• Feed your sourdough starter 8-12 hours before making sourdough focaccia using equal weights of flour and water, so your starter is the consistency of thick pancake batter. Starter should be active and bubbly when you mix your dough.

Mix Dough

• Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and stir together with a Danish Whisk, your hands, or a stand mixer. Make a well in the center and add in your olive oil, starter, and water. Starting from the center and working your way out, stir until all of the ingredients are well blended and all the flour is hydrated. This is a very wet dough and may not pull away from the sides of the bowl. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Folds

• Next, coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the dish and preform a series of stretch and folds in the baking dish. Pull the dough up and away from the dish to stretch it about a foot in the air. Then fold it back over the dough, as if you were folding a letter, and press it together. Give the dish a quarter turn and repeat this process for a total of 4 times. Then flip the dough so that the seams are facing down and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• After thirty minutes you will notice that the dough has spread out and relaxed in the baking dish. Uncover it and perform another series of stretch and folds. The dough should be smoother and have a little less give than last time. Once again, flip the dough seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for thirty minutes then repeat this process once more for a total of 3 stretch and folds.

Bulk Fermentation

• Focaccia dough will bulk ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours from the time you started mixing, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. You'll know it's done when the dough is jiggly and full of air. You should see pockets of air under the surface of the dough.

Cold Proof

• At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough is ready to be dimpled. Start by pouring 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto the dough and spreading it over the surface with your hands. Using all of your fingers, begin pressing the dough from the center out towards the edges of the pan. Press your fingers all the way toward the bottom of the pan without breaking through the dough. When you’ve covered three quarters of the pan, you are ready to cover it with plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator overnight or up to five days.

Bake

• The next day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

  Take the focaccia dough out of the refrigerator right before you want to bake it. You’ll notice that it has risen slightly in the refrigerator. Prior to topping, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the surface, spreading it over the top with your fingers. Repeat the dimpling process, using your fingers to gently deflate the focaccia dough and spread it from the center out towards the edges and into the corners of the pan.
• Finally, top your focaccia bread generously with coarse salt and then with any other toppings as desired. Bake on 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. The crust should be golden brown, and an instant read thermometer should read 200 degrees.
• Once the bread is out of the oven, let it cool completely before slicing. Serve alongside dinner or split it open for a fantastic sandwich. Happy Baking!