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 — thank you Jim Lahey — or a thinner round to use for pizza or something palatable for the gluten-free crowd.
But achieving that sour taste — even a subtle sour taste — is something yeast, even with a long slow rise cannot achieve. And, moreover, natural leavening is natural leavening — 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 — sandwich bread, appetizer, dinner bread — 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 — 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 — 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, and you can make a sourdough starter from scratch in just about a week. I only recommend doing so if it currently is summer (or a very warm fall) where you are. While it is immensely satisfying to build a starter from scratch, there is no shame in buying one for a few reasons, namely: when you purchase a starter, you are guaranteed to have a strong, vigorous starter from the start.
I’ve purchased sourdough starters from King Arthur Flour and also from Breadtopia. Both were easy to feed and activate. Once your starter arrives, follow this guide on How to Activate, Feed, and Maintain A Sourdough Starter.
Four Reasons to 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. Why go through the trouble of building a starter till you know you enjoy the process of sourdough baking?
What is the Best Sourdough Starter?
If you don’t have the time (or patience!) to make your own sourdough starter, there are some good options available online. I’ve used the Breadtopia Sourdough Starter, which sells for about $15; just remember to feed it as soon as it arrives! Other options I recommend include King Arthur Sourdough Starter (about $10), and Cultures for Health San Francisco Style Sourdough Starter (around $13).
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
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 425ºF for 25 minutes.
Just-baked sourdough focaccia:
Simple Sourdough Focaccia
- Total Time: 24 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Adapted from my favorite yeasted, slow-rise focaccia recipe — overnight refrigerator focaccia — this recipe replaces the yeast with a sourdough starter. Find video guidance and step-by-step instruction below.
What you need to make this recipe…:
- …a sourdough starter. You can buy one (from places like Breadtopia or King Arthur Flour) or you can make it yourself from scratch (a one- to two-week process).
- …time. Once your starter is ready to go, this recipe requires an initial 4- to 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. 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.
- …mixing/rising vessels. I love this 4-quart bowl + lid set for mixing and rising all sorts of dough. With sourdough, I love using a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation, which allows me to see precisely how much my dough has increased in volume.
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.
This recipe’s key is to ensure the first rise doesn’t go too long — you want the dough to nearly double. A straight sided vessel (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:
- I’ve been using King Arthur Flour’s special patent flour — 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 — 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 (1.75 cups – 1.75 cups + 2 tablespoons), 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 — 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 (70ºF/21ºC) 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 — 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 — it will be too warm. It is best to rely on visual cues (doubling in volume) as opposed to time to determine when the bulk fermentation is done. A 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 — 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. Video guidance here.
- Rub top of dough with oil. Leave alone for 4 to 6 hours, uncovered, or until puffy and nearly doubled.
- Heat oven to 425ºF. 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.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
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.
1,501 Comments on “Simple Sourdough Focaccia: A Beginner’s Guide”
I have made your easy focaccia recipe half a dozen times now and it is chefs kiss perfect. The last few times I have made it I did a suuuuper long rise in the refrigerator (2-3 days) which I have found to give the focaccia excellent flavor and texture. I have made sourdough bread with a long rise in the refrigerator before- have you done this with your sourdough focaccia recipe?
Yep! Go for it 🙂 🙂 🙂
Do you mean the bulk initial fermentation or in the pan before baking for your long 2-3 day refrigerator rise?! I’d love to make ahead and have it ready to bake from the fridge….
Hi Jenna! Apologies for the delay here. You can transfer the dough to the fridge any time during the bulk fermentation to make it work with your schedule. You can also transfer the dough to the pan and place in the fridge until needed (up to 48 hours). Be sure to cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or tuck the whole pan into a 2-gallon ziptop bag and seal it.
At what point would you put this in the refrigerator? Would you write out some directions for that process, please?
Right after the bulk fermentation: ball it up; place it in the fridge in an airtight vessel. Proceed with the recipe when you are ready to bake: you’ll want to remove the dough 4 to 5 hours before you want to bake/serve it.
Made this and loved it! My only problem was it stuck to my pan pretty badly but was worth the work of scraping it out because it was so delicious 😉 Wanted to ask, would it be fine to use parchment paper for an easier removal next time or would you just recommend more oil? Thanks in advance!
