The Easiest Sourdough Focaccia

Hands up if your quarantined-inspired sourdough starter is still alive and thriving! (If not, or if you never hopped on that delicious bandwagon, feel free to use my Sourdough Starter Guide to either make your new starter or bring your old one back to life.)

My Sourdough Focaccia, inspired by this recipe from Alexandra Kitchen, will yield beautifully bubbly focaccia — even better than what you’d find in most bakeries. Don’t get me wrong! Local bakeries make some incredible loaves, but for some reason, very few have very good focaccia. I blame going too light on good olive oil and salt.

Introducing the natural leavening of a sourdough starter will also give your focaccia a flavor boost and keep it softer for longer.

This dough is not kneaded on a machine like a traditional bread would be. Instead, those iconic bubbly results come from a folding technique I outline below. You can get creative with your toppings here, add some sundried tomatoes, some black olives, some parmesan cheese — but don’t skimp on the folding technique!

What Is Sourdough Focaccia?

Focaccia is a popular flatbread from Italy that isn’t necessarily far from the chew of good pizza dough. You can get creative with this bread. You can serve it as an appetizer, use it for sandwiches stuffed with prosciutto and aged parmesan, or get artistic with the toppings. “Garden Focaccia” is having a moment on Instagram at the time of writing this.

The best focaccia is crispy on the outside, thanks to olive oil, chewy on the inside, thanks to the sourdough starter and bread flour, and covered in a good amount of flaky sea salt.

Can I Use All-Purpose Flour Instead Of Bread Flour?

Technically, yes, you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe instead of bread flour, but I strongly recommend using bread flour. The big difference between the two is that bread flour has a lot more protein than all-purpose. All that protein produces more gluten, which means you’ll get a chewier and bubblier texture.

What You Need To Make Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough starter
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing bowls
Cling wrap
Kitchen towel
9×13-inch pan

How To Make Sourdough Focaccia

Making sourdough focaccia looks like a long process, but most of the time making it is hands-off! Here’s how you’ll make it, including the proper folding technique (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):

In a large bowl, add your starter, salt, and water. Whisk to combine.
Add the flour into the bowl and mix until it is completely incorporated. Cover this with cling wrap and a kitchen towel and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, reach into the bowl and grab the top of the dough. Pull it up and into the center. Turn the bowl one quarter and repeat. Continue to turn the bowl one quarter and perform the stretching and folding method 8 times. This helps strengthen the dough and builds those big bubbles, so don’t skip this step!
Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bowl and swirl around the dough to evenly coat it. Cover the bowl again with cling wrap and a kitchen towel. Set it aside to rest at room temperature overnight, roughly 12-18 hours.
Once the dough has doubled, generously pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9×13-inch pan.
Use your hand to gently deflate the dough and release it from the sides of the bowl. Scoop the dough, gently, into the center of the pool of oil in your pan.
Fold the dough, envelope style, from top to bottom and side to side. It should look like a rough rectangle. Turn the dough over, so the seam-side is facing down on the pan.
Rub the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Let the dough sit for 4-6 hours or until bubble and nearly doubled.
Once the dough is bubbly or almost doubled, preheat your oven to 425ºF (210°C).
While the oven preheats, rub your fingers lightly with oil and press gently into the dough to dimple and stretch the dough, over and over again. You want to create dimples all along the dough. Push the dough until it reaches the sides of the pan.
Sprinkle the dough generously with sea salt and any toppings you wish. I’ll be using tomatoes, olives, and rosemary.
Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden all around. Remove from the oven and transfer the bread to a cooling rack.
Cool the focaccia for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Sourdough Focaccia

Add any toppings you’d like, like roasted red peppers, fresh figs, parmesan cheese, or pesto!
This bread keeps in a fridge for up to 1 week.
Use bread flour! It really does make a huge difference.
The slower natural yeasts in a sourdough starter help the dough to stay softer and last longer in the refrigerator. Use my Sourdough Starter!

How To Store Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough focaccia can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. However, it will stay soft and fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This bread also freezes very well!

A cross-section of my sourdough focaccia, showing the crumb and interior texture and consistency.

Make More Bread!

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!

Full (and printable) recipe below!