Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia

Ingredients for Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia

• 1 (5g) envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons )

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 1200ml (625 g) plain flour

• 25ml Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt

• 90ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands

• Flaky sea salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan

• 2-4 garlic cloves

How to make Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia

Whisk yeast, honey, and 600ml lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.

Pour 60ml oil into the biggest bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to 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.

Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan (for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches) or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into centre of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into centre of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Using a fork in each hand makes this process even easier and less messy!)

Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over the dough and coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it’s ready, poke the dough with your finger. The dough 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.)

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 232°C. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you may not need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, as if you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.

Melt 60ml butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and grate in garlic (use 2 cloves if you’re garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted, about 45 seconds. Brush garlic butter all over focaccia. If you don’t want to serve the focaccia immediately, hold off on brushing so it remains crisp.

Clause de non-responsabilité

While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate and up to date, individual needs may vary and dietary requirements can differ based on personal health conditions. Always check food labels and allergen information before preparing or consuming any recipe. If you have specific health concerns, allergies, intolerances, or are following a medically prescribed diet, seek advice from your GP, pharmacist, or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet or lifestyle.