Sourdough focaccia bread is Italian bread baked in a tall sheet pan, it is flavored with rich olive oil and delicious herbs and seasonings. It has an irresistible crispy crust, yet it is fluffy and airy on the inside! Are you ready to feel like an Italian bread maker? You probably have everything you need to make this ridiculously easy sourdough focaccia Bread!
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Even though making sourdough focaccia may seem a little intimidating, it’s not that hard to make. There is only about 20 minutes of actual hands on work! Most of the time the bread is rising! I will walk you through step by step on how to achieve the perfect sourdough focaccia bread!
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Tools you will need to make sourdough focaccia bread
- Sheet pan with tall sides.
- bowl
- saran wrap
- tea towel
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 grams bread flour
- 100 grams risen sourdough starter
- 375 grams warm filtered water
- 10 grams salt
- 15 grams olive oil
Toppings
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbl pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 Tbl chopped basil
- 1 Tbl chopped oregano
- 3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbl butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp flaky salt
While the bread is baking, your family’s mouths will water as the incredibly delicious aroma of baking bread circles through the house! To sum it up briefly, this recipe will make you look like a kitchen master with minimal effort on your part! While there is a long rise time, it’s almost completely hands-off and the dough is as simple as tossing 5 basic pantry staples into a bowl and stirring it all up.
How to make sourdough focaccia
Once your sourdough starter is leavened ( risen) its time to mix the dough. To a bowl add 500 grams of bread flour, 100 grams risen sourdough starter, 375 grams warm filtered water, 10 grams salt, 15 grams olive oil. I use a food scale for accuracy. This is the one I have and love! It comes with a charger for easy charging.
Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until they are combined, knead the dough for a few minutes till there is no dry flour. The dough will appear wet and shaggy. Cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or a tea towel. Recently, I have started using shower caps to cover my bowls, and they work really well! I simply slip one over the bowl, and it stays securely in place.
Cover, then let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Coil folds
You will do three sets of coil folds with 30-minute breaks in between.
This process develops gluten, creating structure in the dough and introducing air, resulting in the beautiful air bubbles that focaccia bread is known for!
- Wet Your Hands: Lightly wet your hands to prevent sticking.
- Place your hands underneath the dough, gently cupping the bottom of the dough.
- Pull and Stretch: Lift the dough up and stretch it gently, pulling it away from the rest of the dough. You’re aiming to create a bit of tension here.
- Fold the Dough Over: After stretching it up, place it back down toward the center of the dough. Essentially, you’re folding it over itself.
- Turn and Repeat: Rotate the bowl slightly, then repeat the process, lifting and folding from underneath in several spots until you’ve worked your way around the dough.
The “coil” effect comes from the way you lift and stretch the dough underneath, which mimics the way a coil forms, creating strength and tension without excessive handling. Typically, you would do this a few times (3–4 times) during the bulk fermentation process.
This technique helps with gluten development and creates a light, airy crumb without requiring excessive kneading. Coil folds are especially useful in no-bulk fermentation methods like yours, as they’re gentle and effective.
Bulk ferment
Leave the sourdough focaccia on your countertop for 6-8 hours. This gives the dough time to develop also it gives the bread its distinctive flavor.
The next day, place the dough into a tall sheet pan. I lined mine with parchment paper and drizzled 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. If you have a good nonstick sheet pan, you don’t need to line it with parchment paper.
Let is rest!
Once your dough is transferred into your baking vessel, gently spread it out to fit the pan. Try to be gentle, you don’t want to deflate it or rip it. Use your finder tips to spread it into all corners. Don’t dig your fingertips into the dough, you don’t want to disturb the bubbles inside. If the dough is too difficult to spread out, let it relax at room temperature for 20 minutes while covered with a towel, then continue.
Once the sourdough focaccia bread dough is spread out, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature. The dough will become fluffy and full of bubbles.
Pre-heat your the oven to 450 F
Toppings
Sprinkle the topping evenly all over the dough. You can use any toppings your heart desires! You can do rosemary and flaky salt, olives and tomato’s, mozzarella cheese, you decide! Let your inner Ratatouille guide you 😉
My tip is to add the salt and toppings before you make the dimples. When you make the dimples the toppings will make its way inside the bread, this makes it that much more delicious!
Make dimples and bake!
After adding the toppings, dip your fingertips in olive oil. To create dimples, press your fingertips into the dough until you reach the bottom of the pan. Continue doing this all over the dough. Place the sourdough focaccia on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center reaches 190°F.
Once you take the sourdough focaccia bread out of the oven, melt 2 table spoons of butter and to it add 2 minced garlic cloves , mix then drizzle over the bread.
Let it cool down for 10 minutes before digging in! I like to dip my bread into balsamic vinegar with olive oil and fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Pair sourdough focaccia bread with Lemon ricotta pasta for a perfect dinner!
Sourdough focaccia Bread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- For this recipe, you will need a leavened sourdough starter. Please read my post about sourdough starter. I fed my sourdough starter at 9 AM, and by 12:00 PM, it was ready for me to use.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the dough ingredients till there is no dry flour. The dough will appear wet and shaggy. Cover the bowl with either plastic wrap or a tea towel. Recently, I have started using shower caps to cover my bowls, and they work really well! I simply slip one over the bowl, and it stays securely in place.Cover, then let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Do three sets of coil folds with 30-minute breaks in between.This process develops gluten, creating structure in the dough and introducing air, resulting in the beautiful air bubbles that focaccia bread is known for!Wet Your Hands: Lightly wet your hands to prevent sticking.Lift the Dough: Place your hands underneath the dough, gently cupping the bottom of the dough Lift the dough up and stretch it gently, pulling it away from the rest of the dough. You’re aiming to create a bit of tension here.Fold the Dough Over: After stretching it up, place it back down toward the center of the dough. Essentially, you’re folding it over itself.Turn and Repeat: Rotate the bowl slightly, then repeat the process, lifting and folding from underneath in several spots until you’ve worked your way around the dough.
- Leave the sourdough focaccia on your countertop for 6-8 hours. This gives the dough time to develop also it gives the bread its distinctive flavor.
- The next day, place the dough into a tall sheet pan. I lined mine with parchment paper and drizzled 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. If you have a good nonstick sheet pan, you don’t need to line it with parchment paper.
- Once your dough is transferred into your baking vessel, gently spread it out to fit the pan. Try to be gentle, you don’t want to deflate it or rip it. Use your finder tips to spread it into all corners. Don’t dig your fingertips into the dough, you don’t want to disturb the bubbles inside. If the dough is too difficult to spread out, let it relax at room temperature for 20 minutes while covered with a towel, then continue.Once the sourdough focaccia bread dough is spread out, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature. The dough will become fluffy and full of bubbles.Pre-heat your the oven to 450 F
- Sprinkle the topping evenly all over the dough. You can use any toppings your heart desires! You can do rosemary and flaky salt, olives and tomato’s, mozzarella cheese, you decide! Let your inner Ratatouille guide you 😉My tip is to add the salt and toppings before you make the dimples. When you make the dimples the toppings will make its way inside the bread, this makes it that much more delicious!
- After adding the toppings, dip your fingertips in olive oil. To create dimples, press your fingertips into the dough until you reach the bottom of the pan. Continue doing this all over the dough. Place the sourdough focaccia on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center reaches 190°F.Once you take the sourdough focaccia bread out of the oven, melt 2 table spoons of butter and to it add 2 minced garlic cloves , mix then drizzle over the bread.Let it cool down for 10 minutes before digging in! I like to dip my bread into balsamic vinegar with olive oil and fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
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