Simple Sourdough Focaccia: A Beginner’s Guide
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Sourdough is having a moment. Longtime sourdough bakers may cringe at this proclamation, just as our grandparents likely roll over in their graves when they hear “toast” is a thing.
But it’s true. I cannot open a magazine without seeing a feature on a bakery and its naturally leavened loaves; I cannot scroll through Instagram without seeing a crumb shot of a halved sourdough miche, a beautiful web of irregular holes, or an intricately scored, thick-crusted boule being presented like Simba to the animal kingdom.
My interest in sourdough in recent months has been spurred by a number of requests about how to make my mother’s peasant bread with a sourdough starter. Initially, I thought why? The beauty of the peasant bread is that it doesn’t require a starter or a long rise or any fussy techniques; it can be on your table start to finish in three hours. Everyone will rave.
Over the years, I’ve been able to answer questions relatively easily about how to make the peasant bread morph into something else: a boule with a thick crackling crust β thank you Jim Lahey β or a thinner round to use for pizza or something palatable for theΒ gluten-freeΒ crowd.
But achieving that sour taste β even a subtle sour taste β is something yeast, even with a long slow rise cannot achieve. And, moreover, natural leavening is natural leavening β no yeast allowed.
So I began experimenting. I tried reviving my old starter, long neglected in my fridge, and when it proved altogether spent, I ordered one from Breadtopia. I followed the instructions to activate it, and within a day, I had a vibrant, bubbling starter.
After a bit of trial and error, I soon found a nice rhythm, mixing the dough in the afternoon, letting it rise all evening, splitting the dough into two portions and plopping each into a buttered Pyrex bowl in the morning. By early afternoon, the bread was ready to bake. The resulting loaves looked just like the peasant bread, golden crusted, soft crumbed, but with a nice subtle sourness. (Photo below.)
Using the sourdough peasant bread proportions, I decided to make focaccia, my favorite, a bread I love for so many reasons: its versatility β sandwich bread, appetizer, dinner bread β and its flavor and texture: the oil-crisped crust, the generous amount of salt, the chewy crumb.
I also think focaccia is an ideal bread with which to begin a sourdough journey. Why?
- First, it requires no special equipment β not a Dutch oven or a Baking Steel to create a thick crust; not two Pyrex bowls to create a golden, less-thick crust. You likely have a 9×13-inch pan somewhere in your kitchen. This is all you need.
- Second, it requires no tricky shaping technique on a floured work surface. Shaping free-standing sourdough boules is an art and it takes practice and repetition. It’s a beautiful thing when you get the hang of it, but it can be frustrating until you do.
- Third, it requires no scoring. With focaccia, you don’t need a razor sharp lame β you use your fingers to dimple the dough.
For those intimidated by sourdough bread baking, this recipe, as well as this simple sourdough bread recipe, are the recipes I suggest making first, both for their simplicity and flavor. Another great beginner’s bread recipe to try is this overnight, refrigerator focaccia, which requires minimal effort but yields spectacular results.
Curious about Sourdough? Let’s Start From the Top.
You need a sourdough starter. If you don’t know of anyone who will share his/her starter with you, buy one. In the past I’ve purchased one from King Arthur Flour and, more recently, from Breadtopia. Both were easy to feed and activate. There is a photo below of how the Breadtopia starter arrives. To activate, follow the instructions on this video. It’s simple.
Why Buy (or Procure) a Starter?
- First, if you’re curious about sourdough, get to it! Making a starter from scratch takes weeks. I did it once many years ago following the instructions in Tartine Bread, and after nearly losing my mind, I literally jumped for joy when I dropped a spoonful of my starter into a cup of water, and it floated. Making a starter from scratch is a really cool exercise, and it’s something to be proud of should you succeed (or not!), but why not start experimenting with an active sourdough starter while you build a starter from scratch on the side?
- Second, feeding a mature starter will help you understand how to build one from scratch. You’ll observe how a starter rises and falls, what happens when you feed it more regularly, what happens when you neglect it, how it smells at various stages, etc.
- Third, they’re relatively cheap (or free if you get one from a friend).
- Fourth, maybe you embark on a sourdough journey and decide it isn’t for you.Β Why go through the trouble of building a starter till you know you enjoy the process of sourdough baking?
Begin with an Easy Recipe
As noted above, I think focaccia is a perfect sourdough-bread-baking starting point. It will teach you the fundamentals of working with sourdough without the potentially frustrating steps of shaping, scoring, and baking with a Dutch oven. The recipe below also can be baked in a loaf pan, another great option if you do not want to deal with shaping and scoring and Dutch ovens.
PS: Whole Wheat(ish) Sourdough Bread recipe
PPS: Essential Equipment For Sourdough Bread Baking
PPPS: How to Activate, Feed, and Maintain A Sourdough Starter
How to Make Sourdough Focaccia: A Step-by-Step Guide
Get a starter. If you don’t have a starter and don’t have a friend who can lend you one, I recommend buying one. I bought mine from Breadtopia, and I’ve managed to keep it alive for 6 months now. Score!
I store my starter in this quart container. When I’m ready to use it, I discard some of it, and add about 45 g flour…
… and 45 g water. You don’t have to be exact, but when you’re getting started, I think it’s helpful to weigh both the water and flour. Depending on how long the starter has been in the fridge, it may need one or two feedings before use.
If you stick a rubber band around your starter vessel, you’ll know when …
… it has doubled and is ready for use.
If you need reassurance as to if it’s ready, you can do the float test: drop a spoonful of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready.
As with all bread, when mixing sourdough doughs, it’s best to weigh everything with a digital scale. Start with 100 g starter.
Add 10 g kosher (or other) salt.
Add 440 g water. (See recipe notes: If you live in a humid environment, you may want to use less.)
Stir to combine.
Add 512 g bread flour.
Stir to form a sticky dough ball.
Cover with a towel or bowl cover, and let rise for 8 – 18 hours at room temperature (times will vary depending on the time of year and how warm your kitchen is … in the summer, this may take only 4 hours):
When it doubles …
… drizzle it with some olive oil.
Deflate the dough by pulling the sides into the center.
Dough, ready to make it’s second rise, which will take 5-6 hours. Love this USA Pan.
After 5-6 hours, the dough is ready to be dimpled and stretched and salted. Bake at 425ΒΊF for 25 minutes.
Just-baked sourdough focaccia:
Simple Sourdough Focaccia
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Adapted from my favorite yeasted, slow-rise focaccia recipe β overnight refrigerator focaccia β this recipe replaces the yeast with a sourdough starter.
UPDATE: Video guidance is here! Watch up above or click the link below in the recipe card.Β
What you need to make this recipe…:
- …a sourdough starter. I bought mine from Breadtopia. It was easy to activate. There are no instructions on the package itself; follow the instructions on the video here.
- …time. Once your starter is ready to go, this recipe requires an initial 4- 18 hour rise, followed by a second 4- to 6-hour second rise. After the initial rise (depending on the time of year and temperature of your kitchen), you can deflate the dough, and stick it in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours (maybe longer), which might help you regarding your schedule. Keep in mind, when you remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a pan, it will still need to rise for another 5- to 6- hours.
- …water. Apparently, chlorine in water can adversely affect sourdough. Leaving water at room temperature for 24 hours will allow most of the chlorine to escape.When I am in the habit of making sourdough bread, I fill a large pitcher with water and leave it out at room temperature. I use this for my sourdough breads and starter. Truth be told, I’ve used water straight from the tap and have not noticed a difference.
Water quantity: Depending on where you live and the time of year, you may need to cut the water back. If you live in a humid environment, for instance, I would suggest starting with 430 g water. If you are not using bread flour, you also may need to cut the water back a bit.
Timing:
The more I make sourdough, the more I realize so much depends on the time of year and the temperature of my kitchen. In the summer, because it is so warm, the first rise (bulk fermentation) takes between 4 – 6 hours; in the winter the first rise takes 12 – 18 hours.
The key with this recipe is to make sure the first rise doesn’t go too long β you want the dough to nearly double. A straight sided vesselΒ (as opposed to a bowl) makes gauging the first rise easier. (Note: If your dough rises above double, don’t despair … recently my dough tripled in volume during an overnight rise, and the resulting focaccia was still delicious, light, airy, etc.)
