After baking several loaves of sourdough bread, as well as a few other everyday recipes with discard, I decided to convert my regular yeast focaccia recipe into a sourdough one! For those who are just foraying into sourdough baking, it may actually be easier to start with focaccia, since you don’t need a Dutch oven or other fancy equipment, and don’t have to worry about shaping or scoring your bread.
If you’re just thinking about baking sourdough, then you need to read my post on how to create and maintain a sourdough starter, since that will form the basis of any recipe you try.
Focaccia is a flatbread originating from Italy. It’s thicker than a pizza base, but can be made plain or with a ton of toppings like pizza. In this recipe, I have used one my favorite combinations for toppings – rosemary and potato!
Like any sourdough bread recipe, you need time and patience since the rise and proofing will take much longer than yeasted bread. However, you can easily make this bread with instant dried yeast – pay attention to your proofing times though which will be significantly shorter.
Here are the steps involved in making this flavorful and delicious focaccia:
Make the dough, stretch and fold and let it bulk ferment. Make sure it does not rise beyond double its size.
Transfer it to an 8 X 12 pan and gently stretch it into a rectangular shape. Keep in a warm place until it doubles and becomes puffy and bubbly on top.
Dimple the dough with your fingers and drizzle some olive oil top.
Add the toppings, drizzle some more olive oil and bake.
Looking for additional sourdough recipes? Check out my:
- Easy No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Turmeric Sourdough Bread with Cumin and Caramelized onions
- Overnight Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
Sourdough Rosemary and Potato Focaccia
Course: AppetizersCuisine: Italian1
8X12 loaf31
minutesA flavorful sourdough focaccia recipe with rosemary and potatoes, that will become the showstopper at your next party – make it an appetizer or pair with a salad for a full meal.
Ingredients
1 cup active sourdough starter (~227 grams)
375 grams bread flour
300 grams water
2 teaspoons sea salt (12 grams)
- Toppings
2 medium potatoes (see notes)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the water, salt and starter loosely with a spatula. Add the flour and stir again to combine until it forms a sticky and shaggy dough. Transfer immediately to a clear container such as this one and cover with a towel or breathable cloth cover. Let the dough rest for an hour (or upto 4 hours).
- Stretch and fold. After the dough has rested for at least an hour, begin stretching and folding. Grab the dough in one area, lift it up and pull into the center. Rotate the vessel clockwise while you repeat this process in each area of the dough. It will take you 4 or 5 tries to do this in a full circle. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then repeat. Do this for a total of 4 times with a 30 minute interval between each series of stretch and fold. The dough will become smoother and stretchier with each round.
- Bulk fermentation phase. After the last stretch and fold, cover the vessel and let the dough rise at room temperature. This phase could take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours depending on the climate where you live, time of the year, temperature in your kitchen etc. Do not go based on time, but instead rely on the visual cues. Use a clear container such as this one to monitor the rise. When the dough rises to almost double its initial volume (almost to the 2 quart level for this recipe), the bulk fermentation is complete. You should see a nice network of holes spread across the dough.
- Shape the dough. Transfer the dough gently onto a floured surface. Fold the dough into an envelope on all four sides. Then flip the dough over so the seam side is underneath and transfer it into a 8 X 12 metal baking pan lined with parchment paper. Gently stretch the dough out into a rectangular shape. You don’t have to cover the entire pan. It will expand on its own during the next proofing phase.
- Cold retard overnight. If you’d like to bake on the same day, skip this step and proceed to the next one. Cover the pan with a cling wrap or a large plastic bag (ensure it doesn’t touch the dough) and transfer to the fridge for 8 to 48 hours. When you’re ready to bake, remove the pan from the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temperature before continuing.
- Second proof phase. Keep the pan in a warm place and let rise until it doubles and bubbles appear on top. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
- Prep the toppings. Slice the potatoes into roughly 3mm thickness. Do not slice them too thin otherwise they will dry and crack while baking. Finely chop the rosemary needles.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Dimple the dough with your fingers evenly across the pan, and drizzle some olive oil on top. Line the sliced potatoes evenly on top of the dough. Sprinkle the rosemary and coarse sea salt on top of the potatoes. Drizzle some oil on top again. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then set oven to broil for a minute or two more until the potatoes turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the foccacia to a cooling rack. Cool for at least 15 minutes before you slice and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, or a combination of both, as I’ve used in this recipe.
- You can use 2 teaspoons of instant yeast instead of sourdough starter for this recipe. However, proofing time will be significantly shorter.
- Leftover slices can be stored in the fridge for a couple days. Bake or toast in an oven for 5 minutes before enjoying.
