My overnight focaccia recipe is made with a high hydration dough, two sets of stretch and folds, and a long, cold proof in the refrigerator. The resulting bread has a crisp crust and chewy, airy interior that's perfect for sandwiches, holiday appetizers, and snacking.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Chewy, airy focaccia with a crispy crust.
Why this recipe works: A high hydration dough (83%) creates a light and airy bread with big air pockets. A long, cold proof in the refrigerator adds flavor and allows you to bake your focaccia when you have time.
Serves: 8 or more
Yield: One 9x13 loaf
Similar to: Overnight No Knead Bread
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Flour - Bread flour works best when making bread, but all-purpose flour can sometimes work as a substitute (depending on the brand). I use and recommend King Arthur.
- Yeast - I use instant yeast in this recipe but dry active yeast will also work. If you're using dry active yeast, your rise time will be slightly (15-20 minutes) longer.
How to make overnight focaccia
- Mix ingredients until a shaggy dough forms. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Use a wet hand to grab dough from the edge and stretch it upward.
- Fold it into the center of the bowl, then rotate and repeat all the way around.
- Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Uncover bowl and repeat another set of stretch and folds.
- Cover bowl and rest another 30 minutes.
- Transfer dough into a lined and greased 9x13 pan.
- Coax to the edges with a spatula as best you can.
- Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven and uncover your bubbly focaccia dough.
- Drizzle with olive oil and gently press with oiled fingers to create dimples all over.
- Bake until golden brown and bread reaches 205F in the center.
Heather's top tip
Use an instant-read thermometer
It can be hard to tell when yeast bread is done using visual cues alone, so I use an instant-read thermometer. Lean bread (like this recipe) is done when it reaches 205F in the center. A thermometer prevents doughy or dry bread and ensures it turn out perfectly every single time.
Variations
Rosemary and garlic - Mince two cloves of garlic and add to two tablespoons of olive oil. Top the proofed dough with chopped fresh rosemary (or other herbs), drizzle with garlic olive oil, then dimple and bake.
Tomato and mozzarella - Press halved cherry tomatoes and cubes of mozzarella into the dough just before baking.
Olive and onion - Press olives into dough and top with thin sliced onions just before baking.
Chocolate chip - Pour chocolate chips (or other baking chips) over dough before the last set of stretch and folds, then gently fold into the dough before resting.
Walnuts, brie, and honey - Add walnuts over dough before the last set of stretch and folds, then gently fold into the dough before resting. Just before baking, top dough with small pieces of brie, drizzle with olive oil, dimple, and bake. After baking, drizzle with honey just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
While this recipe will work without stretch and folds, don't skip it! Stretching and folding the dough builds a stronger gluten network that results in a taller rise and more airy bubbles throughout.
If you'd like to make this the same day, replace the overnight rest with an additional 1 hour of resting time on the counter before continuing with the recipe as written below.
Browning occurs when your focaccia is baked at high heat (425F for this recipe) in the center of the oven with olive oil drizzled on top. Check your oven rack placement, check your oven accuracy with an oven thermometer, and make sure the top of your bread is coated in olive oil before baking.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Overnight Focaccia
Ingredients
- 4 cups (480 g) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) kosher salt, or 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast
- 1 ⅔ cups (400 g) warm water
- 3 tablespoons (38 g) olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) sea salt flakes, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk yeast into water until dissolved.
- Add water mixture to flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Uncover bowl and using a wet hand, grab the dough from the edge, stretch it upward, and fold it into the center. Rotate the bowl ¼ of a turn and repeat for a total of 4 to 5 folds.
- Cover bowl and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Uncover bowl and repeat one more set of stretch and folds, then cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
- Line a 9x13 pan with parchment and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer dough into the pan, coaxing it out with wet hands if needed.
- Gently press the dough into the corners of the pan with a wet spatula, then tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- Allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to rest overnight, up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 425F. Remove dough from the refrigerator to rest while your oven preheats.
- Uncover dough and drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Use your fingers to gently press into the top of the dough to create dimples all over. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown across the top and bread reaches 205F in the center.
- Remove from oven and lift focaccia out of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- *Flour variations: This recipe works best with bread flour, but an AP flour with higher protein content (like King Arthur) can also produce great results. Low protein flours like cake flour or white lily flour are not recommended.
- Yeast: This recipe can be prepared with instant or dry active yeast. If using dry active yeast, your rise times will take slightly (15-20 minutes) longer.
- How long can dough rest in the refrigerator?: Your focaccia dough will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator before baking.
- Storage: Keeps 2-3 days at room temperature, frozen for up to 3 months.
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