Wrinkled fingers and toes, sand in every nook and cranny, lunch sacks with empty oil-stained white baker’s paper, and serpentine hair that could pass as a sun-bleached mop head—all signs of a successful outing to the beach. Our daily trips to the Adriatic’s cool, blue waters were welcome escapes from the city heat during family visits to Southern Italy. Our little beach— perhaps with a bit of fantasy I like to think it was just ours—was a short drive away in a small stick-shift car packed to the brim with people. Family car after family car, we’d speedily caravan through the small towns toward our respite. The few, yet crucial, stops along the way had a single purpose: to fill our sacks with baked goods meant to sustain our time away. My favorite among these, by a long measure, was a simple sourdough focaccia.
With hardly a second thought, we’d buy several full sheet trays of the golden bread. The baker would cut the thick slabs into manageable pieces and wrap the entire thing in the white paper, sealed shut with a shiny sticker— conceivably an attempt to elevate the humble, yet utterly otherworldly, snack.
You see, focaccia is a rustic and simple affair: it’s a slab of naturally leavened dough topped with simple ingredients, any vegetable in season, olive oil, and salt. Some focaccia are soft, and some are crispy (my preference), sometimes thick and sometimes thin. There are as many variations across Italy as there are dialects. The beauty of this bread is that you can make it with little effort. First, mix the dough in the morning, then let it rise during the day, and finally bake it just before dinner. If you have a ripe sourdough starter, salt, and olive oil, you’re hours away from golden focaccia—and all the wonderful olfactory impressiveness therein—baking in your home oven.
Because sourdough focaccia has so few ingredients, the ones you use should be of the utmost quality. Use vegetables in season and the highest quality olive oil you can find. In this post, I worked with Jovial’s Olio Nuovo, a fresh-pressed olive oil from the Valpantena area of Northern Italy. It isn’t easy to source exclusively fresh-pressed olive oil. Usually, this oil is blended with aged oil, balancing the flavor profile to make it consistent with other offerings throughout the year. This fresh oil has a delicate flavor but a balanced, upfront fruitiness as well. If you’ve never had the chance to try an oil like this, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Flour Selection
With this naturally leavened focaccia, I wanted little sourness in the result. While I typically include whole grains in most of my recipes, I wanted the flavor of this classic bread to be mild so the taste of the olive oil and fresh toppings pop. Removing all the whole grain flour from initial trials hit the spot.
For this formula, I blended 30% high protein flour (about 13% protein) with 70% all-purpose flour (11-12% protein). The high protein flour helps give this highly-hydrated dough strength and structure—and 30% is just enough.
Focaccia Toppings
This simple sourdough focaccia can be topped with just about anything you can imagine. My favorite is rosemary, chopped cherry tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives, coarse sea salt, and good quality olive oil. Traditionally, Ligurian focaccia (and as shown in the recent Salt Fat Acid Heat episode on Netflix) is topped with a salty brine. Instead, I love dusting the top with coarse sea salt: the chunky crystals bring unexpected pops of flavor.
Here are a few more ideas:
- Tomatoes, capers, oregano, garlic, olive oil
- Thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes tossed with coarse salt. Let the potatoes drain over a colander for 15 minutes to help remove some water. Then top in addition to coarse sea salt, fresh thyme, and olive oil
- Sliced and olive oil-marinated red onions, brined olives, and fresh chopped tomatoes
- Grated hard cheeses of all kinds (parmesan, pecorino, etc.), rosemary, olive oil
A Simple Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
Special Equipment
For this sourdough focaccia, you will need a round or rectangular pan for baking. I like to use a deep pan (as opposed to a baking sheet) so the focaccia doesn’t dry out too fast in the oven. My preferred pans:
- 9″ x 13″ USA Pan Rectangular Cake Pan
- Two 10 x 2.25″ LloydPans Round Pans (use the same dough weight as in this recipe, just divide in half and place each half into one pan)
Both pans have a nonstick interior, and they conduct heat exceptionally well, imparting a beautiful crust on the naturally leavened focaccia.
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 1,200 grams |
| Sourdough Starter | 19.00% |
| Hydration | 76.00% (78.00% with olive oil) |
| Yield | One 1200g focaccia |
Total Formula
This table shows the entire quantity and baker’s percentages for each ingredient. If you’d like to make two large focaccia (or four smaller ones), double everything in the table below.
There’s no specific levain build for this focaccia, just use some of your sourdough starter when it’s ripe (when you’d normally give it a refreshment). See my post on the differences between a levain and sourdough starter for more information on the two preferments.
Target final dough temperature (FDT) is 76°F (24°C).
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 423g | All-purpose flour (King Arthur All-Purpose Flour) | 70.00% |
| 181g | High protein bread flour, malted (King Arthur Bread Flour) | 30.00% |
| 12g | Extra virgin olive oil (Jovial Olio Nuovo Organic Olive Oil) | 2.00% |
| 459g | Water | 76.00% |
| 11g | Salt | 1.80% |
| 115g | Sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 19.00% |
Method
Mix – 9:00 a.m.
This dough can be mixed by hand (I would use the slap and fold technique) or with a stand mixer like a KitchenAid or Famag spiral mixer.
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add both the flours, water, salt, and ripe sourdough starter (hold back the olive oil until later in mixing).
Mix on speed 1 for 1 to 2 minutes until incorporated. Then, mix on speed 2 for 5 minutes until dough strengthens and clumps around the dough hook. Let the dough rest in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes.
Next, turn the mixer on to speed 1 and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl while mixing. Once all of the olive oil is absorbed, turn the mixer up to speed 2 for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough comes back together.
Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
This highly hydrated and enriched dough is wet and loose, it won’t strengthen to the same degree as a typical bread dough.
As you can see below on the left, the dough is still very wet and chunky immediately after mixing. However, it’s not falling apart or soupy. Please resist the temptation to add more flour at this point. As you can see below in the image at the right, by the middle of bulk fermentation, it’ll strengthen after several sets of stretch and folds (see my guide on how to stretch and fold sourdough for more information).
Transfer the dough to a covered container for bulk fermentation.
Bulk Fermentation – 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Give the dough 4 sets of stretches and folds (fold a side of the dough up and over to the other side, and then rotate the container to perform 4 folds per set), starting 30 minutes after mixing, and a set every 30 minutes after that.
Proof – 11:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Transfer the dough to a deep rectangular pan that’s been greased with olive oil. If you don’t have a pan with a silicone liner, make sure to heavily oil the pan’s interior so the focaccia doesn’t stick during baking.
At 76-78°F (24-25°C), the dough will proof for 4 hours. This time period is flexible and dependent on the temperature: if it’s cooler, let it proof longer, and conversely, if it’s warm, you might be able to bake sooner.
Every 30 minutes for the first hour, uncover the pan and gently stretch the dough with wet hands to the pan’s edges to encourage it to fill the pan. The dough will naturally spread out during this proofing period, so it’s unnecessary to spread the dough aggressively. Once the dough is mostly spread to the edges, cover the pan and proof for 4 hours.
OVERNIGHT OPTION: After two hours in proof, cover the rectangular pan with an airtight cover and transfer to the fridge. The next day, take out the dough and let it come to room temperature, and continue with the Top & Bake step below.
The rectangular pan I use fits perfectly inside my B&T Dough Proofer. I keep it inside the proofer, covered with reusable plastic, and set to 78°F (25°C) until ready to bake.
About 30 minutes before you anticipate the sourdough focaccia dough being ready, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a rack placed in the bottom third (a baking stone is not necessary).
Top & Bake – 3:15 p.m.
First, dimple the unadorned dough with wet fingers. Make sure the dimples are evenly spaced and go all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Then, drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of your extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and coarse sea salt. If using other toppings, add them now as well—I like to press them into the dough gently.
Bake the focaccia in the oven at 450°F (232°C) until deeply colored on top, about 30 minutes. Rotate the pan front-to-back halfway through this time. Keep an eye on it during the last 5 minutes and pull it out if it’s coloring too quickly, or leave it in longer if you’d like it a little darker.
Let the focaccia cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s fantastic warm from the oven, and best on the day of baking, but it’ll keep well for a couple of days loosely wrapped in foil (reheat under the broiler before serving).
Conclusion
When I topped the pillowy focaccia dough, the aroma of fruity olive oil and chopped rosemary was captivating. Once the pan was slid into the oven, my house gradually filled with the most intoxicating perfume as the dough rose high and the edges began to crisp. The melange of baking dough, toasted herbs, olive oil, and briny olives had me checking the oven frequently—as if checking on it would expedite things. Sit tight, wait for it to finish, I told myself as I gently slapped my hand from opening the door yet again.
