I don’t know when my obsession with focaccia started, or why I fell in love with it. What matters is that my fascination sent me on a two-month-long mission to develop the best overnight focaccia recipe. And on that mission, through testing and re-testing, I developed this bad boy right here. It has the most delicious crispy, crackly, salty crust with an unbelievably airy, fluffy and flavourful crumb. It’s not cake-y or dense and it doesn’t take a million days to develop, or hours of kneading on the counter. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it, and completely worth any fuss you might encounter. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Equipment
Here’s everything you need to make my focaccia recipe:
- 1 6-quart round tub or large bowl
- baker’s scale
- instant-read thermometer
- 9″ x 13″ aluminum baking pan
- wire rack
- Silpat baking mat or clean dish towel to cover the dough
Focaccia Tips
- Use the best flour you can afford. I’m using all-purpose and whole-wheat flour in this recipe. Whenever I visit the grocery store, most of the time I reach for what’s on sale. There’s no shame in that! However, good-quality flour does make a difference in taste. When you can, opt for flour that is unbleached, stone-ground and has a minimal ingredients list.
- Don’t have whole-wheat flour? No problem! Although I highly encourage mixing the flours, this recipe can be made with 100% all-purpose flour.
- Let it cool before cutting. Doing this on a wire rack will let the crust get extra crispy while the crumb stays soft and fluffy.
- Serve it with…a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Or, use it to make your favourite sandwich. There’s nothing focaccia can’t do, so be creative!
Proof of the Process
I know making bread can seem complicated. There’s mixing, and folding and resting… But I promise you, it’s not that serious. If I can do it, so can you. Here’s a little visual help to make the whole thing seem a little less scary.
Your first mix is the most fun. I like to wet my hand in cold water before starting this process to help prevent the dough from sticking to my hand. Next, form a claw with your fingers and begin pinching the dough and rotating the bowl as you go. After a few rotations, switch to folding (more on that below!) Do this for about a minute. You’ll know it’s ready when a shaggy mass forms. It will look like this:
Time to fold! First, visualize the dough divided into four sections. Slide your hand under the first section and gently pull upwards, without tearing the dough. Fold the pulled section into the centre, then rotate the bowl to grab the next section. Repeat the process until you’ve completed eight folds. Flip the dough fold-side down and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Repeat the folding process once more. On the last fold, coat the bottom of the bowl in olive oil and lay the dough fold-side down in the centre. If should look something like this:
Let it rise. Cover the dough and let sit, undisturbed, for 10 hours at room temperature and away from sunlight. I like to place my dough in the living room, near my thermostat, so I can note the temperature. Your dough should triple in size and develop air bubbles. The dough will smell yeasty and should look like this:
You’re almost there! Gently ease the dough out of the bowl, or tub, and into an oil-coated baking pan. Fold the dough two more times and place it crease-side down in the centre of the pan. Cover and let rest for one hour. After one hour, gently stretch the dough out to meet the edges of the pan. Coat your hands in a bit of olive oil and have a little fun making dimples in the dough. Cover and let rest for another hour. This is a great time to start preheating your oven!
Now it’s time to bake! Bake the focaccia at 425°F, on the middle-low rack, for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack before serving. When it’s done, it should look like this:
Best Overnight Focaccia
6
servings10
hours30
minutes5
minutesIngredients
420g warm water (aiming for 80°F-90°F or 30°C-40°C)
4g dry instant yeast
10g olive oil + more for baking and storing
400g all purpose flour
100g whole wheat flour
15g salt (I'm using Diamond Crystal)
Flaky salt for finishing
Directions
In a large bowl, or 6 quart tub, add water, yeast and 10g oil. Using your hand, gently mix the water until the yeast has dissolved and the water is cloudy.
In the same bowl, add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Wet your hand in cold water and begin mixing. I like to make a claw with my hand and pinch the dough while rotating the bowl clockwise. After a few turns, switch to folding. Slip your hand under the dough and fold it into itself while continuing to rotate the bowl. Stop mixing when a shaggy dough forms. Refer to pictures above for reference, or watch the video below. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, fold the dough eight times. Do this by gently pulling the dough up and folding it towards the centre without tearing. You can wet your hand again, before the folding process, to help keep the dough from sticking to you. See video below for full demo. Cover and let rest for 10 more minutes.
Repeat the folding process once more (eight folds). After the last fold, coat the bottom of the bowl with olive oil and lay the dough fold-side down in the centre. Cover and let rise at room temperature (aiming for 65°F to 71°F or 18°C to 21°C) for 10 hours. Look for a dark spot in your house that's not exposed to direct sunlight!
You'll know your dough is ready when it has tripled in size and you can see air bubbles forming throughout. If it hasn't developed like this, it probably needs more time. Or, your yeast has expired. If your yeast has expired, you'll need to start again.
When your dough is ready, prepare your baking pan. Generously coat the bottom of a 9"x13" aluminum pan with olive oil. Gently roll the dough out of the bowl and into the pan by sliding your hand around the edges. Once in the pan, make two additional folds and place the dough fold-side down in the centre. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.
After one hour, gently stretch the dough toward the corners of the pan. Do this by coating your hands in a little olive oil and pulling the dough up and out without tearing. When the dough is stretched, cover and let sit for one hour. At this time, place a rack in lower-middle position of your oven and preheat to 425°F.
After the second hour, coat the top of the focaccia with another 2 tbsp olive oil and have fun dimpling the dough. Once dimpled, sprinkle with a generous amount of flaky salt.
Place focaccia in the centre of the middle-lower rack. Cook for 35-40 minutes, or until deep golden brown and cooked through.
Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm!
Suggested timeline for baking!
- I recommend mixing the dough around 9 p.m. and completing the initial folds soon after. In the morning, around 7 a.m., you can start the proofing process and preheat the oven, then bake at 9 a.m.
Tag me @stefsdinnerdate on Instagram and TikTok if you make it! I love seeing your creations.
Absolutely beautiful and delicious! I will warn anyone though, this stuck to the pan despite very liberal olive oil usage and a nonstick cake pan. I had to pry it out of the pan with a spatula and still left a fair amount behind. Next time I will be using parchment paper for sure. It’s still by far the fluffiest and most delicious focaccia I’ve made though, so will be returning to this recipe again and again!
I’ve received this feedback from a few people now, so I’m going to adjust the recipe to an oven temperature of 425°F. I think this will solve the issue. But yes, a generous glug of olive oil is always recommended! Thanks so much for writing in!
This recipe was great! My 12-year-old who has never baked bread before was able to follow it to a very successful and tasty result.
We added some fresh rosemary to the top with the flaky salt. It was great!
I love reading that!! Thank you so much for sharing <3
Can I make this gluten free with almond flour or no way to do that? Thanks so much! Just found you – love your recipees!
I have never tried it that way, so I’m really not sure! But feel free to give it a go and let me know how it works out 🙂
I can’t wait to try this but I wondered – is the oil meant to be measured in grams or milli-litres?
Grams! Everything is measured in grams using a baker’s scale.
Thank you for the detailed instructions and pics! Can I double the recipe to make 2 loaves?
I have not tried doubling it, so I’m not sure. Sorry!