You need a good sourdough focaccia bread recipe in your collection.
Focaccia is super simple - it really just requires patience - but that's not new for sourdough, right?
This simple sourdough bread recipe requires a strong sourdough starter - and lots of love.
You can top sourdough focaccia bread with anything you like! I love the classic flavors of sea salt and fresh rosemary, but I've put some other suggestions further down for you to try. You're really only limited by your imagination! And if you love trying different toppings, check out these sourdough focaccia bread muffins.
I know you don't want to know my life story ... but focaccia bread is something that I have been making since I lived in Italy as a teenager.
Back then I made it with yeast, but now I love that I can make it even more special by using my sourdough starter.
It really does add a depth of flavor that you just can't get from commercial yeast.
What is Sourdough Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia is an Italian bread, generally baked with good quality olive oil, fresh rosemary and salt. It is said to be similar to sourdough fougasse.
Its magic lies in its simplicity.
Traditionally it's made with yeast (and more yeast than regular bread). Baking it with lashings of olive oil mean that it has a crusty, golden bottom and top with a light, yet chewy crumb inside. It's quite springy and spongey.
Similar to pizza dough in many ways, focaccia is sometimes referred to as "pizza bianca" or white pizza because it doesn't have the toppings that a pizza does.
Sourdough bread made with sourdough starter has a deep sourdough flavor. It's fermented for a long time to develop the signature bubbles. Using a strong sourdough starter will give you the best chance at developing gorgeous bubbles as the dough ferments.
The time your focaccia bread takes will depend on the strength of your sourdough starter.
How To Make Sourdough Focaccia Bread
This beautifully simple recipe has very few hands on steps. It starts out as a wet, soupy mess, but through the power of fermentation, turns into a light, bubbly bread that will easily become your favorite!
You'll need a healthy, active sourdough starter that has been fed and is at its peak. This will give you the best chance of getting those beautiful bubbles (seriously whatever you do, don't pop these).
Here's how to make bubbly sourdough focaccia bread:
- Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large bowl.Mix the water and starter together briefly.
- Then add flour and salt and mix whole lot together until it forms a sticky dough. You don't want any dry flour left at all. You can use a dough scraper or Danish dough whisk for this process.
- Cover your bowl with cling film and let it sit for around 1 hour.
- After the dough has been through autolyse you need to bring it together into a ball. Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself, into the centre. You should feel the dough strengthen as you do this. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth or tight, just work around the bowl stretching and folding (around 10 - 15 times is perfect).
- Now you want to leave your dough to ferment. Cover it with plastic wrap and leave it alone to double.
- Once the dough has doubled you need to shape the dough. Shaping focaccia is super simple (and absolutely forgiving).
- Use a dough scraper to gently ease the dough into a lined baking tray or cast iron skillet. Rub your hands with a little olive oil and gently pull the dough out to fill the tray. Again it doesn't have to be perfect as it will naturally fill the tray as it proofs.
- Let your dough rise again (proof). Leave it until it's spread out and filled the tray. It will be puffy and pillowy ... you might even have some gorgeous bubbles popping up.
- Once the dough has filled the tray and is looking puffy and full of volume, you need to dimple the dough and add the toppings. Pour olive oil over the top of the dough and then push your finger tips into the dough to create dimples. You might see some bubbles pop up as you do this.
- Now sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary. Preheat the oven to 200C (392F).
- Bake for 30 minutes at 200C (392F) or until golden brown.
What Baking Pan To Use?
You can really bake sourdough focaccia bread in any pan that has a lip - even a baking tray is fine.
I have baked this bread many, many times and my favorite way to do it is in a cast iron pan with lashings of olive oil.
I first started baking this bread in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. It comes out perfectly fine - I just prefer it in cast iron. I think that the bottom crisps up a bit more.
If you are using a pan - whether cast iron, aluminium or other - just make sure that if you're not using parchment paper that you spread enough oil on the pan to prevent the focaccia bread from sticking.
Here are a few ideas of what to bake your focaccia bread in:
- Cast iron skillet or bread pan (the skillet I'm using is 39cm x 26cm (15 x 10 inches).