Thanks to the copious addition of high-quality olive oil, both in the mix and on top of the dough, causes the dough to turn crispy and take on a beautiful golden hue. Biting through a slice first provides a faint resistance, then gives way to a soft and ultra-tender interior. A perfect mix of flavors and textures—an experience best savored, as if you’re at the beach without an agenda.
This simple and rustic sourdough focaccia, made with a naturally leavened dough and topped with just the right balance of ingredients, brings me right back to the blue waters of the Adriatic; the sun in my eyes and thick, crunchy slices of bread eaten with haste. The only things absent are the beautiful white wrapping paper and all those little bits of sand that seem to work their way into just about everything—yea, I can do without that.
If you’re looking for more focaccia-goodness, check out my sourdough focaccia Pugliese which has potato added into the dough, for even more chew, softness, and deliciousness.
Thanks so much to Jovial for supplying me with their wonderful olive oil and sponsoring this simple sourdough focaccia recipe! As usual, the content and opinions here are my own.
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A Simple Sourdough Focaccia
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 focaccia
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This easy to make and delicious focaccia comes together all in one day using your already ripe sourdough starter. Top with tomatoes, olives, rosemary, and coarse sea salt—or, really, anything you have in the kitchen that’s fresh and sounds delicious!
Ingredients
- 423g all-purpose flour
- 181g high-protein bread flour
- 12g extra virgin olive oil
- 459g water
- 11g salt
- 115g ripe sourdough starter
Instructions
- Mix (9:00 a.m.)
This dough can be mixed by hand or with a stand mixer (like a KitchenAid). To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add both the flours, water, salt, and ripe sourdough starter (hold back the olive oil until later in mixing). Mix on speed 1 for 1 to 2 minutes until incorporated. Then, mix on speed 2 for 5 minutes until dough strengthens and clumps around the dough hook. Let the dough rest in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes.Next, turn the mixer on to speed 1 and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl while mixing. Once all of the olive oil is absorbed, turn the mixer up to speed 2 for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough comes back together. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk fermentation (9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.)
Give the dough 4 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals, where the first set starts 30 minutes after the start of bulk fermentation. - Proof (11:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.)
Liberally oil the inside of a 9×13″ rectangular pan or two 10″ diameter circular baking pans. Gently scrape the dough out of the bulk fermentation directly into the rectangular pan (or onto a work surface, divide in two, and place each in a circular pan).The dough will proof in the pan for 4 hours. Every 30 minutes for the first hour, uncover the pan and gently stretch the dough with wet hands to the pan’s edges to encourage it to fill the pan. The dough will naturally spread out during this proofing period, so it’s unnecessary to spread the dough aggressively. Once the dough is mostly spread to the edges, cover the pan and let it proof for the remainder of the 4 hours. About 30 minutes before the end of the 4-hour proof period, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with an empty rack in the bottom third. - Top & Bake (3:15 p.m.)
When your oven is preheated, dimple the top of the dough all over with wet fingers. Then, liberally drizzle on olive oil to cover the surface of the dough. Spread on chopped herbs and coarse sea salt. Bake until golden on the top and bottom, about 30 minutes. Let the focaccia cool in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. It’s wonderful straight from the oven, and best the day it’s baked.
Notes
Overnight proof option: mid-way through the 4-hour proof, place the covered pan with dough in the refrigerator to proof overnight. The next day, take the dough out, bring it up to room temp, finish proofing until well-risen and bubbly, and continue with the Top & Bake step.
If you use this recipe, tag @maurizio on Instagram so I can take a look!
722 Comments
Good afternoon Maurizio!
Will it be ok if after I’m done with BF, I leave my focaccia dough inside the bowl in the fridge for 24 hrs and then, transfer to my baking dish for the final proof (4 to 5 hrs)
What do you think?
Thank you
Yup, that’ll work very well, Carol. I do this often.
hi – related to this question, how long can you cold-proof focaccia dough in the refrigerator before overproofing? can you leave it for up to 48 hours? really amazing turnout, btw, thank you – robin
Hi, I like to cold retard my sourdough focaccias or loaves for 40 hrs with no issues.
I just put 2 inside the fridge and I'll bake them on Wed
I've done 48 hrs!
Hey Maurizio! Love this recipe, so simple as well as it doesn’t need levain.
The only issue I had is that my focaccia got stuck to the tray (even if I put olive oil at the bottom). Do you think maybe some semolina or a paper on the tray might help with that?
