Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2024)

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Sheela Prakash

Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor

Sheela is the Senior Contributing Food Editor at Kitchn and the author of Mediterranean Every Day: Simple, Inspired Recipes for Feel-Good Food. She received her master's degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and is also a Registered Dietitian.

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updated May 1, 2019

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Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (1)

A simple no-knead rosemary focaccia recipe that's a perfect bread to serve at the dinner table.

Serves8 to 10Prep3 hours to 4 hoursCook20 minutes to 25 minutes

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Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2)

There’s something extra special about bringing warm, homemade bread to the table — perhaps it’s because it’s such an infrequent occurrence. If you’d like to start doing it more often, I suggest you start with this focaccia. It’s rich with olive oil (which keeps it extra moist), topped with fragrant rosemary, and baked in a skillet to give it a perfectly golden, crispy crust. Oh, and it comes together even easier than you could imagine.

A Fuss-Free Skillet Focaccia That’s Endlessly Adaptable

This focaccia recipe is as fuss-free as bread recipes go. The dough comes together quickly in the food processor, then is left to rise for a couple of hours while you prep the rest of dinner (or relax and sip a glass of wine). Return to it when it’s doubled in size, then stretch it out in an oven-safe skillet. Cast iron is best for achieving a super-crispy crust, but any oven-proof skillet will work. Drizzle it with extra-virgin olive oil and top with fresh rosemary and flaky salt, then bake until puffed and golden.

This recipe leaves so much room for experimentation, too. I’ve been making so much focaccia at home recently that I’ve quickly found out the sky’s the limit. I like playing around with different herbs from my garden, or sprinkling the top with sesame seeds. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes and thinly sliced lemon are also delicious, as is my current favorite: everything bagel seasoning.

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No-Knead Skillet Focaccia Recipe

A simple no-knead rosemary focaccia recipe that's a perfect bread to serve at the dinner table.

Prep time 3 hours to 4 hours

Cook time 20 minutes to 25 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 cups

    all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    salt

  • 1 teaspoon

    dry instant yeast

  • 3/4 cup

    lukewarm water

  • 3 tablespoons

    plus 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 2 teaspoons

    coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Place the flour, salt, and yeast in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse to combine. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Pulse until a rough ball of dough forms, about 15 (2-second) pulses.

  2. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large bowl. Flour your hands, scoop the dough out of the food processor, and form into a smooth ball. Place the ball of dough in the oiled bowl and turn it so it's coated on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it sit at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.

  3. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron or other ovenproof skillet and rub it over the bottom and sides. Punch down the dough and place the dough in the skillet. Using your fingertips, coax and stretch the dough to cover the bottom of the skillet and reach all the way to the edges. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rest at warm room temperature until puffed and slightly risen, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 450°F.

  4. Use you fingertips to gently dimple the surface of the dough. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough so that it pools in some of the indentations. Sprinkle with the rosemary and flaky salt.

  5. Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 400°F. Bake until lightly golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

  6. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Focaccia is best eaten when warm, but is also good at room temperature. If the crust gets too soft, reheat in a 350°F oven to crisp it up.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The dough can also be left in the covered bowl to rise overnight in the refrigerator — the slower rise actually provides extra flavor. In the morning, transfer the cold dough to the skillet and allow it to warm up a little, about 20 minutes, before stretching it and proceeding with the recipe.

Storage: The focaccia is best the day it is made but can be stored, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to 1 day. The crust will soften, but it can be warmed and crisped in a 350°F oven for a few minutes. Leftover focaccia also freezes exceptionally well. Let it defrost at room temperature and then reheat in a 350°F oven for a few minutes.

Topping options: There is tons of experimentation to be had when it comes to focaccia toppings. Aside from rosemary, other herbs like thyme and oregano, thinly sliced lemons, pitted chopped olives, thick slices of fresh garlic or shallots, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and even everything bagel seasoning are great topping options.

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Baking

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children

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dinner

Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2024)

FAQs

What is the best pan to bake focaccia in? ›

Because there is a greater edge-to-middle ratio when you bake focaccia in a loaf pan instead of a sheet pan (not to mention the loaf pan has higher sides), you're ensured a lot of crispy, cheesy bites.

