This easy No-Knead Focaccia is the perfect bread for any beginner baker! This recipe is delicious, impressive, and super simple. Anyone can make this cheesy homemade focaccia bread.
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What’s in Easy Focaccia?
I love my classic focaccia recipe, but this three cheese focaccia bread just adds the most delicious touch to dinner. If you love cheese as much as I do, you will devour this bread so fast. I used three different cheeses for the ultimate flavor.
- Flour: This recipe is designed to work with all-purpose flour. For chewier focaccia bread, you can swap some or all of the flour for bread flour.
- Yeast: Helps the bread to rise. I used rapid-rise yeast to speed up the process, and it made this recipe so much easier!
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast so it can make plenty of those gorgeous bubbles!
- Salt: Gives this focaccia bread a good base of flavor. I like to use kosher salt. If using a different finer-grain salt (like sea salt or table salt), use half as much by volume or the same amount by weight.
- Water: Moistens the dough.
- Olive Oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil since it is a dominant flavor in the bread.
- Italian Seasoning: Use any brand from the store, or make your own with this homemade Italian seasoning recipe.
- Cheese: I used a mix of three cheeses: Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Feta. (You could substitute other cheeses if you prefer. Asiago would make a great addition!)
Pro Tip: If you use active dry or instant yeast, your dough will need to rise for about 1 hour for each of the two rises.
Variations on Topped Focaccia
There are so many ways to change up this cheesy focaccia. Swap the cheeses for your favorites to customize this bread to your tastes. Try adding several cloves of minced garlic to the dough for cheesy garlic focaccia. You can also add minced garlic or red pepper flakes to the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil for even more flavor. Try different fresh or dried herbs, such as sage, thyme, or oregano instead of Italian seasoning.
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While focaccia bread is made with the same staple ingredients as traditional breads, it contains more yeast for a fluffier texture and is dimpled to seal in moisture. It is also generously coated with olive oil for a rich taste!
I recommend using some kind of instant yeast (aka rapid-rise yeast or quick-rise yeast) for this cheese focaccia recipe. It will make things go so much faster. Waiting for the dough to rise is the longest part of the recipe, so this secret ingredient makes it much easier. Using it was as easy as the package said. No testing required. You can mix it right in with your dry ingredients. It worked like a charm.
Absolutely! I’d say use your favorite cheese or mix of cheeses here. I love Parmesan, mozzarella, and feta. Cheddar, Asiago, or gouda would also be good!
Dense or heavy bread is usually caused by under- or over-proofing. Be sure to proof the dough until it has doubled in size. If your dough is properly proofed, it should slowly spring back when pressed with one finger. If it springs back too quickly, it is under-proofed. If it does not spring back at all, it is over-proofed.
How to Make Ahead and Store Quick Focaccia
To make this cheesy focaccia bread in advance, follow the recipe through step 5, storing the dough tightly covered in the refrigerator overnight instead of on the counter for 30 minutes. The next day, unwrap the dough and let it come to room temperature for 10-15 minutes before continuing with the recipe as written.
Store leftover no knead focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
How to Freeze and Reheat Cheese Focaccia Bread
Freeze no knead focaccia cut into individual slices wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating loosely wrapped in aluminum foil in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
What to Serve with Cheesy Focaccia
This no knead focaccia is the perfect appetizer before a delicious meal. It’s great with Italian classics like Dutch Oven Lasagna, Cheesy Italian Stuffed Shells, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, or Pesto Baked Rigatoni. Use it as the bread for your next sandwich, or cube it into croutons for a salad. This bread is perfect for soaking up extra olive oil or sauces from your dinner. So add it to your plate and dip away!
No Knead Focaccia Recipe (Cheese Focaccia)
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Ingredients
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour 390 grams
- 0.25 ounce Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast 7 grams (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 13 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1½ cups water 341 grams
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 50 grams, divided
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning 5 grams, store-bought or homemade
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
- Sea salt optional, for garnish
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the flour, dry yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir until blended.3¼ cups all-purpose flour, 0.25 ounce Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Combine the water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 15-second increments until very warm but not scalding hot to the touch (105-110°F).1½ cups water, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Add water mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a large wooden spoon until well mixed. A dough will form.
- Spread into greased 13×9-inch pan. The dough might not completely go to corners, but it will once it rises.
- Cover with thin kitchen towel; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes .
- Using your lightly oiled finger, gently poke holes about every inch in the dough going nearly to the bottom of the dough. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle top with cheese, sea salt, and Italian herbs.1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, ½ cup freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese, Sea salt, 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
- Let rise, uncovered, an additional 15 minutes while oven preheats to 375°F.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. Cut and serve with extra oil for dipping if you’d like.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Use a thin kitchen towel to place on top of the pan.
- Place the pan of dough in a warm place to rise. You want it to double in size.
- A good way to speed up the rising process is to use your oven. I set our oven on 200°F for 2-3 minutes and then turned it off, let it sit 5 minutes, and then placed the bread inside to rise. It worked great!
Nutrition Information
So easy and sooooo delicious! I added some roasted cherry tomatoes 😋
Yum! I bet that was delicious!
There were no clear instructions on the adding of the cheese, it just says “Sprinkle top with more cheese, sea salt, and Italian herbs.” That implies the cheese was partly put in somewhere else…like, in the dough? Would’ve rated higher if not for that.
AGREE
I visited your page to get a recipe for easy cheese focaccia and was shockedto see mention of my hometown and birth place Kirksville. How Cool! I have got to make this bread now!
Oh wow! I grew up there too. Small world!!
I am going to try foraccia bread it looks yummy
Hope you love it!!
Thank you for the recipe it looks delicious. I am in the process of making it but I just have one question; do I mix cheese with the dough? because in step 6 you instructed to add more cheese and I thought we might have needed to add before that.
Thanks again, for now I will only add the cheese as instructed above and we can’t wait to taste it :)
Kholoud
Yes same question about adding the cheese, it seems like she won’t reply to that one🤷♀️
Hi, the cheese only goes on top, as seen in the recipe and accompanying video!
I love to bake and in all my baking over the years, I’ve never made focaccia! Yours looks amazing, those colors, I need to make this soon!
I LOVE your blog Jo! Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like you had a really fun Christmas! This bread must have been a huge hit. I bake all the time but bread/yeast has always scared me. This looks totally do-able though! Loving all that cheese! :D
Thanks for stopping by Allie! I LOVE your blog/photos. Happy New Year!
Thank you for each one of your sweet comments. Dad and I are still reeling about Harper, aka: The Stealth Bandit, serving herself three helpings of the most tender steak that ever graced our table. Oh well, it was Christmas for her too. By the way, she also helped herself to the leftover focaccia before dad and I could get another bite.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! That scamp! Thanks again for the great weekend :)