Thanks!
Ahh bummer. Yes, very much depends on the pan. I would say parchment will definitely help.
Doubled the starter (because I’m impatient), reduced the water accordingly and added a handful of wheat gluten since I only had ap flour – freaking amazing focaccia
So glad it turned out well for ya, Kailee!
In my opinion the cooking time is way too long, I struggle to reconcile such a detailed recipe with such a wrong cooking indication.
I cook focaccia for 20 mins at 220 degrees Celsius, and it’s already on the verge of being too brown (I like it this way). 30 min at 230 degree Celsius will give you charcoal for supper.
Also, not confined by the choice of all purpose flour.
Thanks for all the detailed recipes nonetheless.
Definitely needs adjustment based on your oven and elevation, as always! Hope it turned out great with a lower temp for ya 🙂
I am FREAKING OUT right now at how PHENOMENALLY PERFECT this turned out! It had all the taste, texture, rise, and bubbles I could’ve ever hoped for, and it was ridiculously light and airy to boot!! This was literally my first ever focaccia bake, and I’m in heaven! I actually doubted it would work because the dough didn’t appear to have risen nearly as much as your pictures, even though I followed the recipe to an obsessive “T”. But I didn’t give up on it, and just stayed the course as per your written instructions! Who would’ve thought a same-day focaccia would work, and so DELIGHTFULLY?! I’ve only been baking with sourdough a few short months, but have been studying hard to achieve good results. So thankful to have found your recipes and methods, because if I can do it, then anyone can! Since I had a major pizza craving at the time, I topped the proofed dough with a half cup of homemade pizza sauce (Adam Ragusea’s recipe), 1.5 c. shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese, plenty of bold mini pepperoni cups, & some fresh basil. Then sprinkled Penzeys Frozen Pizza Seasoning & red pepper flakes liberally from stem to stern! And BAM! Dinner is served! Easy clean up too, so that was a plus! Thank you for a well written recipe, it was such a rewarding and delicious experience! I’m still in AWE!
Ahh so glad to hear all of this Pamela! Love the adds you put on top 🙂
Does the amount of starter need to be adjusted for higher altitude baking?
You can increase the amount if needed, but generally, it shouldn’t be.
I don’t have a mixer and will be mixing by hand. The olive oil that gets mixed in half way, do I just add that at the beginning? I’m new to this. Thanks!
I would add the OO at the end when hand mixing!
My focaccia is rising v slowly. In 6 hours it hasn’t risen much. Could this be because of the ripeness level of the starter I fed it for two days after taking it out of the fridge.
You might be right – Two days is a while for it being out of the refrigerator. At the temperature of my house (about 20C), I usually refresh the sourdough the night before and it is bubbly and ready the next morning (8 hours or so) – unless the recipe calls for something different. That’s the timing I used for this one and it worked really well for this recipe, but this website has a lot of better and more detailed advice on how to keep a sourdough.
This is a bit of a long comment, but I hope may help other sourdough bakers. I have tried this recipe 3X….the first two were complete failures, and the third (two nights ago) was a success. I found the ‘cure’ by paying attention to my starter. Here’s how.
I’ve been baking sourdough regularly for the past 4 years and had just gotten to the point where I said to myself…”I’ve got this sourdough thing licked” because I was turning out good to very good loaves consistently. Of course, I then hit a slump. By this time I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the fermentation process (I thought), hydration levels (which need to be lower in Ireland due to the ambient humidity), and dough handling. So, what to fix?
My kitchen stays pretty much at 69F to 70F year round (you don’t come to Ireland for the long hot summers!). I’ve been leaving my starter on the counter and feeding it twice a day, as I found that ‘worked’ in terms of the starter life-cycle. But I know that Maurizio talks about storing his starter at 78F. So….I decided to go back to keeping the starter in my Brod and Taylor proofer, set at 75F. The result was spectacular oven spring and great crumb. So I thought….hmmm. Maybe sluggish starter was the cause of the focaccia fails. And indeed, using this recipe/timeline (with the final proofing extended to 4 1/2 hours) worked just fine with a truly healthy starter.
It’s convinced me on the importance of temperature in managing your starter…and my next birthday present is going to be the sourdough starter home!
Starter maintenance is so, so important. Thanks for reporting back all these details, they’ll definitely help others!
My rosemary and garlic always fall off after baking, even after pressing them in. Any tips on how make them stick better?
