Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough is having its moment in the sun. If you are curious and want to begin your sourdough journey, focaccia is an ideal bread with which to begin. If you have a ripe sourdough starter, salt, and olive oil, you're merely hours away from golden focaccia baking in your home oven.

Focaccia, also known as Pizza Bianca, is a bread that I love for so many reasons: its versatility — it can be a sandwich bread, appetizer, dinner bread — and its flavor and texture: it has a golden crust along with a delicious chewy crumb with subtle tang.

The beauty of this bread is that there is very little effort involved. It requires no special equipment like a Dutch oven, no tricky shaping technique on a floured work surface and there is no scoring involved. The one thing you must have is a sourdough starter. This is absolutely crucial. In case you don't have one on hand and is interested in starting your own, all you will need is flour, water and a bit of time to spare.

So, let's get baking!

Quick tutorial

Recipe card

I don't have a starter, can I still make this recipe?

Yes, You can add 3g yeast instead of the starter and the recipe would still work. Obviously the results will be different but you will still have a good focaccia bread at the end.

Final proofing time might vary, check on the dough every hour to avoid over proofing.

Why is my dough not soft?

Depending on the environmental factors the hydration required for the dough varies, so if the dough doesn't seem to be flexible enough don't hesitate to add more water a little bit at a time until you get a soft workable dough.

Can I use any other oil other than olive oil?

Yes, you can use any oil that is to your taste. But of course that would alter the taste of your bread. Try to use mild tasting oils rather than pungent ones.

What is the optimum time to use my starter?

You need to feed it and let it ferment for at least 3 - 6 hours before use. Every starter is not the same, you need to feed your starter and test how long it usually takes to reach peak level before it starts to collapse.

Author: Uthpala Nayanahari