Green Olive No-Knead Focaccia

4.80 from 10 votes

Looking for an easy, flavorful bread recipe with no kneading required? This Olive No-Knead Focaccia is the one.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Servings:

Activate yeast: Stir 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.
Dry ingredients: In a different large bowl, whisk flour and salt. Then, pour in the yeast mixture, stirring with a spoon or your hands to form a wet, sticky dough without dry spots. Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp cloth for 10 minutes.
Stretch and fold: 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, covering the dough again for another 10 minutes. This is the stretch and fold method and it will strengthen your dough. On the final stretch and fold, continue until the dough shapes into a ball.
1st proof: Coat a new bowl with 20g of olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover it tightly with plastic. Let it rest in the fridge between 12 to 72 hours; this is the first proof. We only need half of the dough for this recipe so slice the dough in half and use the second half for a different recipe.
2nd proof: Oil a baking tin with another 20g of olive oil. Move the dough there, gently stretching it to a rough rectangle, but not to the tin's edges—it will spread as it rises. Protect it with a damp cloth and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F).
Toppings: After the rise, dimple the dough with your fingers. Scatter the olives, rosemary and chili flakes, if using, all over. Season with salt and drizzle over olive oil.
Bake & rest: Bake for 30 minutes until golden on top.Allow the focaccia to cool slightly before transferring it to a wire rack to rest for 15 minutes. Slice into it and serve immediately.

Dough: We only need half of the dough for this recipe so slice the dough in half and use the second half for a different recipe. You can use many of focaccia toppings!
Yeast: I like to use dry yeast that needs to be activated in water however, you can use instant yeast if you prefer. There is no need to activate instant yeast so simply add it to the dry ingredients along with the water and honey.
Flour: If you don't have bread flour, all purpose flour will also work.