Okay, seriously, this is THE BEST sourdough focaccia I have ever made. And I've made a ton of them in all my sourdough years.
Through all that testing of so many different focaccia recipes, I've finally nailed the perfect one. It's delicious, and SO, so fluffy.
This recipe uses somewhat of a Ligurian (from Liguria, Italy) method to accomplish the height and light texture present in the final product. This method is why there's that warm water/olive oil blend that goes on top of the dough right before baking!
However, this focaccia is NOT a typical result of a Ligurian focaccia, which is more on the flatter and crispier side. This focaccia is light, tall, and fluffy and it's not extremely crispy unless it's toasted.
Now, for ultimate fluffiness, make sure to read all my tips and details below before making the recipe! I also offer options for variations just before the recipe.
THE BEST SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA: RECIPE DETAILS
Recipe Timing!
First of all, the timing of the recipe will move something like this (starting time can be shifted to fit your schedule):
The day before:
- 1 pm: Feed sourdough starter and make your dough for autolyze
- 4 pm: Once your sourdough starter is peaked, add the starter and salt
- 4:30 pm: Stretch and fold
- 5 pm: Stretch and fold
- 10 pm: Shape and place in the oiled tin, cover and refrigerate
Baking day:
- 8 am: Take the dough out of the fridge and place in a warm place
- 9 am: Preheat the oven to 450F
- 10 am: Dimple, drizzle with warm water and olive oil and set the focaccia in the oven, then turn the temperature down to 400F. Bake for 37-40 minutes!
Tip #1: Prepping your starter!
For the most successful rise in the oven, you need a super active sourdough starter. I highly recommend feeding your starter 12 hours apart for the day before you start making the recipe. For example, on the day before making it, you would feed at 10am and 10pm, then 1pm (as the example schedule above says) for the first step of the recipe.
This recipe is also very simple because it does not require a specific levain for the recipe. Your starter just needs to be 1:1 fed, which means fed equal parts water and flour (I use bread flour).
Your sourdough starter also needs to be peaked/mature for use in this recipe. That means it should be at its most bubbly moment, where it might be doming at the top.
Tip #2: Ingredient Quality!
High quality ingredients are the key to having the tastiest bakes. And in this specific focaccia recipe, your quality of ingredients makes a huge difference.
Olive oil is a super strong ingredient. Yes, strong as in delicious...but also literally very strong in flavor! If you don't use high quality olive oil, this recipe might taste a little off, or worse, not even have much of an olive oil flavor at all.
To clarify, focaccia is a bread defined by its somewhat oily nature which is what makes it so delicious. It's able to be eaten without anything if you so desire because a "condiment" is already majorly included in the recipe. Which means, don't skimp on your olive oil quality and you'll be a very, very happy consumer.
Vegan ingredient note:
If you want to make this recipe vegan, just replace the 8g of honey with 8g of maple syrup! Easy as pie.
Tip #3: DOUGH TEMP!
Dough environment temperature is really important for sourdough fermentation. I like to keep my dough covered at all times and in a proofer (especially in the winter) during bulk fermentation at 80°F. The optimal environment temperature for sourdough dough is around 75-82°F. That may not always be possible, but it's good to note for your own reference when gauging how long your bulk fermentation takes, or even how long it takes for your sourdough starter to peak.
I usually turn my oven on for 5 minutes, until it reaches around 100°F (which I know because of my oven thermometer), then place my dough container or starter into the oven. That way, for the majority of the proof or fermentation, the temperature will stay around 72-85°F for a long while.
When I keep my dough environment at this temperature, it generally takes my my dough the minimal amount of time to ferment (3 hours in this recipe). If your kitchen is much cooler as mine gets in the winter and you don’t have a place like a proofer to keep the dough, you can try out my oven method for proofing or accept that the dough will take a longer while (not the worst thing in the world!).
This proofing environment is also where I let my sourdough starter ferment when I'm timing things out like I do in this recipe. So then my starter's peak is ready when I'm ready to be done with autolyze.
