Olive no-knead Focaccia

Looking for an easy, flavorful bread recipe with no kneading required? This Olive No-Knead Focaccia is the one. Packed with briny green olives, fresh rosemary, flaky sea salt, and a generous drizzle of olive oil, this golden, crusty focaccia is a Mediterranean dream.

Love my no-knead focaccia? Then you’ll definitely want to try my Fig & Goat’s Cheese Focaccia and Wild Garlic Confit Focaccia next.

Looking for an easy, flavorful bread recipe with no kneading required? This Olive No-Knead Focaccia is the one. It’s made with a simple, slow-rise dough that develops a deep, complex flavor and a beautifully airy texture—no stand mixer or elbow grease needed.

The star of the show is a generous mix of briny green and black olives, which infuse the bread with salty, savory goodness in every bite. Finished with fragrant rosemary, flaky sea salt, chilli flakes and a golden drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, this focaccia bakes up with a crisp crust and pillowy center that’s impossible to resist.

Whether you're serving it alongside mussels with a rich tomato and chilli broth, slicing it into a crispy eggplant sandwich, or enjoying it with some fresh pesto spread all over, this focaccia is a crowd-pleasing, low-effort showstopper.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• No kneading, no fuss – Just mix the dough, let it rise, and bake. Perfect for beginners or busy bakers.
• Packed with bold, Mediterranean flavor – Briny olives, fragrant rosemary, and flaky sea salt in every bite.
• Golden, crispy crust with a soft, airy center – Bakery-quality texture with minimal effort.

Ingredients

With humble ingredients like flour, olive oil, and briny olives, this olive no-knead focaccia celebrates the simple, sun-soaked flavors of the Mediterranean.

How to Make Olive no-knead Focaccia

This green olive focaccia recipe guides you through making the no-knead focaccia dough from scratch—it's the heart of the bread—while the toppings are the fun, fuss-free finishing touch.

• Step 1: Begin by stirring lukewarm water, yeast, and honey in a medium bowl with a whisk. Wait for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes frothy, signalling that the yeast is ready (image 1).
• Step 2: Whisk flour and salt. Then, pour in the yeast mixture (image 2).
• Step 3: Mix together the dry and wet ingredients with a spoon or your hands (image 3).
• Step 4: Continue to mix until you form a wet, sticky dough without dry spots. Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp cloth for 10 minutes. This dough has a very high hydration so it's important the dough is left to rest for 10 minutes prior to the first stretch and fold (image 4).

• Step 5: Afterward, with damp hands, stretch a piece of the dough and fold it across itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action three more times or until a ball begins to form, covering the dough again for another 10 minutes (image 5).
• Step 6: Continue this stretching and folding process until the dough shapes into a ball (image 6).
• Step 7: Coat a new bowl with 20g of olive oil, place the dough inside (image 7 & 8) and cover it tightly with plastic. Let it rest in the fridge between 18 to 72 hours; this is the first proof.

• Step 10: Oil a baking tin with another 20g of olive oil and transfer the dough to it. (image 9). Gently stretch the dough, but not to the tin's edges—it will spread as it rises (image 10).
• Step 11: Protect it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap (image 11) and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm spot or until it doubles in size (image 12).

• Step 12: Top the focaccia dough with green olives, chili flakes, salt and pepper and an extra drizzle of olive oil (image 13).
• Step 14: Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F / 200°C or until golden and crunchy on the outside (image 14).

FAQ's

Expert Tips for olive focaccia

• Let it rest – For the fluffiest, lightest dough, rest the dough for 12–72 hours if you can. If short on time, aim for at least 8 hours.
• Use a big bowl – The dough will double or triple in size, so give it plenty of space and cover it with plastic wrap or a silicone lid.
• Olive oil matters – This recipe relies on high-quality extra virgin olive oil for flavor and texture. I recommend using Rich Glen Olive Oil.
• Warm second rise – Find a warm spot for the second rise. In winter, try turning on your oven light and letting the dough rise inside.
• Flour swap – Bread flour gives a chewier result, but all-purpose flour works just as well if that’s what you have.

Store

To store your olive no-knead focaccia, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If it starts to lose its crispness, simply reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to bring back that golden crust. For longer storage, slice and freeze it—just pop it in the oven straight from the freezer when you're ready to enjoy.

Serve

This olive no-knead focaccia is incredibly versatile and can be served warm or at room temperature. Enjoy it on its own as a snack, dipped into olive oil or creamy garlic and herb dip. Serve it alongside a rich potato and leek soup, salads, or cherry tomato pasta. It also makes the perfect base for delicious sandwiches—just slice it horizontally and fill with your favourite ingredients.