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Easy no knead tomato focaccia is so flavourful, packed with olive oil, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It's crispy and golden outside, fluffy and pillowy inside. | aheadofthyme.com

Easy No Knead Tomato Focaccia


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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
  • Total Time: 4 hours
  • Yield: 6-8 slices
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Easy no knead tomato focaccia is so flavourful, packed with olive oil, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It's crispy and golden outside, fluffy and pillowy inside.


Ingredients

  • 6 grams active dry yeast
  • 4 grams sugar (1 teaspoon)
  • 225 grams water (1 cup)
  • 300 grams all-purpose flour (2 + 1/2 cups)
  • 5 grams salt (1 teaspoon)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4-5 slices jalapeño pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt flakes

Instructions

Prepare the Dough:

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water and stir to mix together. Add flour and salt, and whisk to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible). The mixture is very sticky and wet, with a 75% hydration (flour to water ratio).

Bulk Fermentation (First Rise):

  1. Drizzle and spread 1 tablespoon olive oil over the dough with your hands to help prevent it from drying out. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours, until doubled in size. The dough will naturally build gluten strength over time.

Add Toppings:

  1. Spread a tablespoon olive oil into an 8-inch springform pan. Transfer the dough into the pan with a spatula and spread it so that it covers the entire pan. Press the dough with your fingers to make dimples. (The dough is quite sticky, so you can use some water or oil to help with handling the dough).
  2. Sprinkle on some chopped thyme and place tomatoes and jalapeño (if using) on top. Combine the remaining oil with one tablespoon water. Stir to mix well and then drizzle the oil mixture all over on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds and salt flakes on top.

Final Proofing (Second Rise):

  1. Option 1: Cover the pan with plastic cling film or cloth and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. The dough will continue to rise slowly and become bubbly. The slow overnight fermentation makes the focaccia taste even better.
  2. Option 2: If you want to eat the focaccia bread on the same day, simply let the dough rise for another 1 hour at room temperature until almost doubled in size.

Bake the Focaccia:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F and transfer the pan straight from the refrigerator to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Equipment used: kitchen scale, mixing bowls, and 8-inch springform pan.

How to store: Focaccia bread lasts for up to 2 days at room temperature. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag.

How to freeze: Wrap it tightly in plastic cling wrap and place into an airtight container or freezer bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, I recommend slicing up the bread first to make it easy to reheat a slice or 2 at a time.

How to reheat: If frozen, allow it to thaw first to room temperature. Then, reheat in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-7 minutes, or in a 350 F preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes (+3 hours rise time + 20 minutes cooling time)
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Italian