This easy overnight focaccia recipe is a great way to make a delicious and fluffy bread at home. It has a light and airy texture, with a crispy crust and is always a crowd favorite.
Jump to:
- ❤️ Focaccia recipe
- 📝 Ingredients you'll need
- 🥣 Before you begin: essential tools
- 🥄 Step by step: instructions
- 👩🍳 Variations to make it your own
- 👍 My notes
- 🧺 Storage and reheating leftovers
- ⌛ Make Ahead
- 📣 More Mediterranean bread recipes
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 💬 Your questions answered: FAQs
- Overnight Focaccia
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
❤️ Focaccia recipe
- One of the best things about this easy focaccia bread recipe is that you can prep the dough the night before, which can save you a ton of time in the kitchen the next day.
- You only only need simple ingredients, so you don't have to worry about spending a lot of money at the grocery store to make it.
- The homemade bread goes well with just about any meal. My family especially likes when I serve it with pasta.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it makes a great pizza dough. If you are a fan of focaccia pizza, then you will want to make a batch or double batch of this great recipe for your next homemade pizza night.
📝 Ingredients you'll need
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📋 Ingredient Notes / Variations
- Water - You will need warm water for the yeast to bloom. Your water should be between 100-110 degrees f.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar will work best when making a recipe with yeast.
- Yeast - You will need active dry yeast for this recipe. Do not use instant yeast.
- Flour - You will need plain all-purpose flour to make this recipe.
- Salt - You will need sea salt, and flaky sea salt for this focaccia recipe.
- Oil - I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil when making this bread.
- Butter - Use unsalted or salted butter in the bottom of the your casserole dish to give this bread a nice crust.
🥣 Before you begin: essential tools
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- Large bowl
- Sptaula or wooden spoon
- 13x9 baking dish
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🥄 Step by step: instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In the 4 qt bowl, pour warm water then add sugar and yeast and stir for a couple of times then let it proof for 5 minutes.
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, then pour in warm water.
- Mix ingredients with a spatula or a wooden spoon until flour disappears. You will get a sticky shaggy dough.
- Pour 1 tablespoon oil over and rub with your hands all over the dough surface then cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 5 days. Wet your fingers with a little oil and deflate the dough by pulling it from the sides of the bowl to the center to make a ball.
- Butter a 13x9 glass baking dish, making sure the bottom and sides are well coated, and pour 2 tablespoons in the center of your dish.
- Grab your dough ball and place it in the center of the baking dish. Cover and let it rise and get bigger until it fills the pan. This will probably take about 3-4 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Uncover the dough, wet your fingers with some oil, and start dimpling the dough all over. Sprinkle sea salt flakes generously on top.
- Bake in the center of your oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Take out of the oven and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
👩🍳 Variations to make it your own
- If you want a little flavor to your focaccia dough you can top the dough with fresh rosemary, basil, or even parmesan cheese. Just make sure that you wait until after you put a little olive oil on top of the dough so that the herbs and cheese will stick.
- You can also add a touch of spice to the bread if you sprinkle the top with red pepper flakes before you put it in the oven.
- Vegetables also make for a beautiful presentation on top of this homemade focaccia bread. Slices of cherry or grape tomatoes, a sliced caramelized onion, or even bell pepper strips all work great on this bread.
👍 My notes
- While you are allowing the dough to rise, make sure that you use a well-oiled bowl because it's a sticky dough at the beginning.
- I like to cover my dough with a damp tea towel while it is rising. However, you can also cover it closely with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
- When you are pressing divots into the dough with your fingers, I recommend using damp hands. This will help keep your fingers clean.
Next time, try this classic Irish Soda Bread with Raisins recipe—it’s simple, hearty, and perfect to complement your meals.
🧺 Storage and reheating leftovers
Refrigerate - Store leftover bread in an airtight container or resealable bag in the refrigerator. Focaccia bread will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Freeze - To freeze, wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. It will stay fresh for up to three months.
Reheat- The best way to reheat foccociaa bread is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F, wrap the bread in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes until warm.
⌛ Make Ahead
The best thing about this recipe is that you want to make the dough the day before so that the dough has time to complete the fermentation process before you are ready to bake it. So, whip up this dough before you need it to save a little time at dinner time the next day.
📣 More Mediterranean bread recipes
If you are looking for more delicious fresh bread recipes to make for your family, then you will want to give these a try.
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
This no knead focaccia bread is a great side dish to serve with your favorite meals. My family loves to pair it with a main dish like this Baked Ziti with Ground Beef, and a simple green side dish like this Brussels Sprouts Appetizer.
Although not traditional but it pairs beautifully with Mediterranean pasta dishes such as this iconic Macarona Bechamel. And, you can't forget a sweet treat like these Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.
💬 Your questions answered: FAQs
The secret to the best focaccia bread recipe, is to allow the dough to have an overnight rise. This gives the bread dough a lot of air bubbles to help keep it soft and fluff
Focaccia is best when enjoyed the day is it is baked. However, don't worry it will still taste great the next day as well.
Since bread flour has a high protein content, I've found that all purpose flour works best and gives you the fluffiest bread.
What did you think? Leave your review in the comments below and if you like this recipe do not forget to leave a 5 star rating. Thank you
Overnight Focaccia
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons sugar 8 g
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast ¼ oz envelope
- 4 cups all purpose flour 500 g
- 1 teaspoon sea salt 5g
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
Topping:
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In the 4 qt bowl, pour warm water then add sugar and yeast and stir for a couple of time then let it proof for 5 minutes.
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt then pour in warm water.
- Mix ingredients with a spatula or a wooden spoon until flour disappears. You will get a sticky shaggy dough.
- Pour 1 tablespoon oil over and rub with your hands all over the dough surface then cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 5 days.
- Wet your fingers with a little oil and deflate the dough by pulling it from the sides of the bowl to the center to make a ball.
- Butter a 13x9 glass baking dish making sure the bottom and sides are well coated and pour 2 tablespoons in the center of your dish.
- Grab your dough ball and place it in the center of the baking dish. Cover and let it rise and get bigger until it fills the pan. This will probably take about 3-4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat oven to 475F.
- Uncover the dough, wet your fingers with some oil and start dimpling the dough all over.
- Sprinkle sea salt flakes generously on top.
- Bake in the center of your oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
- Take out of oven and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
- Take it out of the baking sheet and let it cool for like 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- The more you leave the dough in the fridge, the bigger holes you will get in your focaccia; I recommend leaving this in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, but if you are in a hurry 12 hours will give you a decent result.
Nutrition
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