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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Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2024)

FAQs

Does focaccia need kneading? ›

Unlike sourdough, which requires that you feed a hungry little starter gremlin every day, focaccia is mostly hands off. It also doesn't require any special equipment besides a digital scale. Made with a high-hydration (80% in this case) dough, it comes together quickly in a bowl and doesn't need to be kneaded.

Can you make focaccia in a metal pan? ›

Create your new favorite authentic focaccia using a stainless steel pan with a secret ingredient - olive oil. Learn the step-by-step process from dough to toppings and enjoy a light, airy result.

What is the best flour to use for focaccia? ›

The best flour for making focaccia bread is typically a high-protein flour, such as bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content (around 12-14%) compared to all-purpose flour, which helps develop the gluten network necessary for the bread's structure and chewy texture.

What is the best pan material for focaccia? ›

Cast-iron pans (put in the oven) give more of a nuanced crunch. Our favorite cooking vessel for focaccia is a baking stone lightly sprinkled with semolina flour.

How many times should you stretch and fold focaccia? ›

Let the dough rest on your bench for 20-30 minutes. This autolyse phase allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to develop. Perform a series of 3 stretch-and-fold techniques every 20 minutes, so 3 times within one hour. To stretch-and-fold, gently stretch one side of the dough and fold it over the centre.

What happens if you don't knead bread? ›

A failure to knead dough (unless you're working with a no-knead recipe) can lead to: Poor gluten development: When you don't knead bread, the gluten won't form properly. This can result in a lack of elasticity and strength, meaning your final product is likely to come out of the oven dense and heavy.

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.

What are the two types of focaccia? ›

Venetian focaccia is sweet, baked for Easter and resembles the traditional Christmas cake panettone. Sugar and butter are used instead of olive oil and salt. Focaccia barese, which is common in Puglia in southern Italy, is made with durum wheat flour and topped with salt, rosemary, tomatoes or olives.

Can you use Pyrex for focaccia? ›

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. Before you start on the recipe, be sure to read all of the tips at Baking Together #28: Making and Baking No-Knead Focaccia.

Can I use butter instead of olive oil for focaccia? ›

You don't need to use a very high-quality olive oil, as its flavour won't come to justice in this recipe. You can also use 100 g butter instead of oil. Then just bake the bread at 165 °C instead.

Can focaccia rise for too long? ›

Over proofing your bread is not ideal, but since focaccia is such a forgiving bread, you will be alright. Your final loaf might not turn out as fluffy and tall as it should, but nevertheless, it will still be great. Add your over proofed dough straight to the baking pan and skip the second 60 minute rise.

Is it necessary to knead bread dough? ›

Kneading serves a couple of purposes. First, we're incorporating air into the dough. And second, we need to stretch out the gluten strands to build structure and strength into the bread. Simply mixing the dough together leaves us with a random, disorganized array of gluten proteins.

Can you over knead focaccia dough? ›

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.

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