Jalapeno Cheddar Focaccia (Easy No Knead Bread Recipe)

Ingredients

The recipe comes together with basic pantry staples, fresh ingredients and cheese.

• Flour: This recipe uses 100% white all-purpose flour (unbleached preferred). However, feel free to sub in some whole wheat flour (up to 25% of the total flour amount). You can also use bread flour too. You can use my whole wheat focaccia recipe as a base.
• Yeast: I like to use Instant yeast when making no knead bread, but active dry yeast will work just fine too. Just make sure to bloom it in the water for a few minutes before making the dough. You can also use fresh yeast but do adjust the quantity. When using fresh yeast instead of dry, use double the amount by weight.
• Olive Oil: It wouldn’t be a focaccia without olive oil. This recipe uses quite a bit of oil. You can reduce the amount slightly but keep in mind a traditional focaccia is supposed to be slightly oily. Good quality olive oil is a must.
• Scallions: I like the flavor fresh green onions give to the end result. You can use regular sliced onions or chives.
• Jalapenos: Use pickled or fresh jalapenos. Either work, but I recommend fresh. You can also use a milder pepper if you prefer like green bell pepper or sweet banana peppers. Or use pickled banana peppers.
• Cheese: For me, aged cheddar is a must here, but you can use a lighter cheddar cheese or even mozzarella. If you like cheesy breads, try my Rosemary Parmesan Bread.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make this No-Knead Jalapeno Cheddar Focaccia Recipe

This is a pretty simple recipe to follow, but I recommend quickly reading through all the steps before starting.

Step 1. Mix: To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and room temperature water (Image 1). Mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is hydrated. The mix should be shaggy but not sloppy (Image 2).
Step 2. Rise: Drizzle some olive oil over the surface of the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting cover and refrigerate overnight (Images 3-4).

Step 3. Deflate. The next day, 2 hours before you want to bake the focaccia, take the bowl out of the fridge and uncover it (Image 5). Using your hands deflate the dough slightly and transfer the dough to a buttered and oiled baking tray (9x13) or sheet pan (Image 6).

Step 4. Shape: Sprinkle over the sliced green onions, pressing down so they stick, before shaping (Image 7). Shape the focaccia loosely by grabbing each end and folding it over like you would a letter (Image 8). Flip the dough over so the seams are on the bottom (Image 9). Cover the tray with a tea towel and set aside for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place (Image 10).

Step 5. Dimple. Preheat your oven. The dough should now have spread covering the surface of the baking tray (Image 11). Drizzle more olive oil over the dough and start dimpling with your fingers, covering the entire surface (Image 12). This creates valleys and mountains in the dough and you should also see some air bubbles forming.
Step 6. Dress. Nestle in your jalapeno slices and cubed cheese into the dimples and press in (Image 13).
Step 7. Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown (Image 14). Feel free to sprinkle some sea salt at the end.

Expert Tips

• Don’t Hurry the process. Allow the dough to rise in the fridge for at least 18 hours and you’ll need 2-4 hours for the second rise. The timing will depend on the temperature in your kitchen and how active the dough is. That being said, plan ahead!
• Butter the pan: Puttering the pan before oiling it helps prevent the focaccia from sticking to the pan!
• Skip the dough altogether: I get it. Sometimes we need a quick fix. You can make this recipe with store-bought pizza dough or bread rolls.
• Short on time? Make the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 6-8 minutes. Let the dough rise for 1 hour and then proceed with the baking steps.
• Let it cool slightly! Don't cut into the piping hot focaccia right away after it's finished baking. If you cut too soon, the steam can make the dough gummy. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes first. I know it's hard, but trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Recipe FAQs

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