The Pantry · a weekend project · mostly waiting

Overnight Focaccia

A high-hydration focaccia with a crisp, olive-oil-rich bottom and an airy, dimpled crumb. No kneading — just a long, cold overnight rise that does the work for you. Hands-on time is minutes; the fridge does the rest.

15 min hands-on overnight cold rise

Effort ●●○○ Time ●●●○ A Project

Vegan

Piecesamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

No kneading — a wet dough and a long cold rise do the gluten work. Stir until there's no dry flour, then let it ferment overnight in the fridge; the slow rise builds flavor and structure. Be generous with olive oil in the pan — that's what fries the bottom crisp and gives focaccia its character.

Easier, if you like

Same-day: rise warm 2 hours instead of overnight — quicker, a little less flavor.
Leftovers split and toasted make excellent sandwich bread.

Method

Cook's notes

Hydration is the point — the wetter the dough, the more open the crumb. Resist adding flour; oiled hands handle it easily.

Cold and slow beats warm and fast for flavor; you can stretch the fridge rise to a second day.

Press herbs, cherry tomatoes, or thin onion into the dimples before baking.

Provenance: adapted from Helen Rennie's focaccia method.

Vegan as written

Vegan: it already is — flour, water, yeast, salt, olive oil.

Note on gluten: this is a wheat-bread recipe; gluten-free focaccia needs a different formula (a GF bread flour blend with psyllium), not a simple swap.