Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough
Focaccia

⏱ 24 hours 👥 8 serves 🔥 Intermediate

Focaccia is proof that bread can be both rustic and luxurious. Crispy bottom, fluffy interior, dimpled top pooled with olive oil and scattered with rosemary. This is bread that doesn't need butter — it already has everything.

Using sourdough starter adds complexity and tang that instant yeast can't match. The long, slow fermentation develops flavour and creates those beautiful air pockets. Twenty-four hours sounds intimidating, but most of that time is hands-off. You're just letting biology do its thing.

This is weekend baking at its best. The kind that fills your house with the smell of olive oil and herbs and makes you feel like you've unlocked an ancient secret. Serve it warm, torn into rough chunks, with nothing but good salt and maybe some burrata. Perfection doesn't need embellishment.

Ingredients

  • 500g bread flour
  • 100g active sourdough starter
  • 350ml lukewarm water
  • 10g salt
  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra)
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
  • Flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, starter, and water in a large bowl. Let rest 30 minutes (autolyse). Add salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix until combined.
  2. Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, 30 minutes apart. Cover and let ferment at room temp for 8-12 hours until doubled.
  3. Generously oil a large baking tray. Turn dough onto tray, coat with oil. Gently stretch to fill the tray. Cover, proof for 2-4 hours until puffy.
  4. Preheat oven to 220°C. Dimple the dough aggressively with oiled fingers, creating deep wells.
  5. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Press rosemary sprigs and tomato halves into the dimples. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
  6. Bake 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown. The bottom should be crispy and the top bubbling with oil.
  7. Remove from oven. Drizzle with more olive oil while hot. Let cool slightly on a rack.
  8. Serve warm, torn into pieces. Try not to eat the entire thing in one sitting. (You will fail.)

Nutrition Per Serve

280
Calories
7g
Protein
42g
Carbs
9g
Fat