Easy No-Knead Focaccia Muffins Recipe

Name: Easy No-Knead Focaccia Muffins
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/3 cup, plus more for the tin High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 4 cups Bread flour; 1 2/3 cups Warm water (about 100F); 2 1/4 tsp Instant yeast; 1 tsp Sugar; 2 tsp Fine sea salt; 3 sprigs Fresh rosemary, leaves picked; 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced; 1 to 2 tsp, for topping Flaky finishing salt

Why We Love This Recipe

Focaccia is one of the simplest breads there is: flour, water, salt, yeast, and olive oil. The oil is not a garnish here, it is the ingredient that turns plain dough into focaccia. Baking these in a muffin tin means every piece is coated in extra virgin olive oil on all sides, which is the cornerstone fat of the Mediterranean diet and a source of monounsaturated fats. When olive oil is doing that much of the work, the oil you choose matters.

Use High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the dough and to coat the tin. It is rich in polyphenols, specifically hydroxytyrosol, the compound behind the gentle peppery finish you can taste in a fresh, early-harvest oil. Those polyphenols are highest in fresh oil and fade with time, light, and heat, so a coat that also gets brushed on raw at the end brings the most of that character to the plate. If you want to read the science, here is the research on olive-oil polyphenols.

Olivea's oil is USDA Certified Organic, single-origin from Messinia in Greece, early harvest and cold-pressed within hours, then qNMR-verified by the University of Athens and developed with Harvard-trained cardiologists. That peppery, faintly bitter note is the polyphenols you can taste, which is why flavor and quality tell the same story in a bread this simple. You can read more about how it is made and measured on our science page.

View Nutrition Facts

Recipe Success Tips

Let the dough rest overnight

A slow, cold rest in the fridge does the work kneading would, building an open, airy crumb and a deeper, tangier flavor. Give it at least 12 hours if you can. Same-day is possible with a warm 2-hour rise, but overnight is worth planning for.

Coat every cup generously

Brush each muffin cup with High Phenolic olive oil right up the sides, not just the bottom. That pool of oil is what fries the crust golden and crisp and keeps the muffins from sticking. Skimp here and you lose the signature crackle.

Taste your oil before you bake

A fresh high-phenolic oil has a green, grassy aroma and a peppery catch at the back of your throat. That pepper is the polyphenols, and it is exactly what you want carrying a plain bread. A flat, greasy oil will give you a flat, greasy focaccia.

Dimple with wet, oiled fingers

Dip your fingertips in olive oil and press straight down to the bottom of each cup to make the classic dimples. Oiled fingers keep the dough from sticking and the wells hold pools of oil, salt, and herbs as they bake.

Do not skip the flaky salt

Fine salt goes in the dough, but the flaky finishing salt goes on top just before baking so it stays crunchy. It is the contrast, crisp salt against soft bread, that makes each bite.

Pull them warm

Focaccia muffins are best within an hour of baking, when the crust is still crisp and the center is pillowy. Let them cool in the tin for five minutes so the crust sets, then lift them out.

Ingredients

12

servings

1/3 cup, plus more for the tin High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups Bread flour
1 2/3 cups Warm water (about 100F)
2 1/4 tsp Instant yeast
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Fine sea salt
3 sprigs Fresh rosemary, leaves picked
3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
1 to 2 tsp, for topping Flaky finishing salt

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

12-cup standard muffin tin

Large mixing bowl

Wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Plastic wrap or a lid to cover the bowl

Pastry brush

Kitchen scale

How to Cook Easy No-Knead Focaccia Muffins

Mix the dough

1

In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, instant yeast, and sugar. Add the fine sea salt and whisk again.

2

Add the warm water and 3 tablespoons of the High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains and you have a shaggy, sticky dough. Do not knead.

3

Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and turn the dough once to coat. Cover the bowl tightly.

Cold proof

4

Refrigerate the covered bowl for 12 to 18 hours. The dough will roughly triple, turn bubbly, and smell pleasantly tangy.

5

For a same-day version, leave the covered bowl in a warm spot for about 2 hours, until doubled and bubbly.

Shape and second rise

6

Brush each cup of the muffin tin generously with High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, all the way up the sides. Its smooth, balanced body coats evenly and gives the crust its golden crackle.

7

With oiled hands, gently deflate the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces, roughly 75 grams each. Drop one piece into each cup without over-handling it.

8

Cover loosely and let rise in a warm spot for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough is puffy and fills the cups.

Bake and finish

9

Heat the oven to 425F (220C) with a rack in the center.

