Simple Sourdough Focaccia Bread Recipe

Sourdough focaccia bread is a favorite in my home!

I make it more often than sandwich bread

But I think that is because it is so adaptable

I’ve made focaccia bread with many herbs on tops

I’ve made some with just salt and pepper

One of my favorites is topping it with pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni!

That batch was gone in less than an hour

It doesn’t matter what you have on hand

You can make a delicious and fairly healthy snack 

What is special about focaccia bread?

Focaccia bread is nice because you can do so much with it

You can