Hi! I always recommend butter first; then the olive oil. If you are opposed to using butter, you can use parchment paper. Olive oil alone with some pans doesn’t provide that nonstick barrier unfortunately. So glad you loved it and sorry about the sticking… such a bummer.
Just wanted to thank you for your recipe. It had been my staple focaccia for years now. Be well!
Great to hear, Jessica! Thanks for writing 🙂
Hi! My kitchen is around 72 degrees and I did an overnight first rise (around 12 hours). The dough appears to have at least tripled, maybe slightly more. I’ve shaped and oiled and placed in pan – should I adjust the time of my second rise so it doesn’t overproof? Should I go ahead and bake now instead of waiting 4 hours? Thank you!!
Still wait the 4-ish hours! It needs time to relax, grow, etc. after it has been shaped. Hope it turns out well! Keep me posted!
This has been my one and only go to focaccia recipe for 4 years. It is always a hit and is versatile enough to be used as savory, sweet variations or pizza
Great to hear, Erryn! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
How much starter would you recommend using if my house is kept at 65 degrees consistently?
I always use 100 grams of starter… my house is on the cool side, too.
Thank you!
Hi! I’m currently making your focaccia recipe, but I noticed that in direction number three you mention “ 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 (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours. Although in the video you don’t show that step. Please confirm thank you.
Hi! I do like to slick my dough with oil before a long rise just to ensure it doesn’t form a crust. Also: focaccia loves olive oil 🙂 I do, however, always use an airtight lid for these long rises, which alone ensures the dough will not form a crust, so the oil isn’t critical.
This turned out perfect! Followed the recipe exactly. I added garlic and Italian seasoning right before baking!
Great to hear! Thanks for writing, Lisa 🙂
Yes! I’ve finally made it to the other side! Lol
My starter finally “activated” and I have a focaccia dough fermenting on the counter. Super excited!
Woohoo! You got this 💪💪💪
OH. MY. GOSH!!!! This bread was amazing. I started a sourdough starter not realizing how intimidating it is to make a sourdough loaf. As of right now I do not have all the equipment needed to bake one. incoming this wonderful focaccia recipe!! I was overly excited to bake it and didn’t time everything great—I worked for 13 hours after the first rise and needed to store it in the fridge after the initial rise. However, I took it out of the fridge the next morning and let it rise for another 6 hours and it turned out amazing.
I am still in awe I was able to do this! Focaccia bread is very special to me because my dad would pick it up on the way home from work Saturday mornings from a local bakery and I fell in love. I do wish he was still here to try this bread but I am so pleased with it, I know he would have loved it. I truly never leave comments or reviews but for this one I had to. I have tears in my eyes!! I baked a loaf of bread!! Hahaha thanks Alexandra!!!! The video was immensely helpful as well.
And now I have tears reading this!! Oh Cassandra, congrats on building your own starter from scratch and on your first sourdough bake. Such a feat. Your father would be so proud and so should you 💕💕💕💕
So I just made.my very first sourdough bread and first focaccia. It was delicious. I have a few questions about the texture and taste. Was it supposed to taste a bit, well, sour? I know sourdough has some sour notes, however it tasted more sour than others? Also, was the focaccia supposed to be very oily? I felt that the bottom was a bit to oily, as if it were deep fried. Overall, I loved the crisp top and soft center. I hope mine will be a bit more like yours next time. Thanks again and now on to the next project, your actual sourdough loaf (the round one lol).
Hi! And great to hear. Regarding the oil: you can use less next time, but yes: focaccia is on the oily side. And yes, sourdough will taste a bit sour. Once you strengthen your starter even more, you may find the sourness subsides a bit.
This might be the best sourdough recipe I’ve tried yet. Did garlic, rosemary, and maldon sea salt and it was INCREDIBLE! I put mine in the fridge overnight after the bulk rise for time purposes and let it sit in the 9×13 at room temp for 4-5 hours before baking the next day.
