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Sourdough Focaccia is beautiful fluffy, chewy crumb on the inside with a crispy outside, bread that is made with an active sourdough starter for that sourdough flavor with no fuss at all, the easiest sourdough bread with distinctive sourdough flavor in every single bite!
If you like good bread, if you are a beginner with sourdough breads, sourdough focaccia is for you. It is easy, fun and every time comes out perfect.
What about Sourdough Focaccia?
Generally speaking, focaccia is a rustic Italian flatbread with a light, airy texture and crispy edges, and a soft, pillowy center! It's similar to pizza dough but much thicker than the final product. And you can customize the thickness by using different sizes of baking pans. If you like for dipping, and want a crispy surface, spread onto a bigger baking pan, (usually using for this recipe 1/4 standard baking sheet. If you like to use it for your sandwiches, use a smaller baking pan, and the dough will rise more to the top, giving you a much thicker bread and plenty of room to support your sandwich fillings.
Make your own variety of Sourdough Focaccia
Focaccia is known for its favorite top that can be stuffed with a variety of toppings.
Sweet cherries or pears with blue cheese (my favorite combo)
Peaches and goat cheese
Olives and rosemary
Sun dried tomatoes,
Smoked gouda cheese and jalapenos
Caramelized onions
Pesto sauce, etc.
What do I like about Sourdough Focaccia?
My sourdough focaccia is my go-to bread to make! It’s got a very similar dough method to my standard boule but it’s easy to make and can be done on the same day. Once the dough is made, it’s a lot easier to shape/bake (NO BANNETON, NO SHAPING, NO DUTCH OVEN, even mixer is optional).
It's super easy to customize by switching up the toppings for whatever you happen to be craving!
I love this sourdough focaccia because it's better for your body, and people who are sensitive to gluten, do fine with predigested bread, also it adds extra tang and flavor to the focaccia!
You might also like this or these:
It's incredibly versatile for eating on its own with your favorite dip, such as Smoke Oysters Dip or Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade , with soup that can make a nice hearty meal, or as sandwich bread.
I love the simplicity of this bread, the complex flavor, beautiful presentation with the golden crust with deep olive oil flavor and Celtic salt, and delicious chewy crumbs with subtle tang.
For the topping in this recipe I chose this classic combination of Salt and Rosemary because these flavors go well with anything.
More ideas for simple recipes to use Sourdough Starter
My obsession with sourdough bread occurred about more than a decade ago, and now my attention has turned to alternative uses for my starter, other than boule proof bread.
And here are my few all time favorite sourdough recipes:
Here you can find more information about sourdough starter, and how I became a keeper of a 200+ year old sourdough starter with live active microorganisms contained in a jar.
Tips from me for making your very best Sourdough Focaccia:
You don't need a kitchen scale for this bread unlike any other sourdough bread, but still measuring carefully is a must.
Don't attempt to add more flour, yes the dough will be wet. I used organic unbleached all-purpose flour. Bread flour is even better here, because more protein can give you more chewiness but also absorb more liquid, so you can increase your water by 10%. This dough is 100% hydrated so it should be wet.
For a crispy top, sprinkle generously with olive oil, I like good quality olive oil, this one has been my favorite for many years. The oil also carries flavor into the bread and helps create a crispy crust. Also I like to add some water too, which helps create more steam and contrast texture of the topping, plus preventing from burning the toppings.
Be generous with olive oil, when you oil the pan.
Proof the dough proof overnight in the fridge for this provides more flavor to the bread. This dough does not contain any sugar, so don't leave it for too long, because the wild yeast will lose its power.
Can I freeze sourdough focaccia?
Great news, yes, you can! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container or zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and then reheat in the oven to 350˚F for 8-10 minutes or until warmed through.
Let's do it...
Prep time: 5 minutes
Waiting time: 9-10 hours
Making time: 20 minutes
Baking time:30-40 minutes
Total time: 11 hours
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Ingredients
3/4 cup active unfed sourdough starter
1&1/2 cups water or whey
3 cups all purpose flour (bread flour is good too)
1-2 teaspoons pink salt
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus few more spoons for hands, baking sheet and topping)
Ingredients for the garnish
1 tablespoon course Celtic salt
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Directions
In a bowl add starter, water (I used whey in the video, that I had leftover after making kefir cheese). Whisk everything well. You can use a wooden spoon, hand whisk or electric mixer with whisk attachment.
Then add oil, flour and using a hook attachment, knead all together until flour incorporates.
Add salt and keep kneading for a few more minutes on a low-medium speed. When you see the dough start pulling away from the walls of the mixing bowl it's ready.
Take another bowl and oil with olive oil, move your dough to the oiled bowl, cover and leave at room temperature for anywhere between 45 minutes to 1&1/2 hours.
Wet your hands with water and do a fold of the dough. Watch a video for that. Cover again and place in a fridge for about 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Take your dough, you will notice that the dough has risen. Gently using oily hands, move the dough onto a greased 1/4 baking sheet or pan. Carefully, evenly distribute the dough, but don't worry if it's not perfect. By doing gently, you can preserve all the gas trapped (bubbles), which will produce more holes in your focaccia.
Cover with plastic wrap to make sure it does not touch the dough, or use olive oil to prevent stickiness later on. Another way of doing this is to use two kitchen towels and cover lightly, first dried then slightly wet.
Leave at room temperature for one-two hours.
Remove the plastic wrap or towels. Wet your hand and make a little puddle with your fingers. Then sprinkle the dough with some water and olive oil. Garnish with rosemary and Celtic salt.
Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye on it and half way through turn the focaccia so that the bread will get a nice brown color all the way around.
Take the focaccia from the oven, and let it begin cooling in the pan for no more than 5 minutes and then flip the bread onto the cooling rack. Let it cool until it reaches room temperature if you can wait that long. Slice and Enjoy!
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patrion or Pinterest.