No-Knead Focaccia with lemon + rosemary
This No-Knead Focaccia recipe is topped Meyer lemons and rosemary for a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. It's a delicious and unique take on this classic Italian bread!
Lemons on focaccia. Yep. I know it sounds weird, but it's wildly delicious! I'm going to teach you the tricks to making a perfect pan of focaccia with a crisp crust and a light, tender crumb, with the most incredible flavor.
My recipe starts with a really simple focaccia dough. It's a no-knead recipe that relies on time and a strategic folding technique to do all the heavy lifting.
The folds require a bit of attention, but they're important for giving the focaccia bread an airy and delightfully chewy texture. Stretching and folding activates the gluten, which provides structure to the dough, while a nice long, slow ferment gives it flavor.
Thinly sliced Meyer lemons and coarse sugar gets scattered across the top of the dimpled dough, then as it bakes, they caramelize together to make this insanely delicious lemony, caramelized crust.
The focaccia gets finished with savory rosemary and big flakes of sea salt, making for a perfectly balanced bite!
If you love Meyer lemons as much as I do, and have an abundance to use up, try this Meyer Lemon + Cardamom Tart or these irresistible Meyer Lemon Baked Doughnuts, which are surprisingly simple to make.
Why This Recipe Works
- 9 simple ingredients.
- No-knead recipe.
Active dry yeast - Make sure to use fresh yeast. Old or expired yeast won't allow the dough to rise.
Sugar - You'll use a bit of granulated sugar for the dough and a coarse sugar, like Demerara sugar or raw sugar, for the top. I love the texture from the coarse sugar, but granulated can be used in a pinch.
Olive oil - Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil for best flavor and don't substitute another oil.
Flour - You can use regular all purpose flour or bread flour.
Lemon - I LOVE using Meyer lemons for this recipe, but regular lemons work too, they just have a little bit more bite.
Fresh rosemary - Fresh rosemary goes so well with the lemon flavor, but feel free to use other fresh herbs like thyme if you prefer. Fresh is best, but dried rosemary can also work.
Flaky sea salt - Flaky sea salt, like Maldon, adds a nice salty crunch to the top of the bread. You can also use a coarse sea salt such as Sel Gris coarse salt.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
Baking sheet - A rimmed baking sheet is ideal for homemade focaccia bread. You can also use a cookie sheet or a large baking pan.
Mixing bowls - Glass mixing bowls work great for mixing all the ingredients.
How to make focaccia: Step by Step Instructions
Make the Dough
- Add water and yeast to a medium bowl, then let sit for one minute so the yeast can bloom.
- Combine flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon just to blend, then cover and let rest for 5 minutes so the dough can hydrate.
- Mix for another minute or two until the dough comes together and feels smooth. Rub a large bowl with olive oil, then use a spatula to transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Fold and Rise
- Lightly oil your hands, then grab one end of the dough and gently pull to stretch it out, then fold the dough in half. Repeat with the other three sides, then flip the dough over. Let rest 10 minutes, then repeat this same process 3 more times, allowing 10 minutes rest in between each time.
- After the last fold, cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 ½ hours in a warm place. Alternatively, you can refrigerate for an overnight rise, and up to two days.
- If refrigerating the dough, be sure to take it out about 2 hours before you want to bake. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour before proceeding to the next step.
Bake the Focaccia
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper, then rub it generously with olive oil.
- Transfer dough to the prepared pan and gently pat out into a rectangle, then cover and let it relax for about 10 minutes.
- Use lightly oiled fingertips to press the dough out to cover the pan as best you can. If the dough is very resistant, simply cover and let rest for another 5-10 minutes, then come back and try again.
- Once the dough is stretched out, gently dimple the top of the dough with your fingertips to create little crevices. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the temperature of your dough and kitchen.
- When the dough has puffed up, scatter the lemon slices and rosemary over the surface of the dough, then drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons coarse sugar and 2 teaspoons coarse salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 450 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown. Some parts might look charred while other parts look a bit underdone - this is exactly what you want.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve while still warm.
Tips for Success
- If the dough shrinks after being stretched in the pan, cover and rest for 10 minutes then try stretching it again.
