Ultimate Sourdough Focaccia
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Sourdough focaccia topped with cherry tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and flaky sea salt. This focaccia has a crispy crust with a soft and airy crumb. Serve it as a side dish alongside pasta dishes, soups, or salads. You can also slice it in half to make a tasty focaccia sandwich.
Table of contents
Ingredients for Focaccia
Here is a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
For the Levain:
- Active sourdough starter – An active sourdough starter has been fed regularly (every 12 hours) for at least two days. During the 12-hour rise, the starter should double or preferably triple in size.
- Water – at around 78°F/26°C.
- Flour – regular all-purpose/white flour.
For the Main Dough:
- Flour – I like to use Manitoba flour.
- Water – cold.
- Levain – all of the levain.
- Salt – regular sea salt. Every dough needs a little bit of salt.
- Olive oil – If there’s ever a time to buy a high-quality extra virgin olive oil, it is now. We’re using it in the dough and all around it, so make sure it’s a good one!
Toppings:
- Olive oil – extra virgin
- Fresh rosemary
- Cherry tomatoes – cut in half
- Flaky sea salt
How to Assemble and Bake Sourdough Focaccia
Focaccia is surprisingly easy and actually quite calming to make. Here’s how you assemble it:
- Gather all your toppings.
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough’s surface and use your fingers to poke dents all over the dough.
- Sprinkle on fresh rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and flaky salt on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 500°F/260°C for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
RECIPE VIDEO
Learn how to hand mix and how to perform a coil fold.
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Sourdough Focaccia With Cherry Tomatoes & Rosemary
Sourdough focaccia topped with cherry tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and flaky sea salt. This focaccia has a crispy crust with a soft and airy crumb. Serve it as a side dish alongside pasta dishes, soups, or salads. You can also slice it in half to make a tasty focaccia sandwich.
Equipment
- Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
- Baking pan or cast iron pan (12×8 in/30×20 cm)
Ingredients
Levain
- 16 g active sourdough starter white, 100% hydration
- 32 g water at around 78°F/26°C
- 32 g all-purpose flour
Main Dough
- 400 g manitoba flour (strong italian bread flour) or tipo 00
- 320 g water cold
- 80 g levain
- 8 g salt
- 15 g olive oil extra virgin
Toppings
- olive oil extra virgin
- fresh rosemary
- cherry tomatoes cut in half
- flaky salt
Instructions
Levain
- Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cover and proof in a warm spot (around 78°F/26°C) for 5 hours or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.
Main Dough
- 3.5 hours after you prepared the levain: To a large mixing bowl, add the flour and cold water. Mix to combine using your hands or a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl and autolyse/rest for 1.5 hours.
- After 1.5 hours, add the levain to the main dough and mix by hand or with a stand mixer (with dough hook attachment) for 3-4 minutes. Add salt, and continue mixing for 2 minutes or until you can't feel any noticeable salt in the dough. Next, add about half of the olive oil, mix for 2 minutes, add the rest, and mix for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Proof the dough for 5 hours at around 75°F/24°C. Coil fold the dough every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, then leave it alone to proof for the remaining 3 hours.
- After 5 hours, the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Transfer it to the fridge to cold-proof overnight (or up to 24 hours).
Second Proof
- Take the dough out of the fridge and dump it in an oiled/lined small baking pan or cast iron pan (12×8 inches/30x20cm)
- Gently stretch the dough to flatten it out in the pan. It doesn't matter if the dough isn't covering the whole pan yet, as long as it's somewhat even throughout (think of shaping a pizza).
- Cover the baking pan and proof at 75°F/24°C-78°F/26°C until doubled in size. The second proof typically takes 2-3 hours, but look less on the clock and more on how the dough looks.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat your oven to 500°F/260°C 30-45 minutes before you plan to bake the focaccia.
- When the focaccia has doubled in size: drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough's surface. Use your fingers to poke dents all over the dough. Sprinkle on fresh rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and flaky salt on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
I followed the recipe almost to the tee. I think that most professional bakers don’t recommend adding salt and yeast in at the same time. I mixed my yeast in first, waited for 30min, then added the salt and oil after. Flavor was very good, I would even consider adding extra tomato on mine next time.
One problem I’ve always had, that’s still true to this recipe, is that my focaccia gets stuck to the pan. Anyone else with this problem?
Try buttering your pan before adding the oil to it. Butter first then oil
The recipe is an absolute winner! Mine did stick so in future I am going to line the pan with baking paper. I normally do that with my sourdough loaf. I also think 260c is a bit too hot. I used 240c fan and the edges were a bit too brown. I am going to try it at 230c fan.
Where is the receipe for starter sourdough ?
Hi! Everyone who signs up for my newsletter gets instant access to my eBook “How To Make A Sourdough Starter.” You can sign up here: https://sourdoughstarter.breadbyelise.com
I spray the pan lightly with cooking spray, then pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. No sticking problem.
Thank you for all.!!! You are GREAT.!!! Love&Hugs from Athens/Greece.
This was a hit!
I used the focaccia recipe and topped it with a concoction of roasted garlic, garlic oil and parsley.
Everyone had seconds (: