Description
This Easy Sourdough Focaccia recipe is perfect for beginners looking to craft a fluffy, flavorful Italian bread with a crisp golden crust. Made using a homemade sourdough starter, this focaccia is gently fermented and formed with olive oil, sprinkled with coarse sea salt, and baked to perfection. Its airy texture and subtle honey sweetness make it ideal for sandwiches, dipping, or enjoying on its own.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Starter
- 50 g (scant ¼ cup) mature sourdough starter, room temperature
- 50 g (scant ¼ cup) flour
- 50 g (scant ¼ cup) tepid water (filtered, bottled, or boiled and cooled tap water)
For the Sourdough Focaccia
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) active sourdough starter
- 400 g (1 ½ cups + 3 tbsp) water (filtered, bottled, or boiled and cooled tap water)
- 3 tbsp runny honey (optional)
- 12 g (2 scant teaspoons) sea salt
- 500 g (4 cups) white bread flour
- 3 tbsp virgin olive oil for the bowl
- 3 tbsp virgin olive oil for the bread or as needed
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Feed Your Sourdough Starter: Combine 50 g mature starter, 50 g flour, and 50 g tepid water in a container. Mix well and leave at room temperature for 4-6 hours until doubled in size, bubbly, and passes the float test.
- Prepare The Dough: In a large bowl, measure 100 g active starter. Add 400 g water and 3 tbsp honey if using, then mix. Gradually add 500 g flour and 12 g sea salt, mixing thoroughly with a dough whisk or hands until fully combined. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold: Lift a section of dough from the underside and stretch it upward, then fold it over the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat multiple times to build gluten strength.
- Bulk Fermentation: Drizzle 3 tbsp olive oil into a large bowl or Pyrex dish. Transfer dough and coat with olive oil. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 4 to 18 hours, until doubled. Warmer kitchen and stronger starter shorten fermentation time.
- Second Rise: Line a 9×13-inch pan with a reusable liner and drizzle with olive oil. Gently transfer dough to the pan, scoop dough from the middle and fold in half. Fold into thirds to form a rectangle, turn seam-side down. Cover with plastic bag and let rise 4–6 hours until nearly doubled and spreading to fill the pan.
- Ready to Bake: Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Dip fingers in olive oil and press deeply into dough to create dimples. Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt. Bake for 25 minutes until focaccia is golden brown on top.
- Cool and Serve: Lift focaccia using the liner onto a cooling rack and let rest 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy as sandwich bread or with dips.
Notes
- Use filtered or bottled water for best fermentation results to avoid chlorine.
- The honey is optional but adds a subtle sweetness and helps with browning.
- Fermentation time varies widely depending on room temperature and starter strength.
- Pressing dimples before baking helps trap olive oil and seasoning.
- For a crispier crust, bake on the middle rack without foil or pan cover.
- Store baked focaccia wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes (including starter feeding and resting times)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: sourdough, focaccia, easy bread, Italian bread, homemade focaccia, beginner sourdough, olive oil bread