Great to hear, Kristen! Your toppings sound divine. Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
Hi, Alexandra! I LOVE your sourdough recipes and have been baking them like crazy. I’m trying the focaccia recipe for the first time. The written recipe says to coat the dough with oil before setting it for the bulk fermentation. However, the picture and video instructions don’t do/show this. I am following the written instructions and coated my dough before setting it for the bulk fermentation. It has not risen at all over four hours in warm temperature. Is it possible the oil is inhibiting the rise?
Nope! No need to worry about the oil — it’s likely that your dough just needs more time. I always slick my focaccia dough with a little bit of oil for the bulk fermentation, but it will work with or without that oil slick. Are you using a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation?
Thank you for the reply, Ali! The dough rose amazingly after all and the bread is so incredibly delicious!
Help! I have baked this recipe 3 or 4 times before and they’ve all been successful and excellent. I’ve just tried this recipe again twice in 24 hours and both have been an oversaturated unusable mess. I’m using the same sourdough starter, bread flour (Caputo Manitoba Oro) and relatively similar temps as before. I don’t understand what’s happening! The first time I made it, I didn’t tare my scale when adding the first scoop of flour so had to reverse engineer the measurements. I thought I was correct, but willing to accept I wasn’t, so I threw the pool of watery flour away and started again. But with the correct measurements, the same thing happened. I have made other loaves with this starter in the past couple of days with no issues. What could be the cause?! And any suggestions? Should I just try to lower the hydration? But by how much?
Hmmm… very strange! Has the weather been at all humid? Regardless, yes, trying holding back 50 grams of water and see if that helps.
What type of toppings do you recommend? For garlic would I chop it and put it on top just prior to baking. And given the long process to rise – if it goes into the 18 hour range can I just leave it out over night or am I best to put it in the fridge? Sorry, I’m a newbie to this.
Hi! I’d actually consider adding chopped garlic right in with the flour — it might burn on top. And yes, you can definitely leave it out overnight, but do use a straight-sided vessel so you can keep an eye on the rise. If your kitchen is warm, I’d consider using the fridge to prevent over-fermenting and then picking up where you left off.
What is different about this recipe that not fermenting in a warmer space (oven with light on) can be too warm?
I make about a 2/3 batch for an 8×8 pan. Tasty!
Hi Sara! Can you clarify your questions: “What is different about this recipe that not fermenting in a warmer space (oven with light on) can be too warm?” I’m not sure what you’re asking.
The guidance for the recipe says, “Do not use an oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it will be too warm.”
Too warm for what?
Thanks!
Got it! Too warm for the bulk fermentation — it may cause your dough to overferment.
OMG This recipe is amazing. I am impressed with myself. Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
This bread is delicious!! I have a question though. How do you store your bread? I have wrapped mine in a towel on the counter, used a plastic bag and Tupperware container. But my bread never keeps well.
I store all bread the same way: In a ziplock bag at room temp for up to 3 days or in the freezer if longer. The crust will get soft, but I always recommend reheating day-old bread, so that the crust revives, which it will beautifully: 350F for 15 minutes or so.
Is it normal for the dough to smell like acetone after fermentation? I left it out over night and now it smells off. It smelled and felt right at first, but now having smelled it after letting it ferment over night and a few hours in the morning, I am concerned. Please let me know what you think. I don’t think it’s my starter because it made another nice wheat loaf quite well. Thanks!
Hmmm… I do think smells are almost a better sign of things not being right than visual cues sometimes. What did you end up doing? It sounds as though it may have over fermented.
Great Focaccia recipe.. came out amazing on my first try..
I followed this recipe as written..
I did the first bulk fermentation for 12 hours, as my dough had easily doubled..
I then did my second fermentation (in the pan) for about 4 hours, as the dough was looking full and bubbly by that time..
I added sauteed red onion and fresh Rosemary,and salt to the top before baking..
I ended up baking at 425f for almost 30 minutes (using a metal pan), and it came out great with a crispy bottom and top and soft in the middle…
Great to hear, Brett! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes. All sounds delicious 🙂
I followed this recipe almost to the T. Had to adjust some things, like adding wheat gluten to my AP and adding a bit more of the starter to the dough. I also proofed it probably longer than what it said to do (including the overnight for the first and second proofing, a total of 12 hours. Then I put the proofed dough that was on the baking dish into the refrigerator to pause the process and bake it in the morning). I also added some grated garlic and fresh thyme on top. And the result… simply delicious and addicting!! Crunchy on the outside and soft/chewy/flavorful on the inside. So good!!
