Focaccia. It’s one of the greats when it comes to bread, and this overnight focaccia is a total babe. Italy has quite a few of my favorite breads, and I think they generally are just on point when it comes to carbs. I have been to Italy, and while I had at least a sandwich on focaccia while I was there, don’t think I enjoyed any fresh from the oven just in it’s crisp warm glory. What a disappointment. What am I even doing with my life? I guess I’ll just have to go back. But while we’re at home, we can make this easy, no-knead, no-fuss, overnight focaccia.

Some bakers are intimidated by bread, and I see why it is and can be viewed that way. However, in some ways I think bread is easier than a lot of bakes because there is often less steps and ingredients. Generally all you need is flour, salt, water and yeast. So there are less places to go wrong, granted if you go wrong your bread may not work at all. The beauty of this overnight focaccia is the simplicity. You barely have to do anything. Plus, you get to play with the dough before you put it in the oven. The dimpling of the bread is the best part, and anyone who tells you differently is LYING.

Focaccia is also great because it’s so easy to add to it without having to worry about changing the structure or water content of the bread which can ruin a lot of dough. Simply place everything on top, almost like a pizza! (Or you can just make Focaccia Pizza) Plus, you don’t even have to knead it.

So I love focaccia as it is, just olive oil and sea salt but adding just a little bit of herbs -whether they are fresh like rosemary, thyme, basil etc or dried of the same or something like herbs de Provence, you really can’t go wrong. Pan size, if you make this in a smaller pan it will be thicker (this one is already fairly thick) and it could be sliced in half (as if you were butterflying it) and made into a sandwich or panini bread. There are soo many options!

Overnight Focaccia vs. Same Day

Some focaccia recipes can be made the same day. That being said, with bread, time often equals flavor. So the longer a bread can rise it’s creating better flavor. By allowing the dough to cold ferment, it slows down the proofing process a lot, developing everything better. Now, if you don’t have 18+ hours, I would recommend my Same Day Small Batch Focaccia. But overnight focaccia is, in my opinion, even better.

What you will do is after the dough is mixed, cover the bowl well and put it into the fridge for 18-48 hours for the first rise. Everything else will be the same, however you should allow more time for your second rise as the dough will need to come to room temperature as well. I’d recommend probably 2-3 hours depending on the warmth of the environment. But everything else stays the same!

Can I use..

All purpose flour – Yes! If you don’t have bread flour all purpose will work just fine. Generally the bread will just be a little bit softer and a little less chew. However, I beg you to buy the bag of bread flour. I have quite a few recipes that you can use the rest on.
A different pan – Yes! For example this could be made in a cake pan or smaller sheet pan. The smaller the pan, the thicker the bread will be. I probably would not go any smaller than 9×13, but not glass! Glass is a poor heat conductor so make sure it’s a metal pan.

Overnight Focaccia Key Ingredients

Olive Oil – The key to the perfect focaccia color and texture is using enough oil. It will seem like a lot but it’s adding to the flavor, it’s adding to making sure the dough browns nicely and adding that crisp edge to the bread. Don’t be afraid to be generous!
Bread Flour – Bread flour helps develop the chew and stronger gluten network. I have made focaccia many times with AP flour and you won’t hate it, but compared to one with bread flour, it’s not quite as good. It is worth the trip to get some if you don’t have it.
Time – Technically this isn’t an ingredient, I know. But because we aren’t doing any kneading time is developing your structure and flavor. Can you make this same day? Yes. Do I prefer an overnight version to a same day? Everyday.

Okay, now that I’m drooling, let’s get to the bread making.

Overnight Focaccia

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep: 5

Bake: 25

Proofing: 18

Ingredients

600 g Bread Flour 5 cups
7 g Instant or Active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
1 tbsp Morton kosher salt
2 tsp Sugar
560 g Water 2⅓ cups, lukewarm (~95-100F)
85-150 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil 6-10 tbsp, divided
14 g Unsalted butter 1 tbsp, optional
Flaky Sea Salt
Fresh or dried herbs

Instructions

If you are using active dry yeast, combine the yeast, sugar and water in bowl. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
If using instant yeast, combine flour, sugar, salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, water and yeast into a bowl and mix until combined. The dough will be very loose and shaggy.
Drizzle another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over the top and make sure the dough is well coated. Cover the bowl tightly and place in the refrigerator for 18-48 hours. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.
Prepare your pan. For thicker bread, use a 9×13" cake or sheet pan, for thinner use up to a 13×18" pan. If your pan is not nonstick, greasing it with the tbsp of butter can help the center and corners not stick. If it is non-stick feel free to skip butter, then add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil into the center of the pan.
Take your dough and stretch and fold up the edges like you are closing a box. Bringing each side into the center, creating more of a ball shape, and gently deflating the dough.
Transfer your dough into the sheet pan and dump any oil from the dough bowl into the pan as well. Cover the pan with cling wrap that has been greased and leave in a warm place to double in size. This could take 2-4 hours depending on the air temperature and how cold your dough is. The dough is ready when it no longer instantly springs back when poked, and it will have grown and be reaching the edges of the pan if not already completely filling.
Preheat oven to 425°F
Drizzle 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over dough then Oil your hands and use your fingers to both gently push dough to the edges of the pan where it has not reached. Then, the most fun part of making focaccia, dimpling the dough. Use your fingers to press down into the dough, leaving dimples over the entire surface. Do not afraid to press down deeply into the dough.
After dough is dimpled sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top. Sprinkle with fresh herbs (or dried) of your choice. Rosemary, Thyme, Basil or Oregano are all good choices. Herbs are not required but a nice addition. The focaccia is wonderful just with the olive oil and salt.
Bake the focaccia on the middle rack of your oven for about 25 minutes. Bread is done when it is deeply and evenly golden brown. Big air bubbles in the dough may brown more quickly but you want the majority of the surface to be golden.
Wait at least 20 minutes before cutting into your bread, but bread can be enjoyed warm. Store in an airtight container any remaining bread.

Notes

If you are using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or another brand you may want to google an equivalence. Even though they are the same type of salt the size varies greatly and can create a bread that is not salty enough or way too salty.