There is nothing quite like a warm loaf of fresh baked bread, but there are several reasons that you may choose to grab one from the store instead of baking your own… well, several reasons until you meet this skillet focaccia that is…
This beautifully buttery loaf requires only 5 super simple ingredients, needs no kneading and does most of its proofing in the refrigerator, so it’s pretty much ready whenever you are.
The other thing I love about this bread is that it makes a 10 inch round loaf, so it is perfect for a weeknight family meal or small dinner party. There are plenty of ways to help freshly baked bread stay good for a few days, but I love making this small loaf that is just enough for dinner.
If you are unfamiliar with focaccia, this bread is absolutely incredible and reminds me of a buttery pan pizza crust. The exterior is a little crisp and the interior is soft, chewy and full of flavor. I usually sprinkle some flaky garlic salt and a little parmesan over the loaf before I bake it up, but you can really add anything to focaccia. Your favorite herbs, different spices, your favorite cheese or anything you love!
Let’s get started…
As with many bread recipes, I suggest weighing your ingredients to ensure your dough turns out exactly like mine. Weighing ingredients is one of the most important steps in making a consistently successful bread dough, so it is absolutely worth the extra few seconds.
Start by gathering 450 grams of bread flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of instant dry yeast, 12 ounces of room temperature water (about 1 1/2 cups) and about 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Thats all you need to create a skillet full of truly delicious focaccia.
In a large bowl, combine 450 grams of bread flour with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of instant dry yeast.
Add 12 ounces of room temperature water into the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. If this is your first time working with bread dough, be sure to work your way into the dough enough to ensure that no pockets of dry flour are hiding. This is taken care of during kneading with most traditional bread recipes, but since this recipe requires no kneading, this will be your only chance to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
Once the water has been fully incorporated into the flour mixture, drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the dough and mix to evenly distribute.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour in a nice warm place.
After an hour long nap, use your hands or a silicone spatula to fold the outer edges of the dough into the center. Do this in 8 different places around the bowl. I like to start at 12 o’clock then go to 6 o’clock, 9 o’clock then 3 o’clock… and keep working my way around the outer edge of the bowl until it looks like all of the outside edges have been worked into the middle.
Cover the bowl again and let the bread rest for another 15 minutes or so and then repeat the same folding process once again. Transfer the covered bowl into the refrigerator to rest the dough for anywhere from 24 hours to 3 days.
This dough has rested for 24 hours, it has over doubled in size and it is ready to go!
You will want to pull the dough out of the refrigerator about 3 hours before you want to serve the bread.
Allow the bread to sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes before transferring it onto a floured work surface. Flour your hands while working with the dough, so it doesn’t stick. This dough is quite sticky and we will use some flour to help us shape it easy, but the less flour that gets incorporated into this dough, the lighter and more fluffy your loaf will be in the end.
Shape the dough into a loose ball by pulling the edges of the dough out and then folding them into the center, exactly how we folded the dough the day before. These folds all work to create a wonderfully chewy texture full of beautiful bubbles the help the dough lift into light, airy perfection as it bakes.
Once all of the edges have been pulled into the center, the bottom of your dough will be smooth and round. Place the ball of dough smooth side down into a skillet greased with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, swirl it around in the oil and then flip it seam side down. Use your fingers to work the dough out towards the edges of the skillet. Its fine if the dough doesn’t quite reach all the way for now.
Cover the skillet tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 90 minutes in a warm place.
Look at how much the dough spreads and fluffs up after 90 minutes. Yeast is such a wonderful thing…
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the surface of the dough and use your fingers to press little holes all over the top of the dough. If you are planning on adding any herbs, seasoning or cheese, sprinkle away…
Today, I am sprinkling some flakey garlic salt and some finely shredded parmigiano reggiano over the top of my soon to be fabulous loaf and spoiler alert… it turns out fantastic….
Bake your focaccia on the center rack of a 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes. The top, sides and bottom should be deeply golden brown and the edges should slightly pull away from the side of the skillet, as it gets all tall and puffy.
Doesn’t this bread just look like its going to be super delicious? Well, the good news is that it really is. As soon as your bread of done, let the skillet sit on a heat proof surface for about 10 minutes before sliding the loaf out onto a cooling rack or cutting board.
The exterior is buttery, a little crispy and full of garlicky, salty goodness. The interior is light and airy with great chewiness and beautiful flavors. I think it is a very good thing that this loaf is small, because it there are any leftovers of this focaccia… let’s just say that I would take care of them before the day is over.
If you are looking for a simple, delicious bread with great texture and flavors that requires no-kneading and no special attention, then this skillet focaccia should be on your list!
No-knead Skillet Focaccia
Ingredients
- 450 grams of bread flour
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of instant dry yeast
- 12 ounces of water, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- garlic salt (optional garnish)
- parmigiano reggiano, finely shredded (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 450 grams of bread flour with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of instant dry yeast
- Add 12 ounces of room temperature water and mix until everything is fully combined
- Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and mix until it is fully incorporated into the dough
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest for 60 minutes
- After 60 minutes has elapsed, fold the outer edges of the dough into the center at 8 different points (photos above)
- Cover the bowl and rest for 15-20 minutes
- Repeat the same folding process once more
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator to rest for 24 hours
- Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping
- Transfer the dough onto a well floured surface and form it into a round ball by pull the edges in toward the center (instructions and photos above)
- Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a 10 inch cast iron skillet and spread the oil over the entire interior surface of the skillet
- Transfer the dough into the oiled skillet, smooth side down and then flip the dough over (seam side down) to ensure that the entire surface of the dough is coated
- Use your finger tips to work the dough out towards the edges of the skillet
- Cover the skillet tightly with plastic and rest for 90 minutes in a warm place
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees
- Once the dough is done resting, use your fingers to press holes over the surface of the dough and then lightly sprinkle some garlic salt, parsley flakes and finely shredded parmigiano reggiano over the top
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top, sides and underneath is a deep golden brown
- Transfer the skillet onto a heat proof surface to cool for 10 minutes before transferring the focaccia onto a cooling rack or cutting board
