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A crisp crust with a soft crumb and rich developed flavors – that’s how I can describe this No kneaded overnight bread- Garlic Herb Focaccia. Focaccia is an Italian bread leavened using yeast and baked to golden brown perfection. You can eat it as is or make a sandwich with it. This Italian flatbread was initially a poor man’s meal and barely had toppings. It evolved to what it is now through generations of bread making. The dough has so many air pockets, so you need to poke the dough using your fingers so that the air bubbles don’t come up to the surface during baking.
A little about the beauty of no-knead bread:
This blog would be pointless if I didn’t explain a little about it. Jim Lahey wrote a book called “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method.” It talks about a unique way of making bread: you don’t knead the dough to create gluten. Gluten is developed through a long rise time given to the dough. The dough has significantly higher amounts of moisture that naturally results in gluten formation over a long period.
Table of contents:
- Equipment required
- Ingredients required
- Procedure
- Step-by-step picture
- Video Tutorial
- FAQ
- Recommended recipes
- Recipe Card
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What equipment do I need to make no-knead overnight bread?
Baking dish 15.8 x 15.7 x 5.2 Centimeters
What ingredients do I need to make no-knead overnight bread?
Yeast
I used active dry yeast, which is a dried form of yeast that needs to be hydrated to activate. Yeast feeds on sugar to create alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is why honey is mixed to provide the yeast with some sugar. Instant yeast is also available in markets that do not require any activation.
Honey
Honey is used to provide sugar to the yeast for feeding.
Flour
I used all-purpose flour to make this focaccia. Make sure you sieve it to get rid of any impurities. It is the main ingredient for making good bread, and knowing about it is essential.
Olive oil
Focaccia is an Italian bread, and it deserves nothing less than olive oil. Make sure you purchase cooking olive oil for use in baking or cooking. This recipe uses generous drizzles, and I don’t want you to feel shy.
Garlic
If you check my recipe card below, it says as required because, let’s be honest, there can never be more garlic, right? After making the bread, I feel I could have added some thinly sliced garlic inside the dough as well. If you want, you can add it. To peel garlic cloves easily, use the broad part of your knife and smash the clove. The skin should come out easily, all you have to do is take it out.
Dried herbs
I would prefer using fresh herbs any day, but for this one, I used the dried herbs placed on my counter.
Salt
Salt is incorporated after proofing to add flavor to the bread.
How to make no-knead overnight bread?
Activation of yeast
Mix lukewarm water, yeast, and honey and let it activate for 10 minutes. Here, you are waiting for the yeast to feed on the honey, break it down, and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. When the yeast is activated, you will see bubbles on the mixture. Add it to the sifted and measured flour.
Making the dough
Mix it well with a spatula to make a sloppy dough. This, right here, is the best part about no knead bread.
Pour generous olive oil into a bowl and drop the dough in. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Make sure you don’t cover it with a damp towel, or you will end up with skin on the dough’s surface.
I kept mine for 12 hours. You can leave for up to 24 hours.
Prepping the garlic
Placing raw garlic can be done, but, why settle for less? In this recipe, you are going to infuse the olive oil with garlic flavor. To infuse, you can use any one of the three ways I am sharing below:
For the garlic-infused oil, you can heat some olive oil, add the peeled garlic cloves, and let them steep overnight, covered. Heat it for a little while and not till fumes start coming out.
Alternatively, you can take a bowl, add the peeled garlic cloves and olive oil, and let it steep in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
Another option would be if you have a hot air fryer. Take the bowl and put it in the fryer for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit.
Proofing
Take out the dough and fold it from four sides. Refer to the video to see how it is done.
Generously grease your baking dish with olive oil and place the dough inside. Spread it out evenly so that it is even on all sides.
Do not worry about the dough reaching the edge of the bowl. It will spread automatically during the proofing process.
I used a 15.8 x 15.7 x 5.2 cm baking dish. You can use baking sheets of any shape. Just make sure it has enough space for the buns to double in size.
