Grab your starter—and a good quality bottle of olive oil—and let’s make an easy sourdough focaccia recipe that delivers big flavor with very little fuss.
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Prefer a focaccia recipe with yeast? (Not sourdough) Check out our Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe!
If there’s one bread we make constantly at the Flour Barn, it’s focaccia. It has become the bread we reach for without even thinking—our quiet hero loaf. It’s the perfect foundation for our breakfast sandwiches because it checks every box: crisp edges, soft center, light crumb, and enough strength to hold a towering stack of eggs, cheese, bacon, and whatever favorites you feel like piling on. The olive oil helps create that beautifully golden brown surface, and the naturally airy texture makes for incredibly good focaccia without requiring much effort at all.
One of the reasons focaccia works so well is the long fermentation process. Sourdough focaccia bread gains much of its flavor and structure during bulk fermentation, which makes it an ideal choice for anyone wanting to put their active sourdough starter to good use. If you’ve been exploring sourdough recipes as part of your sourdough journey, focaccia is the perfect next step.
The recipe is very similar to a simple sourdough bread recipe, but shaping is easier, the dough rise is more flexible, and the dough itself is incredibly forgiving. Even if this is your first time making it, you can count on the best results with minimal stress.
So grab your starter—and a good quality bottle of olive oil—and let’s make an easy sourdough focaccia recipe that delivers big flavor with very little fuss.
Feeding Your Starter for the Best Rise
To get the best rise and flavor, you’ll want a bubbly, lively active sourdough starter. Feed it with equal parts flour and warm water, using a ratio that suits your needs. For most home bakers, about 50g of starter mixed with 50g flour and 50g water works beautifully. Stir it in the bowl of a stand mixer if that’s convenient, or mix by hand in a large mixing bowl—either works.
Allow your starter to sit at room temperature until it becomes aerated and doubled. It should look light, domed, and slightly jiggly when you tap the jar. When it reaches this stage, it’s ready to use in your focaccia dough.
Ingredients: Simple but Purposeful
Part of the beauty of focaccia is that the ingredient list is short, simple, and straightforward. Using simple ingredients also means each one matters.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bread flour – a strong flour is essential to give structure, chew, and airiness. If you’ve been baking bread with all-purpose flour, I would encourage you to make the switch. I think you’ll be amazed at the difference in rise and texture! THIS is my favorite white bread flour.
- Active sourdough starter – your natural leavening. Feed your starter 8-12 hours before baking focaccia. I always feed my starter with equal weights water and flour, or aim for the consistency of thick pancake batter if you’re not into measuring 🙂
- Water – the right amount of water is key to creating a high hydration dough
- Salt – I use table salt to make the dough, then sprinkle the top of the focaccia with coarse salt right before I throw it in the oven!
- Good amount of olive oil – for the dough, the pan, and the top. Olive oil gives focaccia its crisp, almost fried crust.
If you’d like to incorporate whole grains, you can swap in a small amount of whole wheat flour, though the texture will become slightly denser. You can also use purpose flour in a pinch, but bread flour gives the most open, bubbly crumb.
Step-by-Step Method: How to Make Sourdough Focaccia
Below is a detailed walkthrough to help you understand not just the steps, but why each one matters.
Step 1: Mixing the Dough
Start by adding your bread flour, active sourdough starter, water, and salt to the large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. If using your stand mixer, attach the dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until the ingredients form a sticky mass. Increase briefly to medium speed if needed to bring the dough together. If mixing by hand, expect a rough dough at first.
Because this is a higher hydration dough, it will be wetter than many people are used to. It may look like a sticky dough ball, but that’s exactly what you want. The extra moisture creates that pillowy, bubbly texture that makes sourdough focaccia bread special.
Knead the dough for 3 minutes.
Step 2: Dough Rest and Folds
Let the dough rest for 20–30 minutes. This dough rest allows the flour to fully hydrate and gluten to begin developing naturally. After resting, perform a fold technique: wet your hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the top of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat 4-6 times, until the dough starts to feel resistant.
When you’ve finished the first set of stretch and folds, transfer the dough to a 9×13 baking dish that has been generously drizzled with olive oil. You’ll preform two more series of stretch and folds in the baking dish at 30 minute intervals. You’ll begin to notice the dough becoming smoother and more elastic even though it remains a wet dough.
Step 3: First Rise
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for a total bulk rise of 6-8 hours. The bulk rise begins when you first start mixing your dough, so include your stretch and folds in the bulk rise time. During this first rise, the wild yeast is building strength and gluten development happens. A wetter dough may not double, but you should see a puffy, aerated structure and bubbles forming throughout.
As long as you see a noticeable dough rise, you’re on track. Now, you’re ready to dimple
Step 4: Dimple the Dough
This is everyone’s favorite step.
Coat your hands with olive oil, then press your fingertips straight down into the dough, creating deep dimples all over the surface. The goal is to create little wells—not holes—that hold pools of olive oil and help the dough bake evenly.
Dimpling prevents any giant air bubble from taking over the pan and gives focaccia its signature look and texture.