- Double the recipe, but cook in one pan, for a more voluminous focaccia.
Focaccia Serving Suggestions
I love serving this focaccia as a starter along with other Italian appetizers like fried calamari or clams oreganata, or even simple antipasto like caponata or marinated olives.
It also makes a great nibble before a larger Italian dinner, such as this Herb Roasted Fish with a light side of Shaved Asparagus Salad. Or have it with Pasta Carbonara with peas or pasta tossed with this tomato almond Trapanese Pesto or a classic Pesto Genovese.
Don't forget to finished with an Italian dessert like affogato, creamy Ricotta Pie or Pignoli Cookies!
FAQ
Tightly wrap the finished focaccia bread in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is a great recipe for making a double batch and freezing a batch for later.
It's possible the focaccia didn't properly rise if the yeast is bad. Old or inactive yeast will prevent a proper rise. If the water you added to your yeast was too hot, it could have killed the yeast.
It's also possible your dough may just need a little more time, especially if it's cold in your kitchen.
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Homemade Focaccia Bread with Lemon and Rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided, plus more for greasing
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 large meyer lemon or 2 smaller ones, very thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar such as demerara or sugar in the raw granulated sugar may be substituted
- 2 teaspoons flaky or coarse sea salt such as Maldon or Sel Gris
Instructions
- Add water and yeast to a medium bowl, then let sit for one minute so the yeast can bloom.
- Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the flour. Mix with a large spoon just to blend, then cover and let rest for 5 minutes so the dough can hydrate. Mix for another minute or two until the dough comes together and feels smooth. Rub a large bowl with olive oil, then use a spatula to transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- Lightly oil your hands, then grab one end of the dough and gently pull to stretch it out, then fold the dough in half. Repeat with the other three sides, then flip the dough over. Let rest 10 minutes, then repeat this same process 3 more times, allowing 10 minutes rest in between each time.
- After the last fold, cover the bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 ½ hours. Alternatively, you can refrigerate for up to two days.
- If refrigerating the dough, be sure to take it out about 2 hours before you want to bake. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour before proceeding to the next step.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, then rub generously with olive oil. Place the dough on the sheet pan and gently pat out into a rectangle. Cover the dough and let it relax for about 10 minutes, then use lightly oiled fingertips to press the dough out to cover the pan as best you can. If the dough is very resistant, simply cover and let rest for another 5-10 minutes, then come back and try again.
- Once the dough is stretched out, gently dimple the top with your fingertips to create little crevices. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the temperature of your dough and kitchen.
- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. When the dough has puffed up, scatter the lemon slices and rosemary over the top, then drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons coarse sugar and 2 teaspoons coarse salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 450 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown. Some parts might look charred while other parts look a bit underdone - this is exactly what you want.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve while still warm.
Notes
- The fold method for making this focaccia bread is important for the chewy and airy texture of the bread.
- You can use a dough hook attachment and mix in the bowl of a stand mixer if you prefer. Just mix on low speed to avoid over mixing.
Nutrition
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You made this absolutely delicious appetizer for us. Finicky Dave enjoyed it so much he asked if I would make it with our remaining Meyer 🍋.. Cannot wait to see if it turns out as amazing as your version.💕
Thank you Karen!
I am a lemon-a-holic. I am powerless over virtually anything made with real lemons. The idea of lemons on a savory, salty focaccia physically weakens me. I can think of nothing else.
Peter
Peter, you have to try this!! If you're a lemon lover, you will absolutely adore this bread. It's SO addictive!!
How lovely! Our Meyer lemons are done for the season, but I actually froze some whole as an experiment. Will let you know how this works out with them. Our tree is once again covered in blooms that smell better than any other tropical flower in our yard. I love them so much.
I'm SO curious to see how your frozen meyer lemon experiment works out! I managed to keep my new meyer lemon plant alive this winter despite my complete and utter neglect all summer and fall. I had quite a few lemons on it, although they were small, and I still can't get over how much more fragrant and flavorful they are than the ones I get from the store. It is also now blooming, and you're right, they smell better than any flower I've ever smelled! I want to bottle it and wear it as a fragrance.