Yum! All sounds delicious. Thanks for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
Hello! I have tried this recipe twice now and both times the focaccia does not get crispy on the bottom. It is kind of wet. Is that expected or should I reduce the olive oil?
Other than that, it tastes amazing 🤩
Hi! What material pan are you using? Olive oil should actually help with the crispness, and this recipe doesn’t have that much olive oil compared to many out there, so I wouldn’t reduce it 🙂 We’ll get to the bottom of it.
Other questions:
Are you using a scale to measure?
What kind of flour are you using?
Does your oven typically run cool? or is it mostly accurate?
Thanks for the response!
I’m using a glass dish and tried to butter it beforehand and not butter it, but got the same results.
I am using a scale to measure and using King Arthur’s bread flour. My oven seems to be pretty accurate. For this recipe, 25 minutes is almost perfect but I left it in for probably 3-5 more minutes to get the darker color like yours has.
OK, great to read all of this! Do you happen to have a metal pan?
Hi Ali,
I have been making the sourdough boule for almost a year- my first try with soudough. A friend suggested that I try the focaccia. I mistimed it and put it on pause in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then continued with the 6 hour rise in the pan. I took it to Thanksgiving dinner. It was a great success! I’d love to make several for a cocktail party on Christmas Eve. Can I make the dough earlier and freeze it after the first rise, rather than refrigerate for a day? Ideally, I’d like to bake 3 on the 23rd and warm them on the 24th before the party. Any ideas? Thanks!
Great to hear, Brenda! Unfortunately, my experience with freezing sourdough dough is not great — even after short periods in the freezer (like a week), the dough loses its oomph. My suggestion would be to make the focaccia, let it cool completely, then freeze. Focaccia (and really all bread) revives so beautifully upon being re-heated before serving. Or you can do what you did with the fridge rise for 24 hours… I know you’re trying to get things done ahead of time, so maybe that’s not feasible. Good luck!
My go-to sourdough focaccia recipe! This turns out perfect every time.
Great to hear, Alanna! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Fabulous fool-proof, simple recipe! Very good video as well. The Focaccia turned out amazing and was gobbled up very quickly. I have a few of your sourdough recipes on rotation and they never fail.
Great to hear, Lia! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Love this recipe! For timing purposes, I like doing an overnight fermentation in the fridge. After the “deflate”, can I (should I) place the dough in my oiled USA pan, then pop it in the fridge.
I understand I still have to let it raise 4 to 6 hours before I bake it.
Hi Gary! Apologies for the delay here. Yes! Be sure the pan is covered tightly in plastic wrap or tucked inside an airtight bag (like a 2-gallon ziptop bag) to ensure a crust doesn’t form on the dough.
Hi!
Long time follower, first time poster!!
If I tripple this recipe ( like I just did)
How much does 1 weigh when I go transfer it to 3 pans?
Thank you!!! Happy Holidays!
erica
Hi! And apologies for the delay here. What did you end up doing? I actually don’t know what the weight of each loaf would be precisely, but my guess would be roughly 1050 grams each.
Morning! I figured it was the same as my sourdough loafs, so each was between 1000-1030
Also, I make the GFCC Cookies and so many of my customers LOVE them!
Amazing! Great to hear all of this. Thanks for circling back 🙂
So excited to try this! I love all your other sourdough recipes. If I wanted to add toppings (olives and rosemary), what step would I do this at?
I would a second set of stretches and folds and add the add-ins just before the second set of stretches and folds. Rosemary, however, you can add with the flour; add the olives before the second set of s&fs. I’d consider adding a third set of s&fs to ensure the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Love this recipe, thank you! If I want to make half portion, do I just need to cut all the ingredients down to half? What about the baking time? Thanks!
Yes! Cut all ingredients in half. Baking time should be similar, but start checking it maybe 5 minutes sooner than suggested… rely on the visual cues: evenly golden brown all around.