Tip #4: Shaping the best sourdough focaccia!
Seriously though, shaping is the least important thing in this recipe. Does doing a simple square fold help rising, though? Yes.
However, even if you just threw the dough into the tin with no shaping, it'd turn out only a little less voluptuous than what you see in these pictures. And in case you're wondering...yes, I've tested the no-shape method in some of my previous iterations of this recipe while in development. The square fold just makes the end result a little fluffier and the crumb a bit more distinct!
The square fold is very similar to what the dough looks like after stretching and folding the dough:
Yes, it's that simple. Because the dough will expand and be dimpled anyways, your shaping doesn't get seen in the end.
Now, go and enjoy what I think is the best sourdough focaccia ever, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Variation ideas:
For a larger, rectangular focaccia:
You can very easily double this recipe and follow it exactly as written, then just bake in a 9x13-inch nonstick rectangular tin.
Toppings:
You can add most toppings before you drizzle the top with the warm water, olive oil, and salt.
Some good topping variations are:
- Tomato and basil (you can use either fresh cut cherry tomatoes or crush up some canned tomatoes with your hands and spread over)
- Tomato and oregano (same method as above)
- Tomato sauce (lightly spread over)
- Tomato and mozzarella (yes, like a focaccia pizza)
- Thinly sliced vegetables like zucchini and onion (just spread over evenly)
- Just rosemary
- Different kinds of pitted olives and rosemary
- Za'atar
- Garlic and herbs
- Pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese (add both right after baking, just drizzle the top with the pesto and then shave over the top with cheese)
- Lemon zest, honey, and salt (slightly sweet focaccia, anyone?)
The Best Sourdough Focaccia
Equipment
- 1 8-inch or 7-inch (for a higher rise) tin round or square
Ingredients
- 210g warm water
- 30g olive oil
- 8g honey
- 300g bread flour
- 60g sourdough starter mature
- 8g sea salt
for the bake
- 20g warm water for drizzling
- 10g olive oil for drizzling
- flaky salt like maldon, for sprinkling before baking
Instructions
- 3-4 hours before mixing the dough, feed your sourdough starter and place in a warm place.
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water, olive oil, and honey.
- Add the bread flour and mix until fully combined. Cover and let sit for the 3-4 hours, or until your sourdough starter peaks (this is the autolyse).
- Once your starter is peaked, add 60g of it to the dough as well as the salt. Combine until fully mixed and you can no longer feel the salt grains in the dough. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Stretch and fold the dough. Cover for another 30 minutes and then stretch and fold it again.
- Cover and let sit in a warm place for 4-6 hours, or until a couple of bubbles visibly form on top of the dough.
- Use olive oil to oil an 8-inch cake pan or nonstick tin of the same size. On an oiled surface, fold the dough into a square shape (by folding in opposite sides, then the other ones) and place seam side down into the tin. This doesn't have to be perfect at all. Then lightly oil the top of the dough (you can use spray oil), cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight (10 hours).
- In the morning, remove from the fridge and set in a warm place for 2 hours. Before the two hours is up, preheat your oven to 450F (make time for it to sit at that temperature for about 20 minutes).
- Uncover the dough carefully and it should've expanded out more than before.
- Before baking, dimple the dough with wet fingers, letting the tips of your fingers just touch the bottom of the tin without piercing through. (If you're adding toppings, add them now!) Pour the 20g of warm water on top of the dough, avoiding the very edges of the dough.
- Then lightly drizzle the top with olive oil. There will be a strange mixture of water and oil pooling over the dimples. Use your fingers to create a few more dimples if they rose back up. If you want big bubbles, don't pierce any of the bubbles. Sprinkle some flaky salt on top.
- Set in the oven, turn the temperature down to 400F and bake for 37-40 minutes or until golden brown all through the dough top. Transfer to a cooling rack right after removing from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
If you liked my Best Sourdough Focaccia recipe, check out my Honey Roasted Garlic Sourdough recipe!
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