Focaccia bread does not need kneading, a warm proofing spot or a free afternoon. The airiest, most flavorful focaccia comes from the opposite approach: a wet dough mixed in 5 minutes and left in the refrigerator for anywhere from 12 hours to 3 days. Cold slows the yeast down, and the slower the rise, the more time the dough has to build structure and flavor on its own.
This article explains that technique, the long, slow rise, in enough detail to use it for other breads too, and applies it to a homemade focaccia baked in a 9×13-inch pan. The result has a crisp, golden base fried in olive oil, a soft and open crumb, and deep dimples holding pools of oil and salt.
The Technique: Fermentation Over Time
When flour, water, yeast and salt are mixed, several processes begin at once. Yeast eats sugars and produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. Enzymes naturally present in flour break starch down into simpler sugars. And gluten proteins absorb water and slowly bond into a stretchy network that traps the gas.
What cold does
In the refrigerator, at around 38 to 40°F (3 to 4°C), yeast activity slows dramatically, but it does not stop. Enzyme activity and gluten development continue too, at their own pace. The result is a dough that rises very slowly while it develops structure and produces flavor compounds. Bacteria naturally present in the dough contribute mild acids that give a gentle tang, much subtler than sourdough.
Why the crust browns better
Enzymes breaking starch into sugars during a long fermentation leave more simple sugars in the dough by baking time. Those sugars feed browning through caramelization and the Maillard reaction, so a cold-fermented focaccia turns a deeper golden color at the same oven temperature than one made in 2 hours.
Why no kneading
A wet dough with about 80 percent water by weight relative to the flour has plenty of water for gluten to form on its own. Over 12 hours or more, the network develops with only a set of gentle folds at the start. Kneading such a wet dough by hand would be messy and is simply not needed.
Why It Works Better Than a Quick Rise
A same-day focaccia uses more yeast and a warm spot to rise in about 2 hours. It is perfectly edible, but the flavor is mostly of yeast and flour, and the crumb tends to be tighter. With a long cold rise, the taste is more complex and the bubbles are larger and more irregular, which is what gives focaccia its characteristic holes.
The cold dough is also easier to handle. Chilled, it is firmer and less sticky, so it transfers to the pan without tearing. And timing becomes flexible: the dough is ready to bake any time between 12 and 72 hours after mixing. Mix it on Thursday night and bake it on Saturday morning, or whenever suits.
Hydration, explained
Bakers describe dough by hydration: the weight of water as a percentage of the weight of flour. This focaccia uses 400 grams of water to 500 grams of flour, or 80 percent. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb and a lighter texture, but the dough is stickier and slacker. Sandwich bread is often around 60 to 65 percent. Weighing the flour and water makes the hydration reliable; flour measured in cups can vary enough to change the texture noticeably.
Applying the Technique to Homemade Focaccia
Mix the dough in a large bowl until no dry flour remains. Let it rest 10 minutes, then do one set of folds: with a wet hand, lift one side of the dough, stretch it up until you feel resistance, and fold it over the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat four times. This organizes the developing gluten and takes 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate.
On baking day, pour olive oil into a 9×13-inch metal pan, tip the cold dough in, and turn it once to coat with oil. It will not reach the corners yet. Leave it at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, gently stretching it toward the corners after the first hour, until it fills the pan, has roughly doubled and is covered with bubbles.
Dimpling
Oil your fingers and press them straight down through the dough until they touch the bottom of the pan, all over the surface. The dimples create the familiar landscape of hills and pools, stop the dough from rising into one big dome, and hold olive oil and salt. Be firm; shallow dimples disappear in the oven.
Bake in a hot oven so the oil in the pan fries the base while the top browns. A metal pan conducts heat better than glass and gives a crisper bottom.
Overnight Focaccia Toppings
Classic focaccia needs only olive oil, flaky salt and rosemary. Other toppings work well when added after dimpling and pressed lightly into the dough:
- Halved cherry tomatoes, cut side up, with a few slices of garlic.
- Thinly sliced red onion tossed with a little oil.
- Pitted olives and a sprinkling of dried oregano.
- Thin lemon slices and a few sprigs of thyme.
Avoid very wet toppings in large amounts; they release water and make the surface soggy. Fresh herbs like basil burn in a 450°F oven; add them after baking.
Reading the Dough When Timing Changes
A long, cold rise is flexible, but kitchens and refrigerators vary, and the dough will tell you more than the clock will.
Dough barely rose in the refrigerator
Some refrigerators run colder than 38°F, which slows yeast almost to a stop. If the dough looks nearly the same size after 12 hours, give it more time in the refrigerator, or let it proof longer in the pan, up to 5 or 6 hours at room temperature. Check the expiration date on the yeast too; old yeast loses strength.
Dough over-risen in the pan
If the dough has risen well above the rim of the pan, smells strongly of alcohol and collapses when touched, it has fermented too long. Bake it anyway, straight away and without heavy dimpling. It will be flatter and slightly more sour but still good to eat.
Dough will not stretch to the corners
Cold gluten is tight and springs back. Leave it for 20 to 30 minutes and try again; as the dough warms and relaxes, it stretches easily. Forcing it tears the gluten and loses gas bubbles.
Using the 72-hour window
Flavor keeps developing over the 3 days. Dough baked after 24 hours tastes noticeably more rounded than dough baked after 12; by 72 hours it has a light tang. Beyond that, the gluten starts to weaken and the dough becomes slack and difficult to handle.
Make the Focaccia Bread
Makes one 9×13-inch focaccia, about 12 pieces. Time listed includes a 12-hour minimum cold rise.
The recipe
Focaccia
An 80 percent hydration dough given a cold rise of 12 to 72 hours, proofed in an oiled 9×13-inch pan, dimpled and baked at 450°F with olive oil, rosemary and flaky salt.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 15 hr 45 min
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
Method
- Mix. Whisk the flour, kosher salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until no dry flour remains, about 1 minute. Rest 10 minutes.
- Fold. With a wet hand, stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 4 times.
- Cold rise. Cover tightly and refrigerate 12 to 72 hours. The dough will rise slowly and show bubbles.
- Pan proof. Pour 1/4 cup oil into a 9×13-inch metal pan. Tip in the cold dough and turn to coat. Leave at room temperature 2 to 4 hours, gently stretching it toward the corners after the first hour, until it fills the pan, roughly doubles and is bubbly.
- Heat and dimple. Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack in the lower third. Oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over, down to the pan. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp oil and scatter with rosemary and flaky salt.
- Bake. Bake 22 to 28 minutes, until deep golden on top and crisp and brown underneath (lift a corner with a spatula to check).
- Cool. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Total time includes a 12-hour cold rise; the dough can wait up to 72 hours.
- Best the day it is baked; freezes well up to 3 months.
Oven temperatures are for conventional ovens; for convection, reduce by about 25°F (15°C).
Serving and Storing
Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a wire rack so the base stays crisp. It is best the day it is baked. Store leftovers wrapped loosely in foil at room temperature for up to 2 days, and revive them in a 400°F (205°C) oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Focaccia freezes well for up to 3 months; wrap pieces tightly and reheat from frozen at 375°F (190°C) for about 10 minutes.
Day-old focaccia makes excellent sandwiches, split horizontally, and very good croutons, cubed and toasted with a little more olive oil.