Sourdough Focaccia

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This is a great sourdough recipe for beginners, as it’s less complicated than making a traditional artisan sourdough bread. Even though you’ll need an active sourdough starter for this sourdough focaccia bread, you won’t need a Dutch oven, and this bread doesn’t need to rise as high, so it’s easier to be successful with it.

Focaccia is an Italian bread that usually uses commercial yeast. But this simple sourdough focaccia recipe uses sourdough starter in place of the yeast. It works well as a side dish with soups like sausage potato kale soup, roasted tomato soup, chicken gnocchi soup, and Italian dishes. It’s also a great simple appetizer, served with a bowl of olive oil for dipping. I find it addictive, and love to eat it plain!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to Make:​ This is one of the easier sourdough recipes that require a bubbly and active sourdough starter. If you’re new to sourdough, give this recipe a try!
• Simple Ingredients: ​I love that this recipe uses simple ingredients that we always keep on hand in the pantry.
• Versatile: ​You can make this sourdough focaccia plain or add other herbs and spices to embellish it a bit. I’ve used fresh rosemary in this recipe, but you could also use other herbs or vegetables or even cheese.

Sourdough Focaccia Tips 

• I’ve used fresh rosemary in this easy sourdough focaccia recipe, but you could substitute other fresh herbs, like oregano, thyme, or sage. If you have an herb garden, this is the perfect recipe to highlight your fresh herbs!
• Fresh garlic is another great focaccia topping idea. You can either add whole or sliced cloves, or even minced garlic to the top of the bread.
• If you decide to add vegetables to the top of your focaccia, choose small cherry or grape tomatoes, and make sure they don’t contain too much juice, which will make your focaccia dough soggy.
• The sky’s the limit with different toppings. I would just be careful of adding toppings that contain a lot of moisture because this will affect your dough.

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Supplies

• Stand mixer with a dough hook
• Kitchen scale
• 9″ x 13″ pan
• Large bowl
• Plastic wrap

Sourdough Focaccia Ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Sourdough Starter: Bubbly and active sourdough starter.
• Water: Water should be room temperature or slightly warm.
• Flour: Bread flour is used in this recipe, but you may be able to substitute all purpose flour.
• Salt: Regular kosher salt is used in the recipe, and then flaky salt is used as a topping.
• Olive Oil: Olive oil is a requirement for focaccia!
• Rosemary: I’ve used fresh rosemary here, but you can use dried rosemary or leave this out if you prefer.

How to Make Sourdough Focaccia

1. Measure out each ingredient using a kitchen scale, as this will provide the most accurate measurements for making this easy sourdough focaccia bread.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment add your starter, warm water, flour, and salt. Mix on low speed for five minutes and then let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

3. While the dough is resting, lightly oil a large bowl with a little olive oil and set aside.

4. After 15 minutes, mix again on medium speed for 2 minutes. The dough will be very sticky but should have some elasticity.

5. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and do one set of stretch and folds with wet hands. This is a wet and sticky dough so I like to wet my hands before doing the stretch and fold. This makes it so that the dough does not stick to your hands. You could also rub a little bit of olive oil on your hands. Note: You may also need to use a plastic bench scraper or silicone spatula to help the dough fold over itself, as it may be too sticky to stretch with your hands.

6. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes and then do another round of stretch and folds. Repeat this one more time so you will have done a total of three stretch and folds.

7. With the bowl covered, set aside for the bulk rise. Your dough will rise during this time and you will notice some bubbles and that it is more jiggly. Depending on the temperature of your home, this could take 4-6 hours. The warmer the environment is, the faster your dough will rise.

8. Generously oil a 9×13 baking pan.

9. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and into your pan. Gently stretch out the dough to try to reach the edges of the pan. Do not pull too much or tear your dough. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes and then gently pull it again. Fold your dough into thirds like you are folding a piece of paper to fit into a long envelope. Flip the dough over so that the seam is facing down. Gently jiggle the dough with your hands so that it can spread out a bit.

10. At this time you can cover and put the dough in the refrigerator overnight or leave it on the counter overnight for the bulk fermentation time if your house is on the cooler side.

11. The next morning you will notice that your sourdough focaccia dough reaches each side of your pan, has risen a bit, has bubbles and is jiggly.

12. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

13. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough and then use your fingers to press and dimple the dough. At this time you can also place any toppings you would like on top. I used rosemary and flaky sea salt.

14. Bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.

How to Store

Store bread in a covered container at room temperature for up to two days. Freeze bread in an airtight container for up to two months.

Frequently Asked Questions

​Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

You can use all purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour. If using all purpose flour, I recommend using a flour that has a higher protein which will help with gluten development.

Can I make this in a round or square dish?

You can make this recipe in a round dish. You can also use a sheet pan and bake in the middle of your sheet in an oval shape.

My Sourdough Focaccia Timeline

Day Two:

The next day, you can bake in the morning- usually my dough is ready around 8am. If you want to bake later, place the dough in the refrigerator (or if already in there keep it in until you are ready to bake). Just be sure to let it rest on the counter for 20-30 minutes before dimpling and adding the toppings.

More Sourdough Bread Recipes

• Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe (Perfect for Beginners)
• Sourdough Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread
• Overnight Sourdough Biscuits
• Sourdough English Muffins
• Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!