What is the best flour to use for focaccia? ›

A high-hydration dough made with bread flour creates focaccia with an extra-crisp crust that's still both tender and chewy. Cold-fermenting the dough overnight produces complex flavor and an even rise.

Can I use a glass pan to bake focaccia? ›

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.

How do you keep focaccia from sticking to the pan? ›

Add a drizzle of olive oil to the base of your baking tray and rub evenly all over. Use baking paper to line the base of the tray, then add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on top of that - spread over evenly - this is to stop your focaccia from sticking to the tray.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour in focaccia? ›

Bread flour is slightly higher in protein than All-purpose, so gives the focaccia just a little more chew. I love the mix of both, but just AP flour works just fine too! See FAQ for using only AP flour in the recipe if that is what you have. Yeast - I used instant yeast in this recipe.

Why is my focaccia not fluffy? ›

Why is my focaccia not fluffy or chewy? It could be the type of flour you used. The best flour to use to make focaccia bread is bread flour which gives you fluffy baked bread. Or, it could also be because you did not knead the dough enough for the gluten to form a structure which can result in flat or dense bread.

Why does focaccia use so much olive oil? ›

Now, focaccia uses plenty of olive oil, not only in the dough, but for kneading, proofing, in the baking pan, and on the bread's surface before baking. All this fat means the texture is light, moist and springy, the crust emerges golden and crisp, plus the center stays soft for days afterwards.

Should you punch down focaccia dough? ›

As Elizabeth Yetter wrote in her helpful primer "How To Punch Down Bread Dough," the more air pockets "you can remove from the dough, the finer the grain (or crumb) will be." While that's great for sandwich bread or sweet rolls, it's not as desirable for loaves, like focaccia, where you want airiness.

Can you let focaccia dough rise too long? ›

The longer you allow the dough to rise, the more air and spongey the bread will be. Overnight Dough: Proofing the dough for 9-14 hours overnight in the fridge is my preferred method, because of the slower fermentation.

Why do you poke focaccia dough? ›

A well-proofed dough will have lots of air bubbles and. rises quickly. Massaging adds dimples that keep your. focaccia flat, as it should be.

Can you over knead focaccia? ›

Tips for the perfect homemade Focaccia.

Don't over-knead your dough– In the first step, make sure the dough has come together enough that it's sticky but not smooth, this will help to make the much desired air bubbles.

What happens if you don't dimple focaccia? ›

Not just for aesthetic flair, dimpling the dough is a vital step because it expels air from the dough, preventing it from rising too fast, giving it that perfect crumb. That, combined with the weight of the oil, will prevent a puffed-up poolish that more closely resembles a loaf than a tasty crust.

How do you to tell if focaccia dough is proofed? ›

This focaccia is at its best when perfectly-proofed. You'll know it's ready through dimpling: when dimpled, the dimples should stay and the dough should be bubbly. If the dimples bounce back too quickly, or you aren't getting good sized bubbles, let the dough proof for longer.

Can you use Pyrex for focaccia? ›

This recipe, originally from Alexandra Cooks has been our go-to focaccia recipe. A pyrex glass casserole dish is perfect for a thicker bread that can be sliced for making sandwhiches. If not preparing overnight, let the mixed dough rise at room temperature for about 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled.

Can you make focaccia in a glass Pyrex? ›

I like to use a straight-sided 9 x 13-inch metal baking pan for this recipe, but a Pyrex 9 x 13-inch baking pan will do in a pinch.

What is the best pan to bake bread in? ›

Our favorite loaf pan is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Loaf Pan, which baked picture-perfect loaves. We also liked the round-edged Nordic Ware Treat Nonstick Loaf Pan. It had handles, making it easy to pull out of the oven.

Can you bake focaccia in a ceramic pan? ›

Line a square ceramic dish (a brownie pan is perfect) with baking paper. This is not essential but I have had my bread stick to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20-25minutes until golden and hollow when tapped.

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