Sourdough Focaccia Bread Recipe
Sourdough focaccia is soft and tender with an airy crumb and the hallmark focaccia chew! You'll love this easy sourdough recipe. Adapted from Bon Appetit.
Ingredients
- 1 cup 240 g active sourdough starter, stirred down
- 2 cups 454 g warm water
- 5 cups 600 g unbleached all purpose flour or bread flour, measured using the scoop + level method (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons 12 g coarse kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- flaked salt + fresh thyme for garnish optional
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup (240 g) active sourdough starter, and 2 cups (454 g) warm water. Stir the starter and water together until loosely combined.
- Attach the dough hook, add in 5 cups (600 g) unbleached all purpose flour or bread flour, and 2 teaspoons (12 g) coarse kosher salt, and knead the dough for 5- 7 minutes. It will take a while to come together, and it will be a wet dough, but it should slightly pull away from the sides of the bowl and stick to the dough hook.
- Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl, with enough room for it to double, and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the bowl and perform a series of stretch and folds, recover the dough, and repeat twice more; 30-minute rest then stretch and fold.
- Recover the bowl and set it aside to rise - 12 - 18 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a 9 x 13" baking dish (If your dish has a textured bottom, you may want to butter it first).
- Drizzle some more olive oil on top of the focaccia dough, then using oiled hands or an oiled bowl scraper, carefully deflate and turn the dough out of the bowl into the prepared baking dish.
- Once the dough is in the baking dish, fold in all 4 sides, long sides first, then short, to create a rough rectangular envelope. Flip the dough over so the seam side is down.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for another 2-4 hours, or until doubled and puffy.
- Once the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 425f.
- Oil your fingers with a good glug of oil and spread the oil along the surface of the dough. Then, using your fingers start to poke the surface of the sourdough focaccia. Stretch it to fit the pan if it hasn't spread out completely. Sprinkle generously with flaked salt.
- Bake the focaccia at 425f for 20-25 minutes or until browned.
- Cool focaccia on a cooling rack for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish with flaked salt + fresh thyme before serving.
Notes
Scoop + level: To scoop and level, stir the flour in your bag or container, then scoop from the container using a spoon into your measuring cup, then level it out. This will prevent over packing the flour in the measuring cup.
Batch:
This sourdough focaccia recipe makes one 9 x13 inch focaccia loaf. This recipe can be doubled and baked in 2 9x13 pans or halved and baked in an 8x8 pan.Storage:
Once cooled and cut, the sourdough focaccia can be stored at room temperature in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 days before it starts to get stale. The focaccia can also be frozen for later. Once completely cooled to room temperature and cut into desired pieces, wrap each piece in a layer of plastic wrap then slide into a freezer-friendly ziplock bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Thaw the frozen focaccia at room temperature then reheat in a 300f oven until warmed throughout ant the crust is crispy. It can also be reheated in an air fryer set to 250f for 2-3 minutes.variations + substitutions
Here are some ideas for focaccia toppings:- hard cheeses, like parmesan, asiago,
- roasted or SMOKED GARLIC
- crumbled BACON
- fresh herbs, like rosemary or chives
- halved cherry tomatoes or olives
- everything bagel seasoning
