Makes 1 large tray
Prep 15 min
Rise Overnight + 2 hrs
Bake 25 min
Level Beginner-friendly
Focaccia is the most forgiving bread you can make. It requires no shaping skill, no complicated technique, and no kneading in the traditional sense. The dough is extremely wet and sticky — you fold it rather than knead it — and it is supposed to be that way. The high hydration is what gives focaccia its open, bubbly crumb and its characteristic chewy-yet-light texture.
The real secret is the cold overnight ferment. Mixing the dough the night before and letting it develop slowly in the fridge gives you flavour that a same-day focaccia simply cannot match. The long cold rise also makes the dough easier to work with — cold dough is less sticky and holds its shape better when you press it into the tray. Make it the evening before, bake it the next afternoon, eat it warm from the oven.
Ingredients
The dough
500 g strong white bread flour
420 ml lukewarm water
7 g instant dry yeast (1 sachet)
10 g fine salt
1 tsp white sugar
3 tbsp good olive oil (+ more for the tray)
The topping (classic)
4 tbsp good olive oil
1 tsp flaky sea salt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
10–12 olives (optional)
Olive oil quantity: Focaccia uses more olive oil than seems reasonable. The bottom of the tray should be generously pooled with oil before the dough goes in, and more goes on top before baking. This is not excess — it is the mechanism by which focaccia gets its crisp, fried-in-oil bottom crust and its characteristic glossy top. Do not reduce it.
Instructions
Evening before: mix the dough. Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and leave 5 minutes until slightly foamy. Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Mix until no dry flour remains — a rough, shaggy, very sticky dough. Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate overnight (8–16 hours).
Fold the dough (evening, once). After 30 minutes in the fridge, do one set of stretch-and-folds: wet your hand, reach under the dough, pull a section up and fold it over the top. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat three more times. Cover and return to the fridge overnight. This builds structure without kneading.
Next day: room temperature rise. Take the dough out 2 hours before baking. It should have grown significantly in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature.
Prepare the tray. Pour 3–4 tablespoons of olive oil into a 30 × 40 cm baking tray and spread it across the entire base. Tip the dough into the centre — do not punch it down. Leave it to relax for 10 minutes, then gently stretch it toward the edges by pressing with your fingers. If it springs back, wait 5 minutes and try again.
Second proof in the tray: 1 hour. Cover loosely and leave for 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature until the dough is puffy and fills the tray. Preheat your oven to 230°C (fan) during this time — a fully preheated oven is essential.
Dimple, oil, top, and bake. With oiled fingers, press deep dimples all across the surface of the dough — push all the way down to the tray. Drizzle 3–4 more tablespoons of olive oil generously over the top. Scatter rosemary, olives, and the flaky salt. Bake at 230°C for 22–26 minutes until deeply golden on top and golden-brown and crisp underneath when you lift a corner.
Rest briefly, then serve warm. Slide onto a wire rack for 5 minutes — this stops the bottom from steaming and going soggy. Focaccia is best eaten the same day, ideally warm. It reheats beautifully in a 200°C oven for 5 minutes.
🍅Cherry tomato focaccia: Press halved cherry tomatoes cut-side down into the dimples before baking. They collapse, caramelise, and concentrate into little pools of sweet-acidic flavour. Finish with basil after baking.
🧅Caramelised onion focaccia: Cook 3 sliced onions in butter for 40 minutes until jammy and deep amber. Spread across the dimpled dough, top with fresh thyme and a little Gruyère.
🥶The dough keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Make the dough Sunday evening and bake it Tuesday if you want — the longer fermentation gives even more flavour. Just take it out 2 hours before baking each time.
The most impressive thing for the least effort
Fresh bread from your own oven is one of the most immediately impressive things you can put on a table. Focaccia is the easiest version of that. The active work is 15 minutes the evening before and 10 minutes the next day. The oven does the rest. The result — crisp underneath, pillowy on top, fragrant with olive oil and rosemary — is genuinely hard to stop eating. Start with the classic rosemary version, then start experimenting.
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