- Divide into two portions and bake in round cake tins lined with parchment paper (I do this with 20cm (8 inch) cake tins.
- Baking tray (either using olive oil or baking paper) - any medium sized tray is fine, the dough can stretch out to fit.
Troubleshooting Sourdough Focaccia Bread
While this recipe is seriously simple, there are still a few issues that can arise. Sometimes it's the most simple of recipes that can give us the most grief!
I thought I'd put together a few troubleshooting tips that you can use as a reference in case you run into issues while making this bread.
- Dough too wet & sticky - this is a high hydration dough. It will start off really sloppy but the dough should gain strength as you perform the stretch and folds. It should then gain strength and volume during bulk fermentation. Don't stress too much as this is a "free form" type of bread - you don't need it to hold its shape as it is baked in a pan.
You can see in the photo above what my dough looks like after autolyse (before I start stretching and folding) - it's a wet mess! But looks how smooth and strong it is after bulk fermentation! Have patience. - Type of flour - I recommend using bread flour for this recipe. If you need to use all purpose flour, reduce the amount of water by up to 50g because all purpose flour will not cope with higher hydration.
- Not bubbling - ideally you should get some nice big bubbles that form once the dough has been sitting in the pan for proofing. It does need to be placed in a warmer temp (ideally 24C - 28C).
- Dough sticky when dimpling - if the dough sticks to your fingers when you are dimpling it - you need more olive oil!! Seriously, there's no such thing as too much oil! It will give you a crispy outter and so much flavor!
How To Eat Sourdough Focaccia Bread
This sourdough focaccia bread recipe can be served and eaten in so many different ways.
Dressed simply with olive oil, rosemary and salt it can accompany just about anything. Tear it, slice it, toast it, dip it - it lends itself to any occasion.
It really can be a meal in itself (seriously ... just add wine lol). Oh and some of this whipped herb butter or this cultured butter!
Some of my favorite toppings for sourdough focaccia include:
- Make it like a pizza - add fresh tomato, red onion, olives, mini pepperoni or roll up some salami, shredded ham or bacon, lashings of mozzarella and a generous sprinkling of pizza herbs - YUM! Check out this sourdough pizza focaccia bread!
- Olives, rosemary and olive oil.
- Thinly sliced onion, olive oil and lots of salt.
- Stud the focaccia with red or green grapes cut in half, drizzle with olive oil.
- Drizzle with melted butter, dust it with cinnamon sugar and dip into melted chocolate (seriously it's sooooo addictive!) or try this sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia bread!
- Sprinkle your sourdough focaccia with homemade Everything Bagel seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people say to use your over fermented sourdough to make focaccia. You can do this - yes. Will it taste as good as an intentionally made focaccia bread? No. Using over fermented dough to make focaccia will result in a very sour, dense loaf - as opposed to an actual focaccia bread which is bubbly and light in texture and flavor.
It's best to dimple focaccia before you bake it. If you don't, you risk it puffing up too much in the oven and you will lose that bubbly, spongey texture.
You could, but it will take a long time to ferment and it will make the bread very sour. It's best to stick with 100g of sourdough starter - unless you're making it in a very hot environment.
Yes you can - I have chosen not to. If you do add olive oil into the dough, you will need to reduce the hydration as this will make it very wet and soupy. Honestly, drizzling it with olive oil is enough to get the full flavor through the bread.
Yes you can use sourdough discard. But if using discard, you'd need to a pinch of yeast.
Want More Recipes?
If you are loving this recipe for Sourdough Focaccia Bread, you might also enjoy these:
- Sourdough Fougasse Recipe
- Sourdough Pane Di Casa Recipe
- Sourdough Pinwheels with Ham and Cheese
- Rosemary & Parmesan Sourdough Bread Wreath
- Sourdough Olive Bread
Sourdough Focaccia Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital Scale
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the dough
- 100 g Sourdough starter active and bubbly
- 400 g Water can increase or decrease by 30g if desired
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 10 g Salt
For the topping
- 30 g Olive Oil
- 10 g Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Rosemary Leaves Fresh or dried
Instructions
- Mixing The DoughWeigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large bowl.Mix the water and starter together briefly. Then add flour and salt and mix whole lot together until it forms a sticky dough. You don't want any dry flour left at all.You can use a dough scraper or Danish dough whisk for this process.
- Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour. It's ok if it's a little bit longer, it's not going to matter too much.
- Strengthening the DoughAfter the dough has been through autolyse you need to bring it together into a ball. Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself, into the centre. You should feel the dough strengthen as you do this. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth or tight, just work around the bowl stretching and folding (around 10 - 15 times is perfect).
- Bulk Ferment:Now you want to leave your dough to ferment. Cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave it alone to double (see notes).Focaccia is super forgiving so it doesn't need to be perfectly doubled - near enough is fine.
- Shaping Focaccia:Once the dough has doubled you need to shape the dough. Shaping focaccia is super simple (and absolutely forgiving). See my notes in the post above for details on baking pans/dishes.Use a dough scraper to gently ease the dough out into your desired pan.
- Rub your hands with a little olive oil and gently pull the dough out to fill the tray. Again it doesn't have to be perfect as it will naturally fill the tray as it proofs.
- Second Rise:Let your dough rise again. Leave it until it's spread out and filled the tray. It will be puffy and pillowy ... you might even have some gorgeous bubbles popping up.
- Topping:Once the dough has filled the tray and is looking puffy and full of volume, you need to dimple the dough and add the toppings.Pour olive oil over the top of the dough and then push your finger tips into the dough to create dimples. You might see some bubbles as you do this.Now sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.
- Baking Sourdough Focaccia:Preheat the oven to 200C (392F).Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Cast iron skillet or bread pan (the skillet I'm using is 39cm x 26cm (15 x 10 inches).
- Divide into two portions and bake in round cake tins lined with parchment paper (I do this with 20cm (8 inch) cake tins.
- Baking tray (either using olive oil or baking paper) - any medium sized tray is fine, the dough can stretch out to fit.
camilla keeling
Fantastic ! Best focaccia I’ve ever made…
Josephine
Truly a delight. Such an easy recipe and delicious.
Tracie
Really excited to try this! Am I reading it right that I only need to do one round of stretch and folds for this (as opposed to four rounds for traditional loaves)?
The Pantry Mama
yes that's right, you don't need to be as hands on with Focaccia 🙂
susan pratt
I almost gave up as it was not rising on the bulk fermentation process. I left it overnight and voila it looked fantastic..
Penny
Nice recipe, my bread turned out great. The only thing I changed was the flour. I thought that an Italian bread should be made with Italian flour so I used T 00 flour which is the same flour I use for pizza. Will definitely be making again.
Mariloy (Mal) Galle
Another big hit from Pantry Mama. I made it with black olives and roasted garlic. It's crisp outside and lovely inside. I need to correct two things. I will use parchment paper next time and a bigger pan. Thanks for this one. Can't wait to try other toppings
Chari
Delicious, home grown rosemary, fresh garlic, a few olives and fresh ground pepper were a lovely topping.
Christine Robinson
Great recipe, can never make too much 😊
Pam
I loved this. I probably wouldn’t have made focaccia bread if it hadn’t been for the July Bake Challenge. Just wasn’t sure I’d like it. Toppings are so versatile and you can just make it your own. This is a go to for me now. It’s quick (compared to sourdough bread process and can be made in one day) it’s fairly simple. And best of all? It’s delicious. I made mine with spinach, basil, garlic, and parmesan. It was such a hit. Thanks for the recipe. Thanks for the challenge. 💗💗
The Pantry Mama
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback Pam, so glad you enjoyed the July Bake Challenge! Enjoy your delicious focaccia - oh and those toppings sound incredible!! xo
Lizette
Best recipe ever! I love all of The Pantry Mama's recipes. Yet, this one for the focaccia is perfect!!!
Dawn ciarleglio
I've made this july bake recipe twice and it didn't disappoint. Just make sure t I add olive oil to your pan before and after final proof. Thanks for the recipe! Dawn.
Elaine
wonderful recipe! Thanks for all that info. my Focaccia came out amazing, it has risen a lot and the taste together with a lot of toppings was amazing!!
