Easy Sourdough Focaccia*

*This recipe requires sourdough starter. If you don't have a sourdough starter, they are very easy to make and only take a few weeks to grow a very active, strong starter. I have added a link to grow a starter here. It is directly from the King Arthur flour website.

If you have starter, keep reading below for the recipe.

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Fermentation time 10 hours

Equipment

Mixing Bowl

Digital Scale

Baking Tray

Ingredients

For the dough

100 g Sourdough starter active and bubbly

400 g Water can increase or decrease by 30g if desired

500 g Bread Flour

10 g Salt

For the topping

30 g Olive Oil

10 g Sea Salt

1 tbsp Rosemary Leaves Fresh or dried

Instructions

• Mixing The Dough

  Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large bowl.

  Mix the water and starter together briefly. Then add flour and salt and mix whole lot together until it forms a sticky dough. You don't want any dry flour left at all.

• Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour. It's ok if it's a little bit longer, it's not going to matter too much.

  
  

• Strengthening the Dough

  After resting 1 hour, you'll need to bring it together into a ball. Work your way around the bowl, grabbing the dough from the outside, stretching it up and over itself, into the center. You should feel the dough strengthen and tighten as you do this. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth or tight, just work around the bowl stretching and folding (around 10 - 15 times is perfect).

  
  

• Bulk Ferment:

  Now you want to leave your dough to ferment. Cover it with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave it alone to double.

  Focaccia is super forgiving so it doesn't need to be perfectly doubled - near enough is fine.

  
  

• Shaping Focaccia:

  Once the dough has doubled you need to shape the dough. Shaping focaccia is super simple (and absolutely forgiving). Use a dough scraper or your hands to gently ease the dough out into your desired pan.

• Rub your hands with a little olive oil and gently pull the dough out to fill the tray. Again it doesn't have to be perfect as it will naturally fill the tray as it proofs.

  
  

• Second Rise:

  Let your dough rise again. Leave it until it's spread out and filled the tray. It will be puffy and pillowy ... you will most likely have some bubbles forming as well in the dough.

  
  

• Topping:

  Once the dough has filled the tray and is looking puffy and full of volume, you need to dimple the dough and add the toppings.

  Pour olive oil over the top of the dough and then push your finger tips into the dough to create dimples. You might see some bubbles as you do this.

  Now sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.

  
  

• Baking Sourdough Focaccia:

  Preheat the oven to 400

  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.

  Remove from baking dish and let cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.