Place them in a warm place and bake until they have doubled in size. Mine took 2 hours to double up in size.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit.
Baking
Now, generously spread olive oil on the dough. The more, the better 🙂
Dock with your fingers and then place the garlic cloves on the bread.
Sprinkle the herbs.
Bake your bread at 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Every oven is different, so check after 20 minutes.
You will know it is done when it is golden brown on top.
Have it as is, or make a beautiful sandwich out of it.
A step-by-step guide with pictures:
Bake with me:
View this post on Instagram
Frequently asked questions:
What toppings can I use?
You can use whatever you love. Common toppings that are used are:
Rosemary, Cherry tomatoes, olives, caramelized onions, basil, pesto.
How to store?
Store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
How long will it last?
It will last for 7 days if kept well.
Why is there a skin on my dough?
Covering your dough is essential to avoid skin formation. While placing it in the fridge, don’t forget to use a cling wrap to cover it completely.
What to do in case my dough has skin?
Don’t panic; skin formation happens because of the loss of moisture from the dough surface. Your only way out is to spray some water on top to rehydrate the dough. This will not give you perfect bread, but saves your bread from being a disaster.
Can I carry this when I am traveling?
Yes, it is travel friendly. Remember, it will last longer in a cold climate and shorter in a warm climate.
Can I make this with whole wheat flour?
Of course, you can, but not with this recipe. Comment down below if you want a whole wheat focaccia recipe.
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[ CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE RECIPE]
No knead overnight bread- Garlic Herb Focaccia
A crisp crust with a soft crumb and rich developed flavors - that's how I can describe this no knead overnight bread- Garlic Herb Focaccia.
Ingredients
- Lukewarm water-200 ml
- Active dry Yeast- 2 gm
- Honey- 1/2 tsp
- Flour- 230 grams
- Salt: 4 grams
- Olive oil - 100 ml (greasing included)
- Garlic- as required
- Dried herbs
Directions
- Step 1 Mix lukewarm water, yeast, and honey together and let it activate for 10 minutes.
- Step 2 When the yeast is activated, you will see bubbles on the mixture. Add it to the sifted and measured flour.
- Step 3 Mix it well with a spatula to make a sloppy dough.
- Step 4 Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a bowl and drop the dough in. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
- Step 5 I kept mine for 12 hours. You can leave for up to 24 hours.
- Step 6 For the garlic, you can heat some olive oil, add the peeled garlic cloves and let them steep overnight, covered.
- Step 7 Alternatively, you can take a bowl, add the peeled garlic cloves and olive oil, and let it steep in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
- Step 8 Another option would be if you have a hot air fryer. Take the bowl and put it in the fryer for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 9 Take out the dough, sprinkle salt and fold it from four sides.
- Step 10 Generously grease your baking dish with olive oil and place the dough inside. Spread it out evenly so that it is even on all sides.
- Step 11 Do not worry about the dough reaching the edge of the bowl. It will spread automatically during the proofing process.
- Step 12 I used a 15.8 x 15.7 x 5.2 cm baking dish for baking, you can use baking sheets of any shape. Just make sure it has enough space for the buns to double in size.
- Step 13 Place them in a warm place and bake until they have doubled in size. Mine took 2 hours to double in size.
- Step 14 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 15 Now generously spread olive oil on the dough. The more the better 🙂
- Step 16 Dock with your fingers and then place the garlic cloves on the bread.
- Step 17 Sprinkle the herbs.
- Step 18 Bake your bread at 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Every oven is different, so check after 20 minutes.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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I hope you found my post “No knead overnight bread- Garlic Herb Focaccia” helpful. If you have any queries, feel free to post them in the comments below.
Thank You.
How do you make this with wholewheat flour?
I have not tried it with whole wheat flour, I will try it out and let you know. Whole wheat flour absorbs a higher amount of water, so without trying it out myself, I would not recommend it.
Can I use instant yeast?
Yes you can, you can skip the step of activating the yeast.
Thank you.