The Friday bread habit, and the focaccia that started it
One tray of no-knead focaccia turned into a weekly ritual. Here is the recipe I still make most Fridays, with timings that fit around a working day.
Watch the video
It started with a tray of focaccia on a Friday in February. No mixer, no kneading and almost no attention: just flour, water, salt, yeast and a long rest in the fridge while the week wound down. By Saturday lunch it was gone, and I have baked something on most Fridays since.
These days the bake is often a braided loaf like the one above, but focaccia is still where I send anyone who wants to start. It forgives cold kitchens, rushed shaping and a wide range of flours.
What you need
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Strong white bread flour | 500 g | Plain flour works, the crumb is a little tighter |
| Lukewarm water | 400 g | About body temperature |
| Fine sea salt | 10 g | Plus flaky salt for the top |
| Instant yeast | 4 g | About 1 teaspoon |
| Olive oil | 60 ml | Divided between the bowl, the tin and the top |
Method
- Stir the flour, salt and yeast together, then pour in the water and mix with a spoon until no dry flour remains. It will look shaggy and wet. That is right.
- Pour a tablespoon of oil over the dough, turn it to coat, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
- Oil a 23 x 33 cm tin generously. Tip the dough in, fold it over itself a couple of times and leave it somewhere warm for 2 to 3 hours, until it has spread to the corners and is full of bubbles.
- Heat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan). Drizzle the top with oil, then press your fingertips all the way down to the tin to dimple it. Scatter with flaky salt, and rosemary if you like.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden on top and crisp underneath. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
If the dough feels too sticky to handle, oil your hands rather than adding flour. The water is what makes the crumb open and light.
Fitting it around a working week
Mix the dough on Thursday evening, which takes about five minutes. Take it out of the fridge when you get home on Friday and it is ready to bake by dinner. Leftovers keep for a day wrapped in a tea towel and revive in a hot oven in five minutes.
Toppings worth trying
- Halved cherry tomatoes and torn basil, pressed in before baking
- Thinly sliced red onion and black olives
- Grapes, rosemary and a little honey in late summer
The Bon Appétit video with this story is worth watching once to see how loose the dough should look at each stage.
