Sourdough Focaccia

5 from 2 votes

Sourdough focaccia is some of the easiest breads you can make! Just mix everything together, let it rise, dimple it with some olive oil, rosemary, and salt and bake! SOOO soft, chewy, and delicious!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Rising14

Total Time14 35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

1 9"x13" Pan

Ingredients

75 grams Sourdough Starter
400 grams Water Warmed to 110ºF
25 grams Honey
500 grams Bread Flour
10 grams Salt
2 grams Garlic Powder
35 grams Olive Oil
2 grams Fresh Rosemary Finely chopped
2 grams Flake Salt

Instructions

Before you begin: Confirm your starter is active and bubbly; it should at least double within 4 to 6 hours of its last feeding. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl for the bulk rise. Plan backwards from when you want to bake, this is roughly a 14 hour process from mix to oven.
About 12 hours before you want to bake, whisk the sourdough starter, warm water, and honey together in a large bowl until everything is dissolved. I usually mix at 8 or 9pm so I can bake in the morning.
Add the bread flour, salt, and garlic powder. Mix until combined into a shaggy, sticky dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes to hydrate the flour and wake the gluten.
With wet hands, pull one edge of the dough up until it stops stretching, then fold it over onto itself. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat on all four sides (one set of coil folds is enough).
Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let it bulk ferment at room temperature (68 to 80º F) for 12 hours, until the dough has risen by about 50% and is domed and jiggly with visible bubbles. Cold room = longer ferment.
The next morning, coat a 9x13 sheet pan with a thin even layer of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pan and flip it once to coat both sides.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it second-rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until very puffy and bubbly. The dough will spread on its own, no stretching needed.
Preheat your oven to 425º F. With oiled fingertips, press deep dimples through the entire surface, all the way down to the bottom of the pan.
Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the top so it pools in the dimples. Scatter flake salt, chopped rosemary, and any additional toppings.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden brown and the edges pull away from the pan. Internal temperature should read 200 to 210º F.
Immediately remove the focaccia from the pan onto a wire rack to keep the crust crispy. Let it cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes: Bread flour gives the chewiest, most open crumb. All-purpose flour works and bakes up softer and slightly moister. Honey can be swapped 1:1 for granulated sugar. Garlic powder goes IN the dough, not on top, raw garlic burns at 425º F.

Pan options: A standard 9x13 metal sheet pan is the easiest setup. Cast iron gives an even crispier bottom. Glass bakes a touch slower, add 3 to 5 minutes. A half sheet pan (13x18) makes a thinner, crispier focaccia, watch for it to be done at 20 to 22 minutes.

Make ahead and storage: Room temperature in a ziplock bag for up to 2 days. Reheat at 350º F for 5 to 7 minutes (do not microwave, the crust goes rubbery). Freeze in a ziplock freezer bag up to 3 months and reheat straight from frozen at 350º F for 10 to 12 minutes. For a longer cold retard, after the bulk rise, transfer to the oiled pan and refrigerate up to 48 hours before baking. Let the cold dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour before dimpling and baking.

Substitutions: Active starter can be swapped 1:1 for sourdough discard, expect a longer bulk rise (14 to 18 hours) and slightly less rise overall. Fresh thyme works in place of rosemary. Maldon flake salt works in place of Jacobsen.

Critical do-nots:

Don't use hot water, anything above 115º F will kill your starter.
Don't skip the dimpling step, dimples are what create the crispy-on-top, soft-underneath texture.
Don't leave the focaccia in the pan after baking, the bottom steams and the crust goes soft.

Nutrition