Heatjer
I made this as part of the July Group Bake. The steps were easy to follow as all of Pantry Mama’s recipes are. I served some of it as a base for bruschetta for my parents’ anniversary party, as a sandwich and made bread crumbs with the rest that was starting to go stale. I will definitely be making this on a regular basis. Thanks for a great recipe!
Heather
Heather not Heatjer
Wayne
I made the focaccia bread for the first time two weeks and it was a hit, so much so that after finishing it off in two days my wife begged me to make another, which I happily did because I loved it too! Great recipe, perfect instructions and wonderful results.
Npr
Pantry Mama is the real deal! Jump right in and start making sourdough- you can do it with her guidance💗🤗💗
Cathy
Great recipe. I think I overlooked it but it still was a hit. Everyone loved it. It was easy to make too!
Debbie
Very detailed recipe. Pictures are so helpful as well as trouble-shooting.
Sheila St. Aubin
Fantastic instruction and photos. Easy to follow. Thank you
Connie J Kaiser
Super fun to make. I loved it!
Jessie Grube
Yum we loved it so good!
Karen
Sourdough newbie here but I found your recipe so easy to follow! My Foccacia dough was on the wetter side as I forgot to account for the tropical climate here. I live in the Phils. However, you were right to say that the dough is forgiving! It was a hit with the kids, especially when I brought out some marinara sauce as a dip. Thank you so much for the recipe and your very detailed guide! ❤️
Edie
This sourdough focaccia is amazing! I use focaccia to make paninis and have used the same recipe for years. My daughter was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s and we have found she tolerates sourdough breads better. I didn’t plan well so didn’t have time to use bubbly, fed starter. I followed this recipe but used discard and 6 grams of yeast (more than a pinch but it’s what I used with your sourdough discard bagel recipe so I went with it!). I had wonderful sourdough focaccia ready to use in less than 5 hours. It’s better than the traditional recipe I have used for years! This will be my go-to focaccia recipe from now on. Hopefully someday I’ll plan properly and make it with fresh starter! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Marilyn
I love your sourdough bagel recipe. It’s my go to when I make bagels. So easy and great results. TY for sharing.
The Pantry Mama
Thank you! I'm so glad you love the recipe 🙂 xx
sabrina t malkovich
i made this last night and it was a hit. I added caputo as my sour dough starter was not as bubbly and it was a hit. We garnished with garlic and salt and olive oil. thank you for the easy and amazing recipe
Vicki Albus
I am a newbie but I love your posts! And Your Sourdough discard bread is so easy and delicious!!!
Erin
Have you ever frozen baked focaccia?
The Pantry Mama
Absolutely, it freezes beautifully! Just wrap in parchment paper and foil and freeze 🙂
Angela
Hi, can the first rise be done in the refrigerator overnight?
The Pantry Mama
no, the bulk ferment needs to be done at room temp.
Bar Fluet
Best focaccia I've ever made! Since I used discard for this I also sprinkled in a bit of active dry yeast and it worked out great and was easy and ready within a few hours. Baked in a 10x10 aluminium pan with a ton of olive oil and it came out so chewy, tender and crispy. You could hear the crunch from the other side of the house! Thank you for a great recipe my family will continue to enjoy often
The Pantry Mama
YAY! So glad you love it! That's so awesome! xo
Sarah
This recipe is good as is but I will say I am on my fourth or fifth round and for the second time I’m using 200 g of day old discard rather than 100 g of active starter and it works really well! The first time was out of desperation but it did not disappoint!! I can see it working a tad faster and the first loaf I tried like that turned out really fluffy and airy. My starter was given to me and is extremely active (I can’t take credit, it can not die) so I think I could honestly probably make a standard boule with it at a day unfed but haven’t tried yet because how disappointing would that be if it didn’t turn out… One day when I don’t have so many hungry mouths to feed lol!
Sheila
Delish!! My first focaccia and it’s sooooooo good!
Mery
First time making a focaccia and first time working with sourdough, and everything turned great! So I wanted to thank you for an easy to understand and easy to follow recipe! I think resting the focaccia in the pan you're baking it is soooo brilliant!
Annie miclat
My hubby love it