A few thoughts: If you are making this focaccia in the summer (northern hemisphere), use 50 g of starter and check the dough every couple of hours. If you are making this in the winter, use 100 g of starter, and plan for a long first rise.
Troubleshooting: If you have issues with your dough being too sticky, please read this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? The 4 common mistakes.
Flour choice:Β
- I’ve been using King Arthur Flour’s special patent flour β bought a 50-lb. bag of it at Restaurant Depot. Its protein content, 12.7%, is the same as the protein content of its bread flour. I also have used all-purpose flour (11.7%) with success, but I recommend bread flour, which seems to be more reliable for people especially those living in humid climates. If you only have ap flour on hand, you may consider reducing the water a bit β bread flour absorbs slightly more liquid than all-purpose flour.
Ingredients
- 50 g – 100 g (1/4 to 1/2 cup) active starter, see notes above
- 10 g (about 2.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 430 – 440 g water, room temperature, see notes above*
- 512 g (about 4 cups) bread flour, see notes above
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- Nice, flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Instructions
- Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine β it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated.
- If time permits, perform one “fold”: 30 minutes after you mix the dough, reach into the bowl and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the bowl quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance.
- Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and rub to coat. Cover bowl with a tea towel or bowl cover and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ΒΊF/21ΒΊC) for 4 to 18 hours (the time will vary depending on the time of year, the strength of your starter, and the temperature of your kitchen β in summer, for instance, my sourdoughs double in 6 hours; in winter, they double in 18 hours. Do not use an oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation β it will be too warm.Β It is best to rely on visual cues (doubling in volume) as opposed to time to determine when the bulk fermentation is done. AΒ straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly doubled.).
- When dough has doubled, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9×13-inch pan. (I have been using this USA Pan, which I love. I have had no sticking issues. If you are using a glass pan, you may, as a precaution, want to butter it it first β I have had disasters with bread sticking when I’ve used oil alone with other baking vessels.)
- Drizzle dough with a tablespoon of olive oil. Use your hand to gently deflate the dough and release it from the sides of the bowl. Gently scoop the dough into the center of the pool of oil in your prepared pan. Fold dough envelope style from top to bottom and side to side to create a rough rectangle. Turn dough over so seam-side is down.Β Β Video guidance here.Β
- Rub top of dough with oil. Leave alone for 4 to 6 hours, uncovered, or until puffy and nearly doubled.
- Heat oven to 425ΒΊF. Rub hands lightly with oil, and using all ten fingers, press gently into the dough to dimple and stretch the dough to nearly fit the pan. Sprinkle generously with sea salt. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden all around. Remove pan from oven and transfer bread to a cooling rack. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: sourdough, bread, focaccia, simple
Incidentally, this same recipe can be used to make sandwich bread. You need one large loaf pan, 10×5-inches, such as this one.
As noted above, this same recipe can be baked, like the original peasant bread recipe, in buttered Pyrex bowls. More on this soon.
Just-baked sourdough peasant bread.
Sliced sourdough peasant bread.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
712 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Focaccia: A Beginner’s Guide”
Hi there! Can I half this recipe and then bake it in a cast-iron pan? Thanks π
Yes!
This made the BEST home focaccia I’ve ever made. As long as you have time and decent starter, it’s a keeper. Beautiful airy crumb and good flavor with almost no work (just the time rising). I did an overnight retard after the first fermentation and that was great. Thanks!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear this, Sadie! Thanks so much for writing π π π
About how much rising time did you give it after bringing it out of the fridge?
When would you recommend adding in herbs to the focaccia recipe? I am planning to make this soon! Thank you.
Hi Sherry! You can either add them to the flour when you mix the dough, or if you want to sprinkle them over top before baking, add them with the sea salt at the end, after you dimple the dough.
Simple with amazing results! Β Fairly new to SD baking, received starter from a friend on New Years Day. Previous focaccia attempts disappointing but this one is a keeper! Β Added thinly sliced onion, capers, sun dried tomatoes and chopped kalmata olives. YUM!
