No-Knead Tomato Focaccia

 No-Knead Tomato Focaccia is light and airy with an amazing olive oil crisp crust.  The dough is studded with cherry tomatoes that burst in your mouth with every bite.

Mixing No-Knead Focaccia Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, kosher salt, and yeast. Whisk together.
• Add water.  Mix just until all of the flour has combined with the water.  The dough will look like a shaggy mess.  That’s ok.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 12 – 18 hours on the countertop.  DO NOT REFRIGERATE.  This is not optional.  It takes that much time to proof the dough.  The reason why you need a large bowl is that the dough will start to rise.
• After 12 hours the dough will look like this.  It’s pretty sticky, but that’s ok it’s supposed to be.

Creating the Focaccia

This is where the magic begins!  The dough should be light, airy, and a bit sticky after rising for 12-18 hours.  

• Grab a large cast-iron skillet, approximately 10-12 inches.  Drizzle the best olive oil you have in the bottom of the skillet, at least 1/4 of a cup, then swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Carefully scrape the dough out of the bowl into the skillet.  Dizzle just a bit over the top of the dough.  
• Dip your fingers into the olive oil to coat them and then gently coax the dough to the edge of the pan.  Do not handle the dough too much because you don’t want to deflate any of the air bubbles inside.  Gently dimple the top of the dough.
• Drizzle just a bit, approx. 1/2 tablespoon over the top.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

Baking Tomato Focaccia

• Preheat the oven to 450℉.  Carefully lift the plastic wrap.  Dot the top of the focaccia with sliced cherry tomatoes.  You can add however many you want.  
• Sprinkle the top of the dough with a pinch or two of dried basil and oregano and a few pinches of flakey sea salt such as Maldon’s.  This is going to be amazing focaccia!!
• Now is the time to put this lovely creation into the hot preheated oven.  Cover the top of the skillet with a pizza pan or a sheet of aluminum foil to help create the steam that makes the crust crisp.  Place in the preheated oven and bake covered for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes remove the lid or foil and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until beautifully golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and carefully lift the focaccia out of the hot skillet onto a cooling rack.  The bottom of the focaccia should have absorbed most of the olive oil.  If there is still olive oil in the bottom of the skillet, drizzle it over the top of the hot focaccia.  The oil should immediately soak into the top and give it a beautiful shine.  Topping with fresh basil is a good idea.  

TIPS:

• It’s best to let the focaccia cool before slicing.  This will help the focaccia or any no-knead dough bread NOT be dense and rubbery.  However, it is so hard to wait for the focaccia to cool because it will just smell so delicious that your mouth will be watering.  Go ahead cut a wedge for yourself and savor the crispy crust just be careful not to burn your mouth on those hot tomatoes!
• The flavor of the olive oil you use is key to the flavor of your bread.  Make sure it’s an olive oil you love.
• Don’t overwork the dough.  Keep a light, gentle touch.
• This is a simple recipe.  Don’t complicate it.  You shouldn’t put more than 20 minutes of effort into this creation…seriously!
• I suggest using a scale to measure ingredients because it is more precise.  Using cup measuring is less accurate because everyone scoops the flour differently and each measuring cup isn’t exactly the same size.  A good kitchen scale is a good investment…actually, a cheap kitchen scale is a good investment. 
• If you are not sure your focaccia is baked completely on the inside, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.  The internal temp should be 190-200℉
• Don’t overthink no-knead dough.  It’s easy and simple.  Don’t complicate the recipe.  

No-Knead Tomato Focaccia is probably one of the easiest, impressive, and most delicious bread you will bake with very little effort or time.  ❤️

3.67 from 3 votes

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No-Knead Tomato Focaccia

Easy No-Knead dough with an amazing olive oil-soaked crisp crust. Topped with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

Course Breads

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword focaccia, No-knead bread, No-knead focaccia, No-knead tomato focaccia

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Rise time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 50 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 175 kcal

Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (400 g)
• 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt (13 g)
• 1/2 tsp yeast (3 g)
• 1 1/2 cups water (350 g)
• 6-10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• pinch Italian seasoning blend dried basil and oregano
• fresh basil garnish

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, kosher salt, and yeast. Whisk together.

2. Add water.  Mix just until all of the flour has combined with the water.  The dough will look like a shaggy mess.  That’s ok.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 12 – 18 hours on the countertop.  DO NOT REFRIGERATE.  This is not optional.  It takes that much time to proof the dough.  The reason why you need a large bowl is that the dough will start to rise.

4. After 12 hours the dough will look like this.  It’s pretty sticky, but that’s ok it’s supposed to be.

5. Add olive oil to the skillet. Swirl to completely coat the bottom of the pan. Using a dough scraper, release the dough into the olive oil.

6. Oil your fingertips and gently lift the dough and stretch to the edge of the pan. Press fingertips into the dough to create several dimples all over the surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and set aside for 2 hours to rise.

7. Preheat oven to 450 ℉. When the dough has risen and signs of bubbles appear on the surface, oil fingers and gently create dimples in the dough. Carefully arrange and press the sliced tomatoes into the dough. Sprinkle with a couple of pinches of dried herbs and coarse flakey salt.

8. Cover the skillet with a pizza pan or foil that is crimped around the skillet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove lid/pan or foil then bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and gently lift focaccia onto a cooling rack. If olive oil remains in the skillet, pour excess over the top of the baked focaccia.

10. It's best to cool focaccia completely before slicing. However, It is delicious hot! Top with fresh basil before serving.

Recipe Notes

TIPS:

• It's best to let the focaccia cool before slicing.  This will help the focaccia or any no-knead dough bread NOT be dense and rubbery.  However, it is so hard to wait for the focaccia to cool because it will just smell so delicious that your mouth will be watering.  Go ahead cut a wedge for yourself and savor the crispy crust just be careful not to burn your mouth on those hot tomatoes!
• The flavor of the olive oil you use is key to the flavor of your bread.  Make sure it's an olive oil you love.
• Don't overwork the dough.  Keep a light, gentle touch.
• This is a simple recipe.  Don't complicate it.  You shouldn't put more than 20 minutes of effort into this creation...seriously!
• I suggest using a scale to measure ingredients because it is more precise.  Using cup measuring is less accurate because everyone scoops the flour differently and each measuring cup isn't exactly the same size.  A good kitchen scale is a good investment...actually, a cheap kitchen scale is a good investment. 
• If you are not sure your focaccia is baked completely on the inside, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.  The internal temp should be 190-200℉
• Don't overthink no-knead dough.  It's easy and simple.  Don't complicate the recipe.  

Nutrition Facts

No-Knead Tomato Focaccia

Amount Per Serving (8 slices)

Calories 175 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 514mg21%

Potassium 85mg2%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 62IU1%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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