Press your fingers from the center of the pan and work out toward the edges, moving the dough outwards. If the dough doesn’t quite reach the edges yet, that’s just fine but it should cover at least 3/4 of the pan.
Step 5: Cold Retard
Now we’re going to cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, but as long as 3 days. This long, cold ferment helps the focaccia to gain flavor and superior texture. It also gives you a great amount of flexibility! We will bake the focaccia directly from the fridge, so I love having a sourdough focaccia ready and waiting in the fridge, to be pulled out and baked whenever it’s needed!
Step 6: Add Toppings (If You Like)
When you’re ready to bake your focaccia, go ahead and pull it out of the fridge and remove the covering. Start by drizzling the top generously with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. At this point, you can layer on toppings. Focaccia is a canvas, and you can go as simple or creative as you want. Some of our favorites include:
- Fresh rosemary leaves
- Cherry tomatoes gently pressed into the dough
- Thinly sliced onions
- Garlic cloves sprinkled across the top
- Olives, peppers, or even thinly sliced lemon.
For an extra special version, check out our loaded baked focaccia recipe!
The only thing to remember is that we are baking the focaccia on a high heat, so avoid toppings that will burn such as leafy herbs (parsley). I also like to wait to add shredded cheeses until the second half of the bake to avoid charring. Other than that, use your imagination!
Step 8: Baking
Bake the focaccia at 425°F until the top is golden brown, the edges are crisp, and the bottom is sizzling with olive oil—usually about 25–30 minutes depending on your oven and pan. The internal temperature should be 200 degrees.
When it comes out, resist the urge to slice into it immediately. Let it cool completely to set the crumb.
Why Long Fermentation Makes Focaccia Better
Long fermentation isn’t just about flavor—though the flavor benefits are undeniable. There are three major advantages:
1. Better Texture
The slow fermentation allows gluten strands to develop naturally, leading to an open crumb with those gorgeous, irregular bubbles that look like honeycomb.
2. Better Digestion
The natural bacteria in sourdough break down gluten and starches, making the bread more digestible for many people.
3. Better Nutrition
Slow fermentation unlocks nutrients in the flour, increases B-vitamins, and lowers the glycemic impact.
With almost no extra work, you get bread that tastes better and feels better.
Other Ways to Use Sourdough Focaccia
Focaccia is one of the most versatile breads we bake. Here are some of our favorite uses:
Sandwiches
Cut into squares and slice horizontally for the most satisfying sandwich bread—perfect for breakfast sandwiches or hearty lunchtime stacks.
Garlic Bread
Slice and brush with melted butter, garlic, and herbs, then toast until golden. It’s incredible.
Pizza Crust
Top the risen focaccia dough with sauce and cheese and bake as a thick, fluffy pan pizza.
Appetizers
Cut into strips and serve with olive oil, balsamic, dips, or spreads.
Soup Partner
Dip into tomato soup, chili, or any hearty stew.
Storing and Reheating
Store focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. Reheat slices in a dutch oven or warm oven for crisp edges. Avoid the microwave unless you like soft, steamy bread.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been searching for a simple sourdough focaccia recipe that’s flexible, flavorful, and beginner-friendly, this is it. Whether you’re baking it the next morning, turning it into sandwich bread, using it for sourdough bread recipes, or just making a batch for fun because you love that sourdough love, this focaccia delivers every time.
Sourdough Focaccia
Ingredients
- 100 grams active sourdough starter 1/2 cup
- 480 grams warm water 2 cups
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for pan and topping
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 600 grams bread flour 5 cups
Instructions
Make the focaccia dough:
- In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, warm water, olive oil, and salt. Add flour and mix until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms. It will be a wet and stick dough but will smooth out as we do the stretch and folds.
- Set the dough aside for 30 minutes to rest.
Develop the dough:
- Generously oil a cookie sheet with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the baking dish and preform the first set of stretch and folds. Starting with the back edge of the dough, pull the dough up and out of the pan by about a food. Fold the dough over and rotate the pan 1/4 turn. Stretch and fold the dough 3 more times, up and over. The dough should become smooth and supple. Flip the dough over, seam side down on the cookie sheet, cover with plastic and let rest 30 minutes.
- Perform 3 more sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. After the final stretch and fold, cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, until puffy and roughly doubled. The total time for the bulk rise from the time of mixing to shaping should be around 8-10 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Shape the Dough
- Once doubled, spread about 2 tbsp of olive oil over the top of the focaccia and dimple the surface with your fingertips by pressing them into the dough towards the bottom of the dish, working from the center out to spread the dough towards the edges of the dish. The dough should cover about 3/4 of the pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place the baking dish in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours but up to 5 days.
Bake the focaccia:
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F. Drizzle dough again lightly with olive oil and dimple with fingertips, pushing the dough into the corners of the pan.
- Sprinkle the dough generously with salt, and add additional toppings as desired.
- Bake 22–26 minutes, until golden brown. The internal temperature should be 200 degrees. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
- Serve aside a big lasagna or slice and top as a sandwich! Happy Baking!