★★★★★
So nice to hear this! Thanks so much for writing. Your toppings sound FABULOUS!!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. It’s so easy and just ridiculously delicious. It’s become a staple in our home since I jumped onboard the sourdough pandemic train last spring. I’m curious if there’s any reason you couldn’t/shouldn’t leave the dough in the fridge for a day or two after the bulk fermentation. I’ve left dough for boules in the fridge as long as 3 days, and it gets more sour, which I like. Would the same principal apply here, or would it mess something up?
Thank you for such amazing recipes and a fantastic website! (I’m giving your “Whole Wheat-ish” recipe a try now – excited to see how it turns out tomorrow!)
★★★★★
Hi Kristi! Yes, you can. I did this very recently actually: after the bulk fermentation, I turned it out into a bowl, covered it with oil, tucked the whole bowl into a bag, which I tied into a knot (a produce bag). It stayed in the fridge for another 24 hours before I did the room-temp proof. I’m sure you could get away with a longer cold proof.
Hi There, I’m currently following this recipe but I was wondering why my dough is so wet? it’s pretty much like the same consistency as my sourdough starter. Its on its second rise and it is making air bubbles but I’m just wondering why its still so wet.
Hi Kristhessa! Questions for you: are you using a scale? what type of flour? do you live in a humid environment?
It is definitely a wet dough, but it’s possible that given the type of flour you are using and given your environment, you may just need to reduce the amount of water.
This troubleshooting post may offer some guidance, too.
I do live in a humid environment and decided to use 10g less than the liquid measure in your recipe. I used strong bread flour and used a scale for my measurements. My sourdough starter was runny despite me feeding it extra the night before but its very active because there are loads of bubbles in it… ive given it extra time to rise but it was definitely just slipping out of my hands, like batter consistency
OK, was it batter consistency when you mixed it or after the bulk fermentation?
It’s possible that the dough over fermented after the bulk fermentation, in which case it’s unsalvageable. OR it’s just too much water, in which case you probably can bake it, but you likely won’t get those dimples to hold.
Definitely batter after the bulk fermentation part…and was Definitely unsalvagable. This is the second time Ive attempted this recipe and want it to work so badly; but I think the problem might be my sourdough starter which is active and bubbly but I can’t get it to double in sizeπππ
Hi Kristhessa. Yes, if your starter isn’t doubling in volume, that’s likely the issue. I have some tips on how to strengthen your starter in this post: Why is My Sourdough So Sticky?
Love, love, love this recipe. Easy, fun, tasty and pretty! Now lm playing around with flavors and topping! (Would love to include a photo – l feel so accomplished.)
★★★★★
Oh I wish you could upload photos here … that would be a great feature. Email me if you want to share: alexandra@alexandracooks.com
So nice to hear this!
Mmmmm! Mmmmm! Good! Love using starter for my breads, have been for 5 years now. What I do not understand is why almost every sourdough website says to discard before feeding. I have been making and using my own starter for about 5 years, and have NEVER discarded any. That would be wasteful! I keep it in the refrigerator and when I need to use it. I feed it, use it, feed it again, and return it to the refrigerator after sitting out for a couple of hours. I never have too much. I make sandwich buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, and other raised breads using my starter. It is such a strong starter, that I made from scratch, I have no need for commercial yeast. I will be adding your recipe to my list of breads to make!
★★★★★
Hi Alexandra,
I have made your foccacia recipe a few times with much success!
I was wondering about mixing some items into the dough mixture itself. Perhaps roasted mushroom or red pepper bits or chopped garlic.
Hi Monika! I would add them after you do one or ideally two sets of stretches and folds. Then do two more sets of stretches and folds after you add them to ensure you incorporate them fully into the dough.
Can you still put the dough in the frig after its long fermentation and then remove it to do the final rise?
★★★★★
Yes!
Is it possible, to speed up the rise, to add 200g of starter and reduce the water and flour each by 50g?
Hi Torey! It’s totally worth a shot. I have not tried it, but I am all about experimenting with sourdough. Your math looks good. Good luck!
I’m wondering if after the dough doubles in size, can I prepare it in the pan and leave it overnight in the fridge for the last rise?
I want to bake it fresh for lunch the next day.
I’m not rating the recipe because I haven’t tried it yet.
Yes, absolutely!
