No-knead focaccia is a next level of baking, like a step between regular yeast dough and sourdough dough. This no knead focaccia bread recipe contains a very small amount of yeast, which is necessary to speed up the fermentation process and not wait for several days like sourdough. Nature will do the rest of the process.
This focaccia recipe is a great way to start learning about preferments. And I promise you, you will fall in love with them, just like I did. At first sight, the recipe may seem complicated, long, and too troublesome. But, trust me, it’s even easier than regular ones, because you actually only need to make a few minor movements over time. The dough does not need to be kneaded at all, interaction with it is minimal, natural processes will do everything for you, and you just watch and admire.
So, in this no knead focaccia bread recipe, we use a preferment called poolish. Wait, you don’t have to look for it anywhere and buy it. It’s just the name of a mixture that consists of super simple ingredients – flour, water and yeast. Poolish is often used to bake bread, French baguette, pizza, and other similar products.
Poolish has 100% hydration, which means that 100 grams of water are taken for 100 grams of flour. The high level of hydration will make the focaccia bread moist, and the poolish helps to keep the dough fresh and moist longer.
In general, preferments are used to increase dough elasticity and shelf life, as well as to improve the taste and visual qualities of the finished product.
As a result, if you compare regular focaccia and focaccia baked with poolish, you will immediately see the difference. Poolish focaccia has a beautiful caramelized crispy crust, very porous, moist crumb with large air pockets. The taste of this focaccia is also different, because fermentation gives the crumb a rich, deep flavor, similar to fresh craft bread.
I will say right away that this no knead focaccia bread recipe is not a quick one, but that’s what makes it interesting. To give you an estimate of the time, it takes 8 hours to prepare and ferment the poolish (you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours), with no more than 3 minutes of active work. The preparation of the dough itself takes about 5 hours: there will be little active work, but you will have to be close to the dough all this time, because every half hour you need to pay a little attention to it.
Focaccia bread filling
Fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, olives, rosemary, garlic, onion, thyme, cheese, and even fruits are very popular focaccia fillings. So, our creativity has room to run wild. In this recipe, I add roasted garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to focaccia.
But of course, you can choose another filling to your liking.
How thick should the focaccia bread be?
The thickness of focaccia can vary, it’s a matter of taste. If you use a smaller baking dish, the focaccia will be tall and fluffy. If you bake it, for example, on a baking sheet, the focaccia will be thinner, with crispy edges. That is, the smaller the dish, the higher the focaccia. Experiment and find the most delicious option for yourself!
So, here’s no knead focaccia bread recipe
Poolish
75 g of water
75 g of all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp of dry yeast
Dough
210 g of water
13 g of olive oil
poolish
225 g of all-purpose flour
6 g of salt
1/3 tsp of dry yeast
olive oil for greasing the mold (~3 tbsp)
Filling
a whole garlic bulb
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbsp of olive oil
dried tomatoes
olive oil (~3 tbsp)
coarse salt (~0.5 tbsp)
Start with the preparation of the poolish
In a deep bowl, combine the water, flour, and yeast. Mix thoroughly so that all the flour is moistened. The most convenient way to do this is with a small whisk.
Cover with film and leave at room temperature for 1.5 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator overnight (6-8 hours). You can keep the poolish there for up to 48 hours.
Prepare the dough
Take the poolish out of the refrigerator. It will look active, viscous, and have a lot of air bubbles.
In a large bowl, add the water, all the poolish, olive oil and stir to dissolve the poolish in the liquid.
Add the flour, salt, and yeast and mix the dough with a spoon until the flour is moistened. You will get a sticky, lumpy dough. Cover it with film and place it in a warm corner of the kitchen for 30 minutes.
The next step is to lift and fold the dough: remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, wet your hands in water, slide your hands along the sides of the bowl, lift the dough, and then fold it back into the bowl. Rotate the bowl 90º and repeat, and then rotate and repeat one more time. Done. Cover again with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process 5 more times over the next 2.5 hours. I do it right with a timer, so I don’t miss the moment. Each time you will notice how the dough changes, becomes more elastic, airy, and stops leaving even traces on your hands.
After the last, fifth fold, transfer the dough to the baking dish: first, cover it with parchment, brush it generously with olive oil, and put the dough on top. Gently stretch the dough to the edges of the dish using your fingertips and cover with plastic wrap. Then repeat this 3 more times over the next 1.5 hours.
Thus, from the moment you mix the ingredients for the dough, a total of 4.5 hours should pass, during which you have come into contact with the dough 9 times (every half hour).
While the dough is bulking in the dish, it’s time to prepare the filling for the future focaccia.
Cooking baked garlic
Preheat the oven to 230°C.
