Tomato Tomatoe

sourdough focaccia

For as long as I can remember, focaccia has always been one of my favourite types of bread. Whenever I visit Italy, I always scout out where I can find focaccia. The ingredients they use are pure and simple. I made focaccia years ago using instant yeast and it didn’t make for a fluffy and light focaccia. Last year I made focaccia using my sourdough starter and it was a game changer! If you have sourdough starter, you need to try making this focaccia. Baking isn’t my strong suit, but this recipe is fool proof and is so easy to make. It’s made using only four ingredients! I like making it around 6pm and by the time you are finished with the five folds, you can leave it on the counter overnight to proof and then it can be baked in the morning. There’s seriously nothing better than making your own focaccia at home!

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sourdough focaccia

Ingredients

• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 415 grams filtered water
• 40 grams of olive oil (plus more for drizzling in the baking dish and on top when it’s time to bake)
• 15 grams fine sea salt
• 515 grams organic unbleached flour

Directions

1. In large bowl add starter and filtered water. Mix this together with a wooden spoon. Add sea salt and olive oil. Mix together. Add flour and mix everything together. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Perform five folds every 30 minutes.
3. To a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, coat the bottom in olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp). Transfer the dough from the bowl to the baking dish. Cover with a kitchen towel and let this proof overnight on the counter for 12 hours.
4. After the focaccia has proofed for 12 hours, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. The dough should have spread out in the pan overnight. Drizzle olive oil on the top of the focaccia and apply a few drops of olive oil to your hands and rub them together (this will ensure that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands). Perform dimples in the focaccia using your finger tips. Season generously with sea salt or flaky salt. If you would like you can add freshly chopped rosemary to the top. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the focaccia is golden.

Notes

I like to start making the focaccia dough at 6pm so then it has time to proof overnight for 12 hours while I’m sleeping. In the morning I will bake it at 9am.