BA’s Shocking Easy No-Knead Focaccia
Bon Appétit’s Sarah Jampel developed this focaccia recipe, and it’s basically foolproof. It’s super quick to make the dough and toss it in the fridge for an overnight proof, and the lack of kneading makes it easy for bakers of any level. Here in the Gathr space, we love using a sheet pan to make thinner focaccia—perfect for sandwiches.
Recipe from Bon Appetit by Sarah Jampel
Serves: 10-12 servings
Ingredients:
¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)
2 tsp. honey
5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for pan
Flaky sea salt like Maldon
Instructions:
1. Whisk one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t, your yeast is dead and you should start again.)
2. Add 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour and 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt and mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. If you’re in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours.
4. Generously butter a 13x9” baking pan, for thicker focaccia that’s great for snacking, or an 18x13” rimmed baking sheet, for focaccia that’s thinner and perfect for sandwiches. The butter may seem superfluous, but it’ll ensure that your focaccia doesn’t stick. Pour 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into the center of the pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up the edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into the center of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate the dough while you form it into a rough ball. Transfer dough to the prepared pan. Pour any oil left in the bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.
5. Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.) Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill the pan (you probably won’t need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple the focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (reach your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan). Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. When ready to serve, lightly brush the top with a little more olive oil to make it shiny. Slice and serve!
Do Ahead: Focaccia is best eaten the day it’s made, but keeps well in the freezer. Slice it into pieces, store it in a freezer-safe container, then reheat it on a baking sheet in a 300° oven.