Simple sourdough focaccia bread, made overnight with an incredibly delicious Italian flavor.
This simple and rustic Italian bread has completely replaced our store bought garlic bread. Easy is an understatement with this recipe. The olive oil, salt, and herbs add a flavor profile that is truly delightful, while the bread remains light and fluffy.
Unlike other sourdough recipes, there is no overcomplicating this bread. The directions and steps are so simple. I’m sure you will have success within the first few tries.
The options with focaccia bread are endless as well. Add any toppings to customize to your own taste or meal. Below are some examples of how we have enjoyed our focaccia bread.
- – Breakfast with cinnamon sugar toppings
- – Sliced in half for sandwich bread.
- – Pizza crust
- – Breadstick appetizer
If you do not already have a sourdough starter, I have step by step instructions in my post All Things Sourdough Starter. Or find a friend that already has a starter and see if they will share with you. If you are local to me, I’m always willing to help others get started on their sourdough journey.
Tools
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Large bowl
Kitchen scale
Tea towel or Beeswax Wrap
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making the Dough
Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before beginning. Make sure it is active and bubbly as well.
Combine the flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter in a large mixing bowl.
Cover with beeswax wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold
This step will allow you to develop the gluten and help the dough to rise nicely.
Grab the edge of one side of the dough, while still in the bowl, and gently pull up and fold across to the opposite side. Turn the bowl a quarter and repeat. Then two more times until you have moved around the bowl. This is one round of stretch and folds. You can wet the tips of your fingers with water if the dough is too sticky.
You will now perform 2 more rounds of stretch and folds each about 30 minutes apart.
When finished with 3 rounds of stretch and folds, cover with beeswax wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled. The timing of this could vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, starter maturity, or even hydration. I allow mine to sit overnight or most of the day. Anywhere from 8-12 hours.
When it is finished you should see more bubbles across the top and the dough should slightly be pulling away from the sides.
Shape and Ferment
Lightly spray the bottom of your 9 x 13 baking pan. Then transfer the focaccia dough straight to the pan. Gently spreading out to fill the pan.
Allow the dough to rise for a couple more hours until almost doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Drizzle on olive oil, then salt and herbs. The dough will be very sticky, so feel free to oil your fingers as you gently push down into the dough to dimple it. You will begin to see air bubbles push up, resist the urge to pop them.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or golden in color. Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before slicing and eating.
Bakers Schedule
8:00 pm: Feed sourdough starter (allow 8-12 hours for starter to be ready),
7:00 am: Mix dough.
4:00 pm: Transfer to baking pan for second rise
6:00 pm: Add olive oil and toppings, and bake.
6:30 pm: Slice and enjoy
While this is just a sample schedule you can adjust the time to suit your schedule better. You will need to take into consideration the temperature of your kitchen which might vary the proofing/rising times. My kitchen is normally 70 degrees and my starter is ready sooner than the average time. In very warm environments your starter could be ready to use in as little as 4-6 hours. ‘
Add ins:
I have seen so many variations of focaccia bread. You can be very creative with a variety of add ins. Here are a few we have tried:
- cheeses
- tomatoes
- cinnamon/sugar
- apples
- herbs
- prosciutto
- chocolate chips
Tips
- You will need an active and bubbly starter to have success getting your bread to rise. For sourdough starter instructions see my post here.
- A damp tea towel, beeswax wrap, and plastic wrap can all be used to cover the dough to prevent a hard layer from forming on the top of your dough.
- Using a scale can be beneficial to ensure precise measurements. Measuring with a scale and in grams changed the bread-baking game for me. Better accuracy, and we said goodbye to all that sad dense bread.
I hope you enjoy making this sourdough focaccia bread. Leave me a comment if you give it a try or have any questions. You can also follow along with our other baking and homemaking projects on the following socials:
Check out more of my sourdough recipes here:
No-Knead Sourdough Crusty Bread
Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
Recipe
Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 30 minutes Additional Time: 12 hours
Yields: 1 loaf Author: Elizabeth Loveday
Ingredients
400 g of water
500 g of all-purpose flour
10 g of salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp. Italian seasoning or herbs
Instructions
Making the Dough
Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before beginning. Make sure it is active and bubbly as well.
Combine the flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl.
Cover with beeswax wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold
This step will allow you to develop the gluten and help the dough to rise nicely.
Grab the edge of one side of the dough, while still in the bowl, and gently pull up and fold across to the opposite side. Turn the bowl a quarter and repeat. Then two more times until you have moved around the bowl. This is one round of stretch and folds. You can wet the tips of your fingers with water if the dough is too sticky.
You will now perform 2 more rounds of stretch and folds each about 30 minutes apart.
When finished with 3 rounds of stretch and folds, cover with beeswax wrap or a wet tea towel and allow to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled. The timing of this could vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, starter maturity, or even hydration. I allow mine to sit overnight or most of the day. Anywhere from 8-12 hours.
When it is finished you should see more bubbles all over the top of the dough.
Shape and Ferment
Lightly spray the bottom of your 9 x 13 baking pan. Then transfer the focaccia dough straight to the pan. Gently spreading out to fill the pan.
Allow the dough to rise for a couple more hours until almost doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Drizzle on olive oil, then salt and herbs. The dough will be very sticky, so feel free to oil your fingers as you gently push down into the dough to dimple it. You will begin to see air bubbles push up, resist the urge to pop them.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or golden in color. Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before slicing and eating.
Over Easy Homestead 
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