Yeah, it happens to me, too, sometimes. For the garlic, really press it into the dough (like I do the tomatoes). The rosemary… I add more than I think i’ll need because I know some will fall off 🙂
@maurizioleo:disqus incredible recipe – we use it all the time! I would like to see if I could “swirl” the focaccia with calabrian chili paste. Thoughts on the best way to go about this? How do you think this would work with the overnight option?
Love that idea, would work super well. I would add it in at the very end of mixing (so you’re not mixing it in too much to get a swirl).
Fantastic recipe! I made this for Christmas Eve and am in the process of pulling one together for New Year’s Eve. I mixed into the dough about a teaspoonful of dry rosemary and thyme that I ground up. My dough was a bit wet and sticky making it a little tough to handle, but not so much that I added more flour. After bulk fermentation I proofed it in a single 12″ round earthenware baker, topped it with chopped fresh rosemary and broken up kalamata olives and a really nice olive oil and baked it at 425 since my oven tends to run hot. It was so beautiful. This will be in my regular rotation (much to my daughter’s delight).
Thanks Maurizio for another great one!!!
Happy to help, Carmine!
Hello Maurizio- quick question for you. I recently purchased a Brod bread proofer that you recommend and it is a game changer. I am using it this morning on the focaccia, and was wondering what temperature you would recommend for the initial bulk fermentation? Thanks for any guidance and Happy New Year!
Maurizio mentioned in the recipe he sets his proofer to 78 F
Yes, 76 or 78 will work!
I made this for the first time today. SO good. The only thing is, next time I’ll line with parchment paper because it stuck to the bottom of my glass pan.
That’s happened to me a bunch! I read with glass pans you’ll need to butter then oil the pan to prevent sticking. I’ve used pan spray and then oil and it works too. Good luck!
I wish my starter was mature. I tried to make one a couple of years ago but my heart was not in it. Tried again and it was going great but I landed up in hospital and when I eventually got back to it it was too late. My third try and all is going well. I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks so yummy 😋.
Let me know how you like it when you give it a go, Liesle!
Okay I see a lot of people having issues with this bread but this is now the second time I’m making it and it’s turned out wonderfully both times. I follow the directions exactly (aside from setting my oven a bit lower as my oven tends to run too hot). So if you are considering this, I’d say go ahead and make it. Truly a delicious bread.
Thank you!
Don’t bother with this recipe. I followed the directions to a T and I had to add almost 25 mins to the baking time and the inside was still under done. What a waste of ingredients and a complete disappointment.
My focaccia was well done and crisp on the outside but under baked on the inside. I don’t know how to correct this. Any suggestions?
Hey, Heather! I would reduce the temperature by 25F and bake for longer.
i do not have sourdaugh on hand right now can make it without sourdaugh
You can but you’d have to add flour and water in place of the sourdough starter/levain.
I’ve made this twice and it is very good, but gets very brown on top and I’d like it to be more light brown. I baked at 425 for 25 min and still very dark. Suggestions?
Drop the baking temp to 400F and that should help!
Hi Maurizio! I’ve baked this focaccia quite a few times, and it’s always a great success. Today however I accidentally doubled the salt (was mixing two batches of dough, focaccia and baguettes, and when it was time to add salt to my baguettes I accidentally added it to focaccia instead). The dough is very wet and sticky, and doesn’t do well on stretch and fold, it tears instead of stretching… Any advice on how to get the best out of this salty sticky dough?
I think I’m going to just go ahead and bake it anyway when the time comes. Maybe without the salt as a topping.
How did this turn out Svetlana??
Oh no! I would just bake and see how it goes… Dont add salt on top!
Just did this yesterday, worked great! But the dough was a bit dense, despite rising nicely (using active starter and good long proof). Not over proofed either (based on flavor). Is it possible the dimpling-before-baking causes it to lose some aeration? Some recipes online discuss letting sit 30 minutes after dimpling; what do you think about that?
Yes, dimpling definitely compresses it a bit. You can do less of this!
I’d like some suggestions to adapt this to a breakfast focaccia.
I’ve never done this but I like where youre going with it. I’m imagining chopped bacon on top and then a fried egg in the middle as a sandwich 🙂
Is sourdough Foccacia just over proofed Sourdough bread?
This sounds like a very deep question 🙂
Is balsamic vinegar just old wine?
🤔
Nope. I’ve done that before and it’s amazing.