No-Knead Roasted Garlic Herb Focaccia
Easy No-Knead Roasted Garlic Herb Focaccia with a crispy golden bottom, airy open crumb, roasted garlic cloves, and fresh rosemary and thyme pressed into olive-oil-soaked dimples — overnight cold-fermented dough, no kneading required.
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- 9x13-inch metal baking pan
- Plastic wrap
- Foil (for roasting garlic)
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2.25 tsp instant yeast one standard packet
- 1.5 tsp fine salt
- 1.5 cups room-temperature water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in the dough
For the Pan and Topping
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp for pan + 1 tbsp drizzle over top
- 1 whole head of garlic roasted until golden and soft
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- flaky sea salt generous pinch over the top before baking
Instructions
- Day before — make the dough: Whisk flour, instant yeast, and fine salt together. Add water and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix with a fork until a shaggy, wet, sticky dough forms with no dry flour remaining. Cover tightly and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours (up to 3 days).
- Roast the garlic: Score the bottom of a whole garlic head, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 400°F for 40 minutes until golden and soft. Squeeze out cloves and set aside.
- Second rise: Generously oil a 9x13-inch metal pan with at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Fold the cold dough over itself 4 times in the bowl, then turn into the oiled pan. Turn to coat in oil. Cover loosely and rest at room temperature for 2 hours until puffed and bubbly.
- Dimple and top: Preheat oven to 450°F. Dimple the dough aggressively with all 10 fingers, pressing all the way to the pan bottom. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Press roasted garlic cloves and fresh herb sprigs into the dimples. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake: Place on the lower third of the oven and bake for 22 to 26 minutes until the top is deeply golden and the bottom and edges are golden and crispy.
- Rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Slice and serve warm.
Notes
Do not add extra flour to make the dough less sticky — the high hydration is what creates the airy, open crumb. Use a metal pan, not glass. Use at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan — this creates the signature crispy fried bottom. Dimple aggressively all the way to the pan bottom. Let the dough rest the full 2 hours in the pan before baking. Bake on the lower third of the oven for the crispiest base. Cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing.