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image of sourdough focaccia

The Best Sourdough Focaccia

This is hands down the best sourdough focaccia you'll ever make. Light, high-rising, fluffy, and a little crispy on the outside...perfect for sandwiches or eating on its own!
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Prep Time 20 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 20 hours 40 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Lunch, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings 1 8 inch focaccia
Calories 975 kcal

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.
    image of olive oil and water
  • 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).
    image of autolyse dough
  • 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.
    image of salt and sourdough starter about to mixed into dough
  • 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.
    image of proofed focaccia
  • 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.
    image of proofed and dimpled focaccia with water on top
  • 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.
    image of focaccia dough before the oven drizzled with olive oil
  • 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.
    image of the best sourdough focaccia

Notes

You can easily double this recipe and bake in a 9x13-inch tin. I do suggest using a nonstick tin.
Use the best quality olive oil you have.
Use the highest protein percentage bread flour you have (these are usually labeled as "artisan bread flour" in the US).
You can replace the honey with maple syrup to make this recipe vegan!
See optional topping variations above.