This “No Kneading Necessary” Focaccia Is Disturbingly Easy to Make

How many times have you given up on baking focaccia just because you can’t knead? The recipe we’ll show you today requires no special skills and is super easy to make. Also, if you decide to leave the garlic butter out, you’ll get amazing sandwich bread. Let’s bake!

The Needed Ingredients

You don’t have to buy any fancy ingredients for this focaccia recipe. In fact, we’re certain you have most of them at home. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)
• 2 tsp. honey
• 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
• 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
• 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
• 4Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• Flaky sea salt
• 2–4 garlic cloves

How to Make the Focaccia

1. Whisk 2¼ tsp. of the dry yeast, 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes until it gets foamy or creamy.
2. Add 5 cups of the flour and 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt and mix with a rubber spatula until you get your dough.
3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. If you’re in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours.
4. Butter a 13×9″ baking pan if you want thicker focaccia or an 18×13″ rimmed baking sheet for a thinner and crispier one. Pour 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into the center of the pan. While the dough is still in the bowl, use a fork to give it a quarter turn and repeat the process 3 times until it forms a rough ball. Then, place the dough on the buttered pan. If you have some oil left in the bowl, coat the dough with it. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm spot like a preheating oven. Wait until it rises to twice its original size.
5. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 450°. If the dough springs back slowly when you touch it, it’s ready to bake. Oil your hands and dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, reaching to the bottom. Drizzle some more olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the focaccia is puffed and golden brown.
6. Right before serving the focaccia, melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter on medium heat. Then, grate in 2–4 garlic cloves and cook until garlic is just lightly toasted, stirring often.
7. Brush garlic butter all over your focaccia and slice.

One final tip: Focaccia tastes the best when eaten the day it’s made. However, you can keep it in the freezer, stored in a freezer-safe container. You can later reheat it in a 300 °F oven.