Sourdough Focaccia

This is my baseline focaccia recipe. From here, I will often tweak the flour blend to incorporate more whole wheat into the dough, but this works well using plain old all purpose flour. This is a 79% hydration dough which can be baked directly in an oiled pan, or directly on a pizza stone.

Feed your starter appoximately 5-6 hours before you’re ready to build your dough. This recipe is designed to do a bulk fermentation at room temperature overnight so I aim to start building the dough around 7pm. Mix together 420 g of water and 530 g of all purpose flour, cover and set to autolyse for up to six hours. Make sure to incorporate all the flour so there are no dry spots. I generally do this anywhere from 3-6pm in the afternoon. Add 15 g of salt and 90 g of active sourdough starter and start working into the dough with your hands or with a rubber spatula until more or less homogenous. Let rest/relax for 30 minutes. You’ll want to fold the dough at least two more times (with your hands) over the course of the next 1 - 2 hours to develop the gluten. If you have time to continue to repeat folds until you’re ready to go to bed, it will result in a superior structured crumb. By the end the dough should be very smooth and should not stick to your hands while folding. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature (approximately 10 hours). 

In the morning transfer the dough to well oiled pan. Spread the dough out so it has a uniform thickness. Drizzle more olive oil on top of the dough. Use the tips of your fingers to press down into dough to create little pockets. Sprinkle with flake salt and herbs (if you like). Let proof in the pan (covered) for about another 2 hours. You should observe big gas bubbles forming, and the dough should be very soft and pliable.

Set oven to 450F. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Remove from oven and allow to cool briefly.