I tried it, leaving the dough in the fridge overnight after the first rise and allowing it to rise again the next morning. Β It was delicious! Β I served it for lunch. After lunch I went to put away the remaining half and ….well let’s just say the dogs must have loved it to; there wasn’t a crumb left! I was so disappointed. Β I’ll Β be making it again.
★★★★★
Oh yay! Great to hear all of this, Linda! Well, everything apart from the dog eating your remaining loaf … I’m sorry! But a great excuse to make another batch π π π
Phenomenal focaccia! I added Tastefully Simple Rustic Herb Seasoning on top one of them before baking. The other I mixed in a sun-dried tomato seasoning with the flour. (I doubled recipe.) Incredibly delicious crispy edges! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Connie! Love the sound of all of your additions. Yum!
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it 3 times already and each time, it was delicious. This is the only sourdough I can make that actually has an open crumb. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear this, Lucas!
Love this recipe Iβm going to use half of it and make a small peasant loaf bread I hope this works and I always have questions and wonder about different stuff can you add stuff to the focaccia should should you wait..
Love your input and love your recipes I think you should come out with another book-!!!
★★★★★
Awww you’re so sweet π π π This means a lot. Thank you so much.
In terms of adding things. I like to add the “add-ins” after I’ve done at least 1 set of stretches and folds. after I add the add-ins, I like to do at least 2 sets of stretches and folds to ensure the ingredients are incorporated.
Made this today and it was fabulous!!!
★★★★★
Great to hear, Darla!
Iβm relatively new to Sourdough and Iβve tried a few recipes for Sourdough Focaccia …Thus Β is by far the best …particularly loved the fact it could be left in fridge overnight …I did do a few more folds . I was unsure about doubling volume as I donβt have a straight sided container which would as you say make it so much easier .I did sprinkle smoked sea salt , added red grapes seeped in a little olive Β oil, fresh Rosemary and sliced red onion over mine before baking .The dough baked perfectly .Thank you !Β
★★★★★
Oh Yay! Wonderful to hear this! I have some smoked Maldon sea salt on hand … will try it on the focaccia next time around π
Hi Ali, My first attempt at making this recipe and sourdough baking. I followed the recipe, did the fold after 30 minutes and the bulk fermentation was for 18 hours. I let it rise for 5 hours and it filled the pan. Baked for 28 minutes but the top wasnβt as golden or as high as yours in the video. I think I should have checked the bread temperature before removing it from the oven. The bread temp should be at 207. It does appear a little gummy when I cut a slice.
Can you recommend anything else?
★★★★
Hi Karen! It’s possible you need to reduce the water amount. It is possible, as you say, that you didn’t bake it long enough, so you can definitely test the temp next time around, but it’s also possible the water level is too high. Do you live in a humid environment? Are you using a scale? What type of flour?
Hi Ali, Yes, I used a scale to weigh all the ingredients, used bread flour and 440 grams of water. We lived in Virginia and when I made this recipe we were in a cold snap where temps were in the 30s at night and 50s during the day.
★★★★
OK, great to hear re scale and bread flour. Next time, I would try using 430 grams water.
Also: do you remember how much the dough increased in volume during the bulk fermentation? Was it more than double? Or less?
Ok, will use 430 grams of water. The bulk fermentation may have been more than doubled. I used a bowl for that and it was 18 hours long.
★★★★★
OK, great, let me know how round 2 turns out! It’s possible that the dough slightly over fermented during the bulk fermentation, so I might try shortening the bulk fermentation a bit. Also, if you don’t have a straight-sided vessel, like the one I show in this post, something like this will work. I just made a sourdough ciabatta recipe, and in that post, you can see the vessel I use for the bulk fermentation, which is an 8-cup Gladware storage vessel.
Ok, I will try a straight sided vessel for the fermentation and let you know how the next one turns out. Thank you for your recommendations.
★★★★
Great! Keep me posted!
The sound on this video is amazing. I could listen to it all day. Thank you for such a beautiful experience!
★★★★★
Awww thanks, Maryellen!
First (and second) Β try doing focaccia bread and this recipe was super easy to follow and yum-City! I warmed tons of fresh rosemary into the olive oil in the beginning step. Planning to add some to the top of this batch to crisp up (I have no idea what I am doing but love a new way to use my sourdough starter). Thank you for the simple and tasty recipe.
