I love bread as much as everyone else and from what I can tell, bread loves me too because I’ve been packing on the pounds. With world events and all, I’ve been turning to comfort food more and more and there is nothing more comforting than carbs. I love carbs in all forms, but bread is especially good because it can be fluffy and crisp and just the best vehicle for other flavors. Focaccia happens to be one of the pillow-iest breads of them all so of course a sourdough focaccia was bound to happen sooner or later.
This is a recipe for a petite small batch sourdough focaccia, just 6 inches across. It’s just the right amount for two or maybe even just one person who likes to eat bread. It’s crisp and fluffy, dimpled with pools of glossy olive oil and finished off with a generous snowing of flaky sea salt.
Like most sourdough breads, this sourdough is made in two parts. The first day, the dough is mixed and left to bulk proof, then it’s placed in the fridge for a slow ferment to build flavor. The next day, the dough is proofed at room temp until it is impossibly bubbly and airy before being gently dimpled and drizzled with oil and baked. The result is phenomenal when warm from the oven and just as good at room temp.
A couple of notes: the two day process is what gives the foccacia it’s flavor, allowing your sourdough starter to do it’s thing and impart it’s specific flavor notes to the dough, so it’s absolutely necessary. The other key to good focaccia is good olive oil. It’s a huge flavor profile of the bread so break out the good stuff that has fresh herbaceous grassy notes with a tiny hint of spiciness on the finish. You can finish your focaccia with fresh herbs, olives, or tomatoes, but I kept it simple with just a light sprinkling of rosemary.
Ingredients
- 24 grams mature starter see note
- 97.5 grams water
- 86 grams 00 flour see note
- 50 grams bread flour
- 2.5 grams sea salt plus extra to finish
- 3.5 grams extra virgin olive oil plus extra to finish
- rosemary optional
Special Equipment
- 6 inch round pan
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the starter and water, then stir in flour and salt. Mix on low until a shaggy ball forms, then mix with olive oil for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl.
- Let rise for two hours, completing stretch-and-folds four times, every half and hour. (To stretch and fold: lightly wet your hands and gather your dough at the top of the bowl and lift with two hands towards the ceiling, lifting and stretching enough so that you can fold the dough over on itself, tucking it into the opposite side. Repeat on all four sides.)
- After two hours, grease a 6 inch round pan with olive oil and line with parchment. Using lightly oiled hands, round the dough into a ball and transfer to the pan, cover with plastic and let rest for two hours at room temperature - there won’t be much of a rise, more of a spreading out and loosening of the dough. Place in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, 1-3 hours before you want to bake, proof at room temp for 1-3 hours until the dough rises and becomes quite airy looking.
- Heat the oven 445°F. Drizzle on olive oil and dimple the dough with your fingers, pushing your fingers all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with flaky salt and fresh rosemary. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate and continue to bake for 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool slightly, then remove from the pan and enjoy!
Notes
14 Comments
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-Steph & Mike
Could I get away with using all AP in this recipe if I don’t have bread flour or 00?
hi sarah,
yes but it might not have the same fluffiness/chew :)
Thank you so much for the reply, Stephanie! I got some bread flour so I’m so excited to make this!!
Love this recipe! Thank you
Hi! Can I let the dough ferment in the fridge longer than overnight? I was hoping to make this recipe two days in advance
hi jamie,
you can! try to put it in the coldest part of your fridge :)
Really great and easy recipe. My sourdough focaccia was so bubbly! Thank you for sharing.
Ive made this a couple of times, shared the focaccia with friends, along with the recipe. Gorgeous dipped in olive oil and then into dukkah!
A million thank you’s for my first true focaccia and a very reliable recipe.
What measurment would i use if i used whole wheat flour?
i would start with subbing 7/8 of a cup of whole wheat for all purpose and go from there. if the dough is too wet, keep adding in whole wheat by the tablespoon until it’s workable but not dry. hope that helps!
Thank you for working out and posting this recipe. Used only bread flour, forgot the oil in the dough but put it in the rosemary, garlic, salt topping. I baked at 450 for 22 minutes and still ended up with fantastic results. Very airy open crumb. So easy. So pleased! I will use this recipe a lot! Thanks again.
Is the dough supposed to be pretty sticky? Or do you just add a bit extra flour if it’s not becoming a smooth and elastic ball?
it’s pretty sticky, but humidity always plays a part in bread making – you may need to dust with a bit of flour!