Sourdough Focaccia
The Story
Bread baking is one of those slow rituals that feels almost meditative. This focaccia is a love letter to patience — the dough rises overnight, developing flavour and those beautiful, airy pockets inside.
Using sourdough starter gives it a subtle tang that pairs so beautifully with good olive oil and flaky sea salt. When it comes out of the oven, golden and dimpled, with crisp edges and a pillowy centre, it's hard not to tear into it immediately.
I love this with roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh rosemary, but you can top it however you like. Olives, garlic, caramelised onions — it's a generous, forgiving recipe.
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 100g active sourdough starter
- 375ml lukewarm water
- 15g sea salt
- 100ml olive oil, plus extra
- Flaky sea salt
- Fresh rosemary
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sourdough starter, and water until you have a shaggy dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Add the salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix thoroughly until the dough is smooth and elastic. It will be quite wet and sticky — that's good.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours, performing a set of stretch-and-folds every hour. To do this, wet your hands, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat 4 times.
- After the final fold, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight (12-18 hours).
- The next day, generously oil a large baking tray. Turn the dough out onto the tray and gently stretch it to fill the pan. Let it rest for 2-3 hours at room temperature until puffy.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C. Drizzle the dough generously with more olive oil and dimple it all over with your fingertips. Press in the cherry tomatoes and rosemary, then sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until deeply golden and crisp around the edges.
- Let it cool slightly, then tear into it while it's still warm. Heaven.
Nutrition
280
Calories
7g
Protein
42g
Carbs
9g
Fat
