no-knead focaccia $1.07 recipe / $0.09 serving
I was in the mood for sandwiches this week so I needed to make some bread. While my honey wheat sandwich bread was fantastic, I wanted something more savory. Then I got the idea, take the no-knead ciabatta and make it into focaccia! It turned out perfect and was so so so easy.This recipe utilizes an over night fermentation which gives it incredible flavor. So, while the total time for this recipe is almost a whole day, there is probably less than 15 minutes of actual work that needs to be done.
A delicious loaf of bread for just over a dollar and under 15 minutes of work? YES PLEASE!
No-knead focaccia
Total Recipe cost: $1.07
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Cost per serving: $0.09
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 20 min. Rise time: 15 hrs. Total: 15 hrs. 35 min.
| INGREDIENTS | COST | |
| 1 cup | whole wheat flour | $0.16 |
| 3 cups | all-purpose flour | $0.44 |
| 1/4 tsp | yeast | $0.02 |
| 1.5 tsp | salt | $0.05 |
| 2 cups | water | $0.00 |
| 2 Tbsp | olive oil | $0.22 |
| 1 Tbsp | Italian seasoning | $0.15 |
| 2 Tbsp | corn meal | $0.03 |
| TOTAL | $1.07 | |
STEP 1: The night before, combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large pot or bowl. Stir until everything is evenly combined and then stir in the water. The result should be one cohesive, sticky, shaggy lump of dough. If there is still dry flour in the pot or everything isn't sticking together, add a little water at a time until it forms one ball. Loosely cover and let sit at room temperature until the next day (about 14 hours).
STEP 2: The next day the dough will be wet, fluffy and may even be bubbling from the fermentation. Using a spatula, scrape the dough from the sides of the pot or bowl and turn it in on itself a few times until it forms a ball in the center of the pot.
STEP 3: Prepare a baking sheet with foil, non-stick spray and a generous sprinkle of corn meal. Dust your hands with flour and sprinkle a little on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to your hands. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Stretch and pat the dough out into a large rectangle. You may need to dust your hands with flour throughout this process to keep the dough from sticking. It will be very wet and sticky.
STEP 4: Drizzle olive oil over the surface of the dough and use a soft brush to spread it evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning (or any type of herbs) over top. Let the dough rise for another hour.
STEP 5: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using your fingers, press dimples into the risen dough (see photos). Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven or until the surface is golden brown. After removing from the oven, transfer the focaccia to a wire rack to cool.
Step By Step Photos
Stir together the flour, salt and yeast until evenly combined.
Add the water and stir until everything is wet. If the dough is not in one cohesive piece, add more water until there is no dry flour left. Only add a tablespoon or two at a time to avoid accidentally adding too much.
Allow the dough to sit, loosely covered over night at room temperature. After about 14 hours it will have expanded into a wet, fluffy, bubbly mass.
Use a spatula to turn the dough in on itself a few times until it forms a ball of dough in the center of the pot.
Prepare a baking sheet with foil, non-stick spray and a generous sprinkle of corn meal.
Dust your hands with flour and sprinkle the dough with flour so that you can handle it without sticking to your hands. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and stretch and press it out into the shape of a rectangle. It should be about 1/2 inch thick. It's okay if it doesn't come all the way to the edges of the baking sheet.
Drizzle olive oil over the top and then use a soft brush to spread it evenly over the surface.
Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of seasoning over the surface of the dough. I used this pizza seasoning which is basically like Italian seasoning but you can use whatever you like.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour then use your fingers to press dimples into the surface.
The dough is now risen and ready to bake. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. It will puff up a little bit more as it bakes. ...and it smells DIVINE!
After it comes out of the oven, transfer it to a wire rack to cool so that excess moisture can escape.
Once cool, cut the focaccia into 12 rectangles for sandwiches or into strips if you plan to dip them in marinara like bread sticks!
Split the rectangle in half and you'll have the BEST bread for sandwiches EVER. So flavorful.
54 comments:
Yum! I am a huge fan of no knead bread. I wrote this recipe down and I'm going to go mix it up in my kitchen this afternoon. I love focaccia and I was just trying to think if the regular no knead recipe would work. Now I don't have to guess :D Thank you!
I'm pretty sure this is the stuff they serve at Cosi, and it's most of the reason I even *go* to Cosi, so maybe I won't need to anymore... :) Thanks!
I'm having trouble believing that 1/4 tsp of yeast is enough for 4 cups of flour, and that it needs no sugar of any sort, but I'm gonna give it a try! =)
That's the beauty of this recipe, Jennifer! :D Because it ferments over night, the yeast has ample time to multiply so you only need to start with a little. The starch in the flour is more than enough to keep the yeast going. In bread recipes where it only rises for an hour or two, you need to give it sugar to sort of "jump start" it but this long, slow method doesn't need it. Nice, right?
You are so right. It worked! I only had basil and garlic bread sprinkle and I put some parmesan on top before baking. Yum! Thanks for the recipe.
Mine turned out pretty tasty. I'm at altitude and just decreased the baking temp to 410 F and the crust turned out nice and crisp.
Wow, this is awesome! I can't believe it's this easy and cheap to make your own focaccia at home. I'm totally going to have to save this recipe for later.
This sounds GREAT. I make bread fairly regularly, but I still haven't made foccacia. I'm going to have to try now!
I'm a sucker for fresh baked bread. I absolutely love your blog!
This looks beautiful! I only have a small oven and I'm wondering if the dough and/or bread freezes well enough to do a couple of smaller loaves? I think I'm going to give it a try anyway, even though I'm generally a bit scared of cooking with yeast!
Yes, Wendy, it freezes great! And this is a great recipe to try if you're uneasy about working with yeast because you don't have to knead the dough and you don't have to proof the yeast. Just mix everything together and let it sit! I hope it works out well for you :D
I just made this, and I substituted a the whole wheat flour for half a cup of whole wheat and half a cup of corn meal because I like a slightly gritty texture. It came out very nicely was incredibly easy to make. For the top I put on roasted garlic, caramelized onions, rosemary, and basil. I'll definitely be saving this recipe!
Hi there. Your blog is awesome! You have helped me come back from a major cooking rut lately. I've tried a number of recipes that have quickly become favorites in my house. Your recipes are perfect for someone like me who is a foodie on a budget. This focaccia is AMAZING and I still can't believe how easy/cheap it is. I made what my husband called "one of the best sandwiches he ever ate today" on this bread. I grilled it like a paninni with ham, sharp cheddar, spinach, craisins and honey mustard spread. Keep the recipes coming-thanks!
LOVED IT! Thanks so much for this recipe. I have made it twice so far. I added Italian seasoning and then some garlic and cheese before cooking! AMAZING!
This is such a great idea! At least in my oven, a no-knead loaf doesn't get quiiiiiiiite cooked through, so it always has a little dank spot in the center. Flattening it out should take care of that problem easily!
I have a standard kneaded focaccia that I love, but I'm going to try this out --- always great to have another no-work bread in my repertoire!
This recipe looks amazing! I was wondering how well the finished foccacia freezes? I am planning to make a big batch and freeze pre-cut squares for future use. I live alone and could not finish all that bread at once, no matter how yummy it is.
Yes, it freezes well! You can also try making a half batch... but if you're going to heat up the oven, I guess you might as well make a whole batch :P
I love that this has no added sugar, but I use instant yeast for my bread baking. Do you know if I would need to make any changes to use the instant yeast?
Thank you. Your site is great!
Instant yeast should work the same! :D
Wow. I finally made some of this today and it was fabulous! Cut half into chunks for the panzanella salad and the other half into sandwich sized pieces. Thanks for the great recipe!
This bread is baking in my oven right now...and let me just say, even if it tastes bad (which I'm sure it won't) the smell alone is totally worth it!
I just made this today and it tastes great - but didn't rise nearly enough - I even let it sit for 90 minutes instead of the hour you suggested. When I got up this morning - it looked good in the bowl, but even so - it never rose even while baking. What happened?!
JSMDOLL - Hmmm, not sure what could have happened... Did you turn it over on its self a few times before stretching it out onto the baking sheet? Sometimes the yeast needs to come into contact with new sugars to start creating more gas and continue to rise. Was your oven fully preheated before you put the bread in? The sudden increase in heat generates a lot of steam in this wet dough which will puff the bread up before it gets hard and crusted. If the oven is too cold, the crust will harden before the steam forms. Hopefully it was one of those two things because I can't think of any other possibilities :(
This recipe sounds easy enough for me to try. I can't wait!
Amazing! :D Thanks for posting!
I just made this and I am in love! I added a tsp each of garlic and onion powder to the dry mix before adding the water. I skipped the last rise, because it was well over 14 hours that it sat (I mis-calculated the time). I used fresh rosemary from a bush I have in my yard and I crushed a clove of garlic into the olive oil to 'season' it before I drizzled it on top. I'll use the rest of it to try and make a pesto dipping sauce later. SO delicious, thanks for such an easy and flexible recipe. I'm going to try all sorts of tweaks for fun!
If i was to use fresh yeast any idea how much quantity would i need to use ?
