Easy Overnight Focaccia

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I have a weird relationship with birthdays. I usually don’t want to bother with mine, but love baking cakes for others. If there’s a birthday for a friend or a colleague I get so excited because it’s an opportunity to try out a new recipe or bust out an old favourite. You might be wondering why I’m going on about birthday cake in a focaccia bread recipe, but bear with me.

I have one very good friend who hates birthday cake. All sweet things actually. So, while I still wanted to make something for her, I didn’t want to subject her to something that she wouldn’t like. A real baker’s dilemma. 

The solution? Fancy bread. I decided to figure out focaccia. After several very oily trials, I settled on something that worked. And when it works, it’s really good! There’s so much potential with focaccia: plain, herbed, cheesy, PESTO! And for the birthday focaccia I even tried to write ‘Happy BDay’ in olives, which was a bit of a visual fail, but the taste was great (I’ll pop the photo at the end of this post so you can have a laugh)!

I learned a lot about how different doughs behave when I was reading about what makes a good focaccia. The main thing was that the slower it rises, the better! That’s how you get those chewy bubbles that focaccia is known for. The way you slow the rise is by putting it in the fridge for 2-3 days (yup, DAYS). A cool place is key, if it’s too warm the yeast will speed up and you won’t get those bubbles! Letting it rise in the fridge is also good if you’re in a very humid climate like me, and leaving it out for an extended rise wouldn’t be a good idea.

Ingredients

4 Cups All-purpose Flour

2 Cups Warm Water

2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Salt (a flaky salt works best, like himalayan or kosher)

Olive oil

Vegetable shortening or margarine (just for the pan)

Any seasonings or toppings you like (pesto, rosemary, cheese, olives)

Method

1. Mix flour, yeast, and yeast in a large bowl with a rubber spatula. Add water and mix until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. 
2. Slick the surface of the dough with olive oil so that it doesn’t dry out during the rise.
3. Place in the fridge, covered by a lid or clean tea towel, for 12-72 hours.
4. Oil a 9×13 baking dish, making sure it is fully coated. I also use margarine to get in the corners, as it sticks very easily.
5. Dump the dough into your dish, drizzle oil on the top and leave to rise on the countertop for another 3-4 hours (until you start to see large bubbles form).
6. Dimple the dough by pressing your fingers into the dough repeatedly (you may want to oil your fingers first).
7. Sprinkle course salt an add any toppings (like herbs, pesto or olives- if you’re adding cheese I’d recommend adding it when the bread is hot from the oven to avoid blackening).
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 220C/425F, until loaf is golden brown.
9. Remove from over, place pan on a cooling rack and allow it to fully cool before slicing.
10. Serve with your favourite soup, or on it’s own with a healthy smear of vegan butter!

FAQs:

Q: Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable shortening?

A: I use olive oil for the drizzle, definitely! You can’t beat that flavour! The only thing I use the shortening for is getting an extra layer of grease into the corners of my baking pan. The shortening clings a little longer, so the dough is well greased all around. For me it has made a difference when it comes time to remove the loaf from the pan. You could also use margarine, vegan butter or refined coconut oil.

Q: What if I don’t have time for the overnight rise?

A: You can do a standard 3-4 hour rise on the counter instead. The bread won’t be quite as light and airy though.

Conclusion: With minimal effort, you’ll be rewarded with artisan-quality bread right in your own kitchen. I hope you give this recipe a try – it’s guaranteed to become a new family favourite.

As promised, here is my attempt to write ‘Happy Bday’ using olives… thankfully it tasted better than it looked!

If you give this a try or have any questions please let me know in the comments! Bon Appétit!