Cut the top of the garlic bulb by 0.5-1 cm with a sharp knife, exposing the cloves. You can remove any loose skins.
Cut a piece of foil (large enough to wrap the garlic bulb) and place the garlic in the center of it, cut side up.
Drizzle the garlic with olive oil (~1 tbsp) so that the entire cut is covered. Sprinkle it with salt and ground pepper and wrap it tightly in foil.
Bake this wrap in the oven for 25–30 minutes at 230°C. When it is ready, the cloves will be soft and creamy in color.
Take the garlic out of the oven, open the foil and leave it to cool at room temperature. Keep the oven on, we need it hot to bake the focaccia.
To take out the garlic cloves, press down on the base of the bulb so that the cloves come out easily.
Baking focaccia
Place the garlic cloves and tomatoes on the dough that has already risen. Press them well into the dough so that the filling does not burn during baking. Drizzle the future focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Put the focaccia in the oven and bake for about 20–25 minutes. It should turn golden brown with very ruddy bubbles.
Remove the focaccia from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the focaccia from the pan to a wire rack or wooden board to keep the edges crispy as they cool.
I highly recommend you to start eating focaccia while it is still warm. Crispy on the outside, tender, moist, and full of air pockets on the inside, it is delicious on its own or with olive oil and salt, as well as with pesto or your other favorite sauce.
Enjoy!
What do you think about this no knead focaccia bread recipe? Did you like it? I am happy to share my experience with you and waiting for your feedback!
No Knead Focaccia Bread Recipe | YellowMixer.com
Print RecipeIngredients
- Poolish
- 75 g of water
- 75 g of all-purpose flour
- 1/3 tsp of dry yeast
- Dough
- 210 g of water
- 13 g of olive oil
- poolish
- 225 g of all-purpose flour
- 6 g of salt
- 1/3 tsp of dry yeast
- olive oil for greasing the mold (~3 tbsp)
- Filling
- a whole garlic bulb
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- dried tomatoes
- olive oil (~3 tbsp)
- coarse salt (~0.5 tbsp)
Instructions
Start with the preparation of the poolish
In a deep bowl, combine the water, flour, and yeast. Mix thoroughly so that all the flour is moistened. The most convenient way to do this is with a small whisk.
Cover with film and leave at room temperature for 1.5 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator overnight (6-8 hours). You can keep the poolish there for up to 48 hours.
Prepare the dough
Take the poolish out of the refrigerator. It will look active, viscous, and have a lot of air bubbles.
In a large bowl, add the water, all the poolish, olive oil and stir to dissolve the poolish in the liquid.
Add the flour, salt, and yeast and mix the dough with a spoon until the flour is moistened. You will get a sticky, lumpy dough. Cover it with film and place it in a warm corner of the kitchen for 30 minutes.
The next step is to lift and fold the dough: remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, wet your hands in water, slide your hands along the sides of the bowl, lift the dough, and then fold it back into the bowl. Rotate the bowl 90º and repeat, and then rotate and repeat one more time. Done. Cover again with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Repeat this process 5 more times over the next 2.5 hours. I do it right with a timer, so I don't miss the moment. Each time you will notice how the dough changes, becomes more elastic, airy, and stops leaving even traces on your hands.
After the last, fifth fold, transfer the dough to the baking dish: first, cover it with parchment, brush it generously with olive oil, and put the dough on top. Gently stretch the dough to the edges of the dish using your fingertips and cover with plastic wrap. Then repeat this 3 more times over the next 1.5 hours.
Cooking baked garlic
Preheat the oven to 230°C.
Cut the top of the garlic bulb by 0.5-1 cm with a sharp knife, exposing the cloves. You can remove any loose skins.
Cut a piece of foil (large enough to wrap the garlic bulb) and place the garlic in the center of it, cut side up.
Drizzle the garlic with olive oil (~1 tbsp) so that the entire cut is covered. Sprinkle it with salt and ground pepper and wrap it tightly in foil.
Bake this wrap in the oven for 25–30 minutes at 230°C.
Take the garlic out of the oven, open the foil and leave it to cool at room temperature. Keep the oven on, we need it hot to bake the focaccia.
To take out the garlic cloves, press down on the base of the bulb so that the cloves come out easily.
Baking focaccia
Place the garlic cloves and tomatoes on the dough that has already risen. Press them well into the dough so that the filling does not burn during baking. Drizzle the future focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
Put the focaccia in the oven and bake for about 20–25 minutes. It should turn golden brown with very ruddy bubbles.
Remove the focaccia from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the focaccia from the pan to a wire rack or wooden board to keep the edges crispy as they cool.
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