Great question! According to Fleischmann's (the yeast brand) website, one 0.6 ounce cake of fresh yeast equals one envelope (2.25 tsps) of dry yeast. Since this recipe only calls for 1/4 tsp of yeast, you'll only need 0.07 ounces of fresh yeast. It's a very small amount, I bet you could just break off a crumb of it and dissolve it into the water before adding it to the dry ingredients. Good luck!
Do you think 12 hours would be enough time for the dough to sit, or is 14 hours really important? Wonderful site, so many yummy recipes!
Jamie - I've done it in 8 hrs and it was still great!
I'm in college and have never baked bread before but it turned out awesome in my little apartment! Definitely will be using this recipe in the future =)
Wow, Beth! I did only let it sit for 12 hours and still AMAZING. We are making a second batch tomorrow. Your blog rocks!
This is amazing!! My husband, 22 month old daughter and I ate the whole thing with dinner last night. YUM and EASY!
Thanks!
Am I "allowed" :) to leave the dough longer than 14 hours??? Any idea on what the max time allowed would be???
Anon - I've left it for about 20 before and it does start to degrade a little... It gets kind of dense. I find it works best between 8 and 16 hours. You can even do as little as 2 but it will just have a lighter flavor.
This is sitting on my counter for baking tomorrow!! Yummmmmmmmy.
One of the easiest and best breads I have made yet. It's perfect with a college student's schedule: make it the night before, next morning put it on the baking sheet, let rise while in class, and then bake before work.
Wonderful recipes!!
Wow - first bread that I've ever made from scratch and now I'm wondering why I haven't done this before?!?! Sooo easy to make and the result was delicious! I had no corn meal on hand so I substituted semolina and it worked fine. Can't wait to try some more of your no-knead recipes...
I made this a few weeks ago, and it had a great flavor...but it was super super dense. What did I do? :)
Hmmm, it's hard to say but I would try it again with a shorter ferment time. You can go as short as 2 hours for that first "overnight" ferment. I don't know how long you let it go, but try shortening the first rise/ferment and maybe lengthening the second rise. I hope it works better!
i wonder if i can do ahead and use the dough for pizza crustt loll well guess ill seee><
Made this tonight - delicious! I went with oregano, basil, rosemary and garlic powder and a 16 hour fermenting time. I think I'll try a rosemary onion version next. Thanks!
Oh wow I didn't know you could create a no-knead focaccia.. so much easier!
I love all your bread recipes, they're so easy! I was wondering if it makes a difference baking with some whole wheat flour or just using all all-purpose flour?
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! I've never made actual bread before, only cakes like muffins and banana bread, so I was happy to find a quick, easy recipe. I made half a batch and used half whole wheat flour, half pastry flour. After rising, I cut my dough into 6 pieces, each about the size of a standard piece of bread. I experimented with different toppings on each, like rosemary, italian herbs, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds. These baked into the best little sandwich buns ever!!! I can't wait to make more! Thanks for the awesome recipes and website. :)
I accidentally put an entire packet of yeast in..oopsy. Still turned out fantastic! I also chopped up some garlic and pressed it into the dough right before I put it into the oven. YUM!
Hi! Can you tell me what size pan you used?
Can I use all AP flour? Does bread flour make it any different?
Miriam - I'm not quite sure what size pan I used that day (I have three sizes), but I think it was just a basic sized baking sheet. It would be okay to use a slightly smaller or larger pan. If you have a smaller pan, your focaccia will be slightly thicker and if you have a larger pan you can just not stretch it all the way to the edges. I think my dough was about an inch thick when I first stretched it out, so hopefully that will help guide you.
I've made this several times now and used AP flour with great success :)
Any idea how this would work with gluten-free flour? I'd like to try to make some for my mom. (The regular recipe is awesome and delicious!!)
deneenie - Hmm, I'm not sure. I have absolutely no experience working with gluten free flour, but I do know that gluten is vital to the texture of bread... so, I'm pretty sure it would change it quite a bit.
Do you know if this type of fermentation breaks down phytic acid like traditional soaking methods?
I am making this right now but replaced the Italian herbs with Indian! I sprinkled it with Cumin, torn fresh cilantro leafs and stalks, salt and a bit of green onion that I had hanging around. The smell is divine!
I love this recipe! It works great in a table-top convection oven (provided you split the dough into two batches) which is all I currently have access to. I found doubling the amount of yeast allows for a shorter fermenting/rising time also works well for this. I had accidentally added a whole 8oz package of yeast and the dough doubled only a few hours in with some amazing flavor. I have to say, this method of bread-making is brilliant for people with less than a quarter of a proper kitchen who still want to bake bread.... and work too much to put much time into it ^w^
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