Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2024)

FAQs

Does focaccia need kneading? ›

Unlike sourdough, which requires that you feed a hungry little starter gremlin every day, focaccia is mostly hands off. It also doesn't require any special equipment besides a digital scale. Made with a high-hydration (80% in this case) dough, it comes together quickly in a bowl and doesn't need to be kneaded.

Because there is a greater edge-to-middle ratio when you bake focaccia in a loaf pan instead of a sheet pan (not to mention the loaf pan has higher sides), you're ensured a lot of crispy, cheesy bites.

Use your favorite kind—I prefer extra virgin olive oil. Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour: I tested this focaccia with both and prefer the bread flour variety. Both are great, but bread flour has a higher protein content so it yields a chewier texture.

To keep your focaccia from sticking to the pan, you should put a generous amount of olive oil into the pan before you add your dough. The olive oil will impart the traditional flavor to the focaccia, making it more than just a “flat bread in a sheet pan,” but it will also help to stop the focaccia from sticking.

Bread flour is slightly higher in protein than All-purpose, so gives the focaccia just a little more chew. I love the mix of both, but just AP flour works just fine too! See FAQ for using only AP flour in the recipe if that is what you have. Yeast - I used instant yeast in this recipe.

Why is my focaccia not fluffy or chewy? It could be the type of flour you used. The best flour to use to make focaccia bread is bread flour which gives you fluffy baked bread. Or, it could also be because you did not knead the dough enough for the gluten to form a structure which can result in flat or dense bread.

Now, focaccia uses plenty of olive oil, not only in the dough, but for kneading, proofing, in the baking pan, and on the bread's surface before baking. All this fat means the texture is light, moist and springy, the crust emerges golden and crisp, plus the center stays soft for days afterwards.

Why is my Focaccia dense and tough? Not allowing the focaccia to proof long enough in the fridge will prevent enough gluten from being formed. This causes flat and dense focaccia once baked.

Key Ingredients

Flour: Flour with a high protein content (at least 11%) is essential for strong gluten formation leading to that fluffy texture we know and love! I typically use bread flour or Antimo Caputo's 00 Flour. In a pinch, you can use King Arthur's all-purpose flour, which has a protein content of 11.7%.

After the first rise, many recipes call for the baker to deflate — or "punch down" — the dough. It's an important step: When the dough is punched down, the yeast cells are redistributed. They form a closer bond with the moisture and sugar, which aids fermentation and improves the second rise.

Should focaccia be thin or thick? ›

Traditionally Tuscan focaccia is medium thick and medium soft but crispy on the outside. Salt and rosemary are its usual companions. However, throughout Tuscany you can also find a thin and crispy version as well thick and very soft. Tuscan panini with cheese and cold cuts often use focaccia for a base.

Use sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Not just for aesthetic flair, dimpling the dough is a vital step because it expels air from the dough, preventing it from rising too fast, giving it that perfect crumb. That, combined with the weight of the oil, will prevent a puffed-up poolish that more closely resembles a loaf than a tasty crust.

Forgetting to dimple the dough

Not only is sticking your oily fingers into squishy dough fun, but it also serves an important purpose for the focaccia. Thyme and Envy note that dimpling the dough prior to baking prevents the dough from bubbling and burning — similar to a pizza crust.

This elastic structure will help trap any air that is released by during the fermentation process. Finally, if you overproof the dough, your focaccia will not rise, and turn out dense.

Knead the focaccia dough for about 8-10 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky. This will help develop the gluten in the dough, resulting in a light and airy focaccia.

Because under-kneaded dough doesn't spring up as much in the oven, it often results in a flatter loaf with a dense texture.

Knead for 5-10 mins until your dough is soft and less sticky. Put the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.

Tips for the perfect homemade Focaccia.

Don't over-knead your dough– In the first step, make sure the dough has come together enough that it's sticky but not smooth, this will help to make the much desired air bubbles.