★★★★★
Great to hear this, Kate! Love the idea of infusing the oil with rosemary. So good. Enjoy your experiments!
Your video was so comforting — with the kids talking and the family around – it made me feel so at home that I got up the courage to make the bread! The bread was delicious, but what really felt amazing was getting through my block around baking sourdough! THANK YOU!
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear this, Etja! Thanks so much for writing. And I hear you: sometimes you just have to get passed that block π
So easy and delicious! Β This has become my go-to focaccia recipe.
★★★★★
Great to hear, Tiffany!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made it for the first time today and itβs turned out so nicely, I canβt wait to make it again.
★★★★★
Wonderful to hear this, Fio! Thanks so much for writing π
If putting in the fridge between bulk and final proof (just for overnight) would you shape in pan before or after?Β
You could do either. If you have space to put it in the pan (with oil, etc.), and to wrap the pan with plastic wrap to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out, then do that. If you don’t, keep it in an airtight storage vessel.
I am unsure what to do when refrigerating the dough before the second rise. Β After it is refrigerated, do I then take it out and put it in the pan for the second rise? Β Do I punch it down or “turn” it before transferring it to the pan? Β
I just got a very flat bread this time, but the two previous times I made it it came out well. I think I used part WW flour before, which may have made the dough slightly less moist. Do you think that could do it?
Thank you again for a great recipe and thanks in advance for clarifying how to handle the dough following refrigeration.
★★★★★
Hi Linda!
It’s definitely likely the makeup of the flour had something to do with the texture of the dough.
With the refrigerated dough, I would simply prepare your pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (being sure to butter the pan first if you are unsure of sticking, though it doesn’t sound as though that is an issue for you). Turn the cold dough out onto the prepared pan and turn it to coat in the olive oil. Pat it into a rectangle.
Let me know if that clarifies!
Hi Ali,
I want to try this recipe but I need to convert it to gluten-free. I already have my gluten-free sourdough starter, but need advice on how to convert to GF for this recipe.
Thanks
Hi Steve,
I don’t really know how to advise. What gluten-free flour are you using? A store-bought mix? Or one you mixed yourself?
The one gluten-free bread recipe I have on this site calls for a very liquidy dough β almost batter like. And it’s baked in bowls to help give it structure. So, that’s my reference point for gluten-free bread. If that recipe were to be used here, I don’t think the dimples would stay in the dough β it’s just too liquidy.
All of this is to say, I’m not sure subbing gluten-free flour here 1:1 will work perfectly here. It may take a bit of trial and error to get right.
Hi Alexandra,
This is a great recipe! Iβve been having a couple of issues that Iβm trying to troubleshoot and would love your input.
The first issue is that the last couple times Iβve made the focaccia, the top separates from the rest of the bread (like a pita or something).
The second issue is that my most recent focaccia has a bit of a gummy texture near the bottom of the interior.
The third issue is that I tend to lose some definition in the dimpling and the top doesnβt get nearly as dark as yours does.
Thanks in advance!
Joe
Hi Joe!
OK, questions for you: are you using a scale? What type of flour are you using? How much water are you using?
It sounds as though you might need to reduce the water amount, which would help with both the dimpling and the gumminess. It’s also possible you might need to increase the oven temperature.
When you dimple the dough, are you pretty aggressive? Know that it’s OK for your finger tips to make contact with the bottom of the pan when you dimple.
Hi again,
Thanks for the response!
I am using a scale thankfully. Iβll plan to reduce the water content by maybe 10 g and see what that does.Β
We definitely werenβt dimpling aggressively enough based on your description! It makes sense given you normally score a loaf of bread to prevent this from happening.
Iβm going to try these two things first and then play with oven temperature – my oven thermometer was indicating that the temperature was accurate.
Thanks for the help Ali!
★★★★★
Great to hear you are using a scale! I think reducing the water should do it for you. And you definitely can leave bread in the oven longer to achieve the golden color you are looking for. Dimple more aggressively next time and see how it works β you’d be surprised how resilient this dough is. It might look a little deflated when you put it in the oven, but it will spring back while it bakes.
Finally: you may want to consider shortening the bulk fermentation. Do you remember how long it was roughly? And do you remember if your dough doubled or more than doubled in volume?