Overnight Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia

Name: Overnight Rosemary Sea Salt Focaccia
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned and leveled, or weighed; 1¾ cups (415 ml) water, lukewarm, about 90°F (32°C); 1 teaspoon (3 g) instant yeast; 2 teaspoons (12 g) fine sea salt; 2 tablespoons (27 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for the dough; ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided: 3 tablespoons for the pan, the rest for drizzling; 2 tablespoons (6 g) fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from stems, left whole or roughly chopped; 1 teaspoon (4 g) flaky sea salt

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tall, airy focaccia with a crisp, golden, olive-oil-fried bottom and a chewy, open crumb. The dough rests in the fridge overnight for deeper flavor, then gets dimpled, topped with rosemary and flaky sea salt, and baked until burnished.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Wait: 13 hr 55 min
Total: 14 hr 50 min
Makes: 1 focaccia (12 squares), baked in a 9×13-inch pan

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Steps

Before you start

Plan ahead: the dough needs about 12–14 hours in the fridge, then 1½–2 hours at room temperature before baking.
Weigh the flour and water with a kitchen scale for the most reliable, properly sticky dough.
Use water at about 90°F (32°C): lukewarm to the touch, not hot, which would damage the yeast.
Wet dough is sticky by design. Use wet hands and oiled tools instead of adding more flour.

1
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the bread flour, instant yeast and fine sea salt.
- Add the lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons (27 ml) olive oil.
- Stir with a spatula for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the bowl, until no dry flour remains and you have a shaggy, very sticky dough.
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Ready when: No dry flour remains; dough is shaggy and sticky.
Tip: Don't add extra flour. The high hydration makes the open, airy crumb.
2
Rest and fold
- Cover the bowl and rest 30 minutes.
- With wet hands, grab the edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the middle.
- Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 8 times total (two full rotations).
- The dough should feel smoother and tighter.
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Ready when: Dough is smoother, springy and holds a rounded shape after folding.
Tip: Wetting your hands keeps the dough from sticking to them.
3
Second fold
- Cover and rest another 30 minutes, then repeat the stretch-and-fold 8 times with wet hands.
- The dough should now be elastic and puff slightly.
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Ready when: Dough resists and springs back when stretched.
4
Chill overnight
- Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 12–14 hours.
- The dough will rise slowly and develop flavor and bubbles.
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Ready when: Dough has roughly doubled and shows bubbles at the edges and surface.
Tip: If it hasn't risen much after 12 hours, give it another 1–2 hours.
5
Oil the pan
- Pour 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the pan olive oil into a 9×13-inch pan and spread it over the bottom and up the sides with your fingers or a brush.
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Ready when: Bottom and sides are glossy with oil.
Tip: Be generous with oil. It fries the bottom to a crisp, golden crust.
6
Transfer and proof
- With oiled hands, gently release the dough from the bowl into the pan, keeping the bubbles.
- Turn it once to coat in oil.
- Stretch gently toward the corners; if it springs back, rest 10 minutes and try again.
- Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1½–2 hours.
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Ready when: Dough fills the pan to the corners, is puffy and jiggles when the pan is shaken.
Tip: Move your oven rack to the middle position now.
7
Preheat ovenOven 450°F / 230°C
- About 30 minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack in the middle.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 450°F (230°C).
8
Dimple and top
- Drizzle the dough with about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the remaining olive oil.
- With oiled fingertips, press straight down to the bottom of the pan all over to make deep dimples.
- Scatter on the rosemary, pressing it in lightly, and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.
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Ready when: Dimples are deep and evenly spaced across the surface.
Tip: Press firmly, because shallow dimples puff back out and the surface will bake smooth.
9
BakeOven 450°F / 230°C
- Bake in the 450°F (230°C) oven for 22–25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until the top is deep golden brown and the edges are crisp.
- Lift a corner with a spatula to check that the bottom is golden.
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Ready when: Deep golden top, crisp edges, golden bottom; an instant-read thermometer reads about 205°F (96°C) in the center.
Tip: If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 5–8 minutes.
10
Cool and serve
- Immediately run a knife around the edge and slide the focaccia out onto a wire rack.
- Brush with any remaining oil from the pan.
- Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 12 squares.
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Ready when: Bread is warm, not hot, and slices without squishing.
Tip: Leaving it in the pan makes the bottom steam and turn soft.

Good to know

Tips

Metal pans give the crispest bottom; if using glass, check the bottom a few minutes earlier.
For a deeper flavor, add a few thinly sliced garlic cloves or halved cherry tomatoes with the rosemary, pressed into the dimples.
Use a good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, as it's a main flavor in the bread.
Handle the risen dough gently to keep the bubbles that create the airy crumb.

Make ahead

"The dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours (a longer rest gives a tangier flavor). Bring it to room temperature in the oiled pan, as in the recipe, before dimpling and baking."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: wrap well and keep up to 2 days. Fridge: not recommended, since it stales faster. Freezer: wrap squares individually and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat from room temperature or frozen in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8–12 minutes until warm and the crust is crisp."

Substitutions

bread flour → all-purpose flour. Gives a slightly softer, less chewy crumb. Reduce the water to 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 ml).
instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use 1¼ teaspoons (4 g); dissolve in the lukewarm water for 5 minutes first.
fresh rosemary leaves → fresh thyme leaves. Use the same amount, or use 2 teaspoons dried rosemary.
flaky sea salt → coarse kosher salt. Use ¾ teaspoon (3 g) and sprinkle lightly, since it is denser than flaky salt.