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–+ servings
overnight focaccia

Thick and Fluffy Overnight Focaccia (Beginner-Friendly!)

Rebecca Eisenberg
This overnight focaccia has a super crisp bottom and pillowy, airy top. It's so easy and hands off to make and can be used for dipping in oil or sliced for sandwiches!
With an 8 to 12 hour rise time, you can start this focaccia recipe at night and bake it in the morning, or start it in the morning and bake it at night. Top it with fresh herbs, cheese, or veggies — you can really get creative with this.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 55 minutes
Servings 1 focaccia

Ingredients
  

  • 480 grams all-purpose flour
  • 14 grams sugar
  • 10 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
  • 2 grams instant yeast (⅔ teaspoon)
  • 390 grams warm water (90°F)
  • 40 grams olive oil

For topping

Instructions
 

  • Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Pour warm water and olive oil directly into the center of the dry ingredients. Mix with a dough whisk or spatula until completely combined. The dough will be sticky and very messy. With a damp hand grab a corner of the dough and stretch it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat to gather the dough in a loose ball in the center.
    Cover and rest 5 minutes.
  • Dampen your hands and repeat the folding process, grabbing a corner of the dough, stretching it away and then down over the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat with each side of the dough.
    Cover and rest 15 minutes.
  • While the dough rests, spray a 9x13" high-sided baking pan with non-stick spray, making sure to get the sides too. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil in the center, and tilt the pan to spread the oil out.
  • Repeat the folding process one more time. The dough should be much smoother, stronger, and stretchier this time.
    On the final fold, flip the dough over so the seam side is down. Then slide the folded dough out of the bowl and into the oiled baking pan.
    Cover and rest 8-12 hours at room temperature.
    • The temperature of your kitchen can have a dramatic effect on how quickly or slowly your overnight focaccia rises. An "ideal" room temperature is around 70°-72°F. If your kitchen runs cool, your focaccia will likely take closer to 12 hours to rise. If your kitchen is warm, it will be ready closer to 8 hours after you put it in the pan.
  • An hour before you plan to bake the focaccia, preheat the oven to 400°F. The focaccia should have relaxed and filled out the pan and look bubbly and jiggle slightly if you shake the pan. If it hasn't filled out the pan, use oiled fingers to gently lift and stretch the dough into the corners. Cover and place the pan on top of the stove while the oven preheats. The ambient warmth will give the yeast one last boost before baking.
  • 30 minutes before baking, top and dimple the focaccia. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the surface of the focaccia. Use your fingers to gently rub it around, then poke your fingers straight down until they hit the bottom of the pan. Repeat this all over the dough. Finish with fresh rosemary, herbs, freshly cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Cover and let rise until ready to bake.
    • Don't over-dimple! I know, it's super fun and is tempting to really go HAM on this thing. But you don't want to knock all the air out of it, either.
  • Bake. Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. If it browns unevenly, rotate the pan after 20 minutes and bake a few minutes more. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely (or almost completely) before serving.

RECIPE NOTES

  • Focaccia is best served same day, but if you do need to save it for later you can always freeze it. To freeze: Cool completely, then wrap well and freeze. You can freeze it as one big piece, but I recommend freezing it in thinner slices or squares (wrapped individually, then stored in a large freezer bag). Defrost on your counter, then reheat in a 375°F oven until warmed through.
  • Focaccia is best served immediately, or within 12 hours of baking. After 12 hours the salt will start to dissolve and absorb into the dough, and the bread will start to dry out and become oily.
  • For an extra crisp bottom: Pre-heat a baking steel or baking stone in the oven and slide the sheet pan right onto the steel to bake!
  • Cold proofing in the fridge: The nice thing about a fridge rise is that it happens so slowly you have a nice long window of time in which your focaccia will be ready to bake. The longest I'd say you can leave it in the fridge before baking is about 48 hours. It's hard to put a specific time to how long it will need to continue proofing at room temperature once you take it out of the fridge though, so you'll just have to use your eyes. When it fills the pan and looks quite bubbly and airy, you're ready to start dimpling and topping.