina Soup , Greek Lemon Soup 🍋, and Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup .
Slice and serve alongside my Viral Goat Cheese Board 🧀 or my Holiday Charcuterie Board .
Take bread 🍞 and butter 🧈 to a whole new level with this Holiday Butter Board .
Bake fresh focaccia to serve with these Italian Stuffed Artichokes .

Common Questions

Maintaining this water temperature range is crucial because it ensures that the yeast activates properly. Water that’s too hot or too cold can hinder yeast activation.

In this traditional recipe, I encourage you to add water gradually until you achieve a very thick and sticky dough, following the “na oko” or “by eye” method.

First, make sure the yeast is NOT expired. To test the yeast’s activity, add it to warm water. If it doesn’t foam up, you’ll need to start with new yeast. Foaming indicates that the yeast is active and is ready to be added to the flour and salt.

If you do not want to add all of the ingredients to the bowl and you want to TEST the yeast first you can add it to a bowl with the warm water separately ; if the yeast does not foam up and activate you have to start that step all over . If it foams up, it means it’s active and you can add it to the flour and salt.

You can sprinkle in a bit more flour to adjust, if the dough is too wet. Conversely, if it’s too dry, add warm water a little at a time until you have a thick and sticky dough.

I have not tried making this bread with any other type of yeast as my favorite yeast is active-dry yeast. I like to activate it myself, so I do not waste any of my ingredients. You can use fresh yeast as well as we often did. We didn’t measure but a tablespoon of fresh yeast should be fine. If you use QUICK RISE, you will have to adjust the rest time. Active dry yeast is my favorite yeast to bake with.

This method ensures more precise measurements, helping you achieve the right consistency for the dough.

Yes, you certainly can use whole-wheat flour, but this bread is more delicious with all-purpose flour in my opinion.

Yes, you can certainly use a 1-1 gluten-free flour for this recipe, or you can make my No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread .

You should let the dough REST for a minimum of 10 hours ; I usually leave mine overnight and bake it the following morning. Let it rest at ROOM temp in a warm spot AWAY from drafts . I place mine in a cold oven (an oven that’s not turned on).

I let my dough rise for 12 hours, but a minimum of 8 hours is recommended . You can also make the dough early in the morning and bake later on in the evening for dinner.

In hotter climates, the dough may rise much faster, so I would advise placing it in a cooler room or limiting the rise to a maximum of 2 to 3 hours to prevent over-expansion. Once it doubles or triples in size, you can bake it.

I have NOT baked this recipe at a higher altitude, so you will have to experiment and adjust. Please add a little warm water at a time until you have sticky dough. It’s important to look at the consistency.

The dough shouldn’t be WATERY or DRY . It should be thick and sticky and hold its shape when you oil it up.

Use any toppings you like on top of your focaccia. You can also make 1/2 of it differently than the other half.

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Video

Equipment

▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
▢ Bread Knife

Ingredients

The Dough

▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
▢ 1 packet active dry yeast
▢ 2 teaspoons salt
▢ 2 cups warm water , between 100 and 110F (37 to 43C)
▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil , enough to drizzle on the dough ball, and coat the bottom of the baking tray and the top of the dough

Additional Toppings

▢ halved cherry tomatoes
▢ pitted kalamata olives
▢ dry oregano
▢ salt

Instructions

▢ Add the flour, yeast, salt, and water to a large bowl and stir with a spatula. If the dough becomes too hard to stir, you can finish incorporating the dough with your hands until a sticky dough-ball forms. No need to KNEAD lol. Just shape the dough.
▢ Note: the water must be warm — not hot, not cold. The water needs to be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate. Make sure the yeast is not expired.
▢ Once the dough is shaped, oil up the dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm spot overnight. I let mine rise for 12 hours, but a minimum of 8 hours is recommended. You can also make the dough early in the morning and bake later on in the evening for dinner.
▢ Place the dough somewhere away from drafts, like in the microwave, in a cupboard, or in a cold oven.
▢ After the dough has tripled in size, uncover it and punch down the middle of the dough with your fist.
▢ Line a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and drizzle the bottom generously with olive oil. Pour out the dough and stretch it with your hands until it fits evenly into the baking dish. It will have some resistance at first but be patient as it will give in to you and take on the shape of the dish.
▢ Cover it again with plastic wrap and let it rest for another hour until it has doubled in size.
▢ Preheat the oven to 425F (220 C).
▢ Once it has doubled, uncover it and drizzle the top generously with olive oil. Take your hands and press down with your fingers, forming dimples all over the dough.
▢ You can now add any additional toppings of choice. I added cherry tomatoes, olives, dry oregano and a sprinkle of salt. You can make it plain or add anything you like, such as sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, and any herbs like rosemary or thyme.
▢ Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. The bake time will depend on the oven and baking dish you use so keep an eye on it.

Nonna’s Notes

Toppings: The options for toppings for your focaccia are endless! Try sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, grated parmesan, or fresh herbs like rosemary or basil.
Olive Oil: Try using infused olive oil for added flavor in your focaccia.
Flour Options: While all-purpose flour is what I use in this recipe, you could try gluten-free flour or whole-wheat.
Sourdough: You can use a sourdough starter for this recipe in place of the yeast. You will want to be sure to adjust the water amounts accordingly.
Spices: While I use dry oregano, you could substitute or add various spices like black pepper, red pepper flakes, or other spice blends you may have.

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.