10

Dip your fingertips in olive oil and press straight down into each muffin to make deep dimples. Tuck sliced garlic and rosemary leaves into the wells and scatter the flaky finishing salt over the tops.

11

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until deep golden and crisp at the edges. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift the muffins out.

12

While they are still warm, add a light raw drizzle of Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the tops. This bold, peppery finish stays uncooked, so its fresh, grassy bite comes through in every bite.

Recipe Notes

Make it your own

This dough is a blank canvas. Swap the rosemary and garlic for cherry tomatoes and oregano, a few olives, or thin slices of red onion. If you love the full-pan version, the same overnight dough works beautifully as a simple same-day focaccia in a sheet pan.

Lean into the toppings

For a more aromatic batch, borrow the topping approach from our garlic-forward focaccia, or keep it classic with the piney, woodsy notes of a rosemary focaccia. Both translate directly to the muffin size.

About the two oils

High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the smooth, balanced cooking oil that goes in the dough and coats the tin, where it can take the oven heat and still crisp the crust. The Ultra High Phenolic oil is bolder and more peppery, so it stays for the raw drizzle at the end. If you only have one bottle, use the High Phenolic throughout and drizzle a little extra over the warm muffins.

Storage

Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To bring back the crust, warm them in a 350F oven for 5 minutes. They also freeze well: freeze in a bag for up to 1 month, then reheat from frozen at 350F for about 10 minutes and finish with a fresh drizzle of olive oil.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1 muffin

Calories 220

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g10%

Saturated Fat 1.1g6%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 440mg19%

Total Carbohydrate 31g11%

Dietary Fiber 1g4%

Total Sugars 0.5g

Protein 5g10%

Potassium 55mg1%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are focaccia muffins?

Focaccia muffins are individual portions of focaccia baked in a muffin tin instead of a large sheet pan. Each one has a crisp, olive-oil crust on all sides and a soft, airy center, with the same dimpled tops, rosemary, and flaky salt you expect from classic focaccia.

Do I need to knead the dough for focaccia muffins?

No. This is a no-knead dough. You simply stir the ingredients together until no dry flour remains, then let a long, cold rest in the fridge build the structure and flavor for you. Kneading is not needed for this style of bread.

Can I make focaccia muffins the same day?

Yes. For a same-day batch, let the covered dough rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours instead of overnight, until it has doubled and looks bubbly. The overnight cold rise gives a slightly deeper, tangier flavor, but the same-day version is still very good.

Why is so much olive oil used in focaccia muffins?

Olive oil is what makes focaccia focaccia. It fries the crust golden and crisp, keeps the muffins from sticking, and carries flavor into the soft crumb. Coating each cup generously and dimpling with oiled fingers are the two steps that give you that signature crackly crust.

Which olive oil should I use for focaccia muffins?

Use a fresh extra virgin olive oil with real flavor. A high-phenolic oil has a green, grassy aroma and a peppery finish that comes through even in a plain bread. Use the smoother High Phenolic oil for the dough and the tin, and save a bolder oil for a raw drizzle at the end.

Are focaccia muffins healthy?

They are a simple bread made mostly of flour, water, and olive oil, which is the cornerstone fat of the Mediterranean diet and a source of monounsaturated fats. A fresh, high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil also brings polyphenols like hydroxytyrosol, and using it both in the dough and as a raw finish brings the most of that character to the plate.

What can I top focaccia muffins with?

Rosemary, sliced garlic, and flaky salt are the classic combination. You can also use cherry tomatoes with oregano, olives, thinly sliced red onion, or a little cracked pepper. Press the toppings into the dimples so they stay put as the muffins bake.

How do I store and reheat focaccia muffins?

Keep cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm them in a 350F oven for about 5 minutes to bring back the crisp crust. They also freeze well for up to a month; reheat from frozen at 350F for about 10 minutes and finish with a fresh drizzle of olive oil.

What flour is best for focaccia muffins?

Bread flour gives the best chew and structure thanks to its higher protein, which helps the muffins hold their airy, open crumb. All-purpose flour also works and yields a slightly softer, more tender bite.

Can I make focaccia muffins vegan?

This recipe is already plant-based. It uses sugar rather than honey, and olive oil in place of butter, so there is no dairy or egg. Just double-check that your finishing salt and any extra toppings are vegan-friendly.

Easy No-Knead Focaccia Muffins

Why We Love This Recipe

Recipe Success Tips

Ingredients

Kitchen Tools You'll Need