High-Hydration Focaccia
No-knead bread. Just time, water, and aggressive dimpling.
1440 min total, minimal dishes
Timing: 24 hours
High-Hydration Focaccia
No-knead bread. Just time, water, and aggressive dimpling.
1440 min total, minimal dishes
Timing: 24 hours
Key move
At 80 percent hydration or higher, this dough should feel loose and sticky, not kneadable; repeated folds build strength, and the wet dough plus olive-oil brine are what create focaccia's open crumb and crisp, fried edges.
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The Setup
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- TongsOptional
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
The Dry Mix (0/3)
The Wet Mix (0/1)
My dough feels really stiff and is tough to fold in Step 2.
Ah, that can happen! It just means your flour might be thirsty today, or we were a touch shy on water. Don't worry, you can coax it. While you're folding, gently add a tablespoon o…
It didn't rise much and there aren't many bubbles after Step 3.
Okay, let's see what's going on. This usually means the yeast wasn't as active as we'd hoped – maybe it was a bit old, or got too hot, or too much salt at the start. If it's just a…
Chef's Notes
Use a bench scraper to easily transfer the wet dough to the baking pan. It's less messy than using your hands.
Dimple the dough generously before baking. This creates pockets for olive oil and helps achieve a crispy crust.
Serve warm with a drizzle of balsamic glaze or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for extra flavor.
The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days after the first rise, developing deeper flavor.
The Method
THE MIX
Mix flour, water (500 mL), yeast, salt. It will be a sticky mess. Do not knead.
Do not knead: Resist the urge to add flour or knead; the high hydration requires a hands-off approach to maintain structure.
The ingredients are combined into a shaggy, sticky mass.
THE FOLD
Every 30 mins for 2 hours, grab the side, pull up, fold over.
Tearing the dough: If the dough feels like it is about to snap, stop pulling immediately to avoid breaking the gluten strands.
The dough has been folded 4 times and appears smoother and more elastic.
THE FRIDGE
Time-sensitiveCover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Insufficient rise: If the dough hasn't doubled, it may need more time at room temperature before refrigerating.
It should double in size and be full of wobbly bubbles.
THE DIMPLE
Pour oil into a baking pan. Dump dough in. Let it relax to fill corners. Pour more oil on top. Use fingers to DIMPLE all the way to the bottom.
Shallow dimples: Press firmly until you feel the bottom of the pan; shallow dimples will disappear during the final rise.
The dough has relaxed and filled the pan, and deep dimples have been created all over the surface.
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