Sourdough Focaccia Bread
This easy and delicious sourdough focaccia bread is a crusty, chewy bread full of the savory flavors of olive oil, herbs, and salt that leaves you and your guests craving for more.
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Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Rimmed baking sheet
- measuring cups/spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup fed/active sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- dried herbs of choice
Instructions
- The night before, feed your starter so it is active and bubbly. If making from a dry starter, make a regular batch of active starter, about 1 heaping cup.
- Using a stand mixer, combine 1 cup of starter, 1 1/2 cups warm water, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 1/2 tsp salt.
- Mix until well combined and forms a shaggy ball of dough. It will be a very wet dough. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform at least 5 stretch-n-folds on the dough 30 minutes apart. Cover the dough in between the stretches and allow to rest. The dough will become less shaggy and start to form a soft, pliable ball consistency. You can either dump the dough onto a floured surface to do this or simply leave it in the bowl (which is what I do).
- After the last stretch, cover the bowl and allow to ferment 3-5 hours. If you want to ferment longer, wrap the covered bowl in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to proceed, allow the dough to come to room temperature.
- Heavily oil a baking sheet or cast iron pan with olive oil. dump the dough onto the pan and spread evenly with oiled fingers, leaving dimples in the dough all over.
- Cover the pan and allow to rise for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees at this time.
- Once risen, drizzle olive oil over top of the dough so that is puddles in the crevices. Top with herbs of choice. (I like Herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs). Sprinkle the top with salt.
- Bake for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Notes
*Calories are approximate per serving.
Dipping Oil Recipe:
- 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (I sometimes used flavored oils such as garlic lemon or chile pepper)
- 2 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs of choice such as thyme, rosemary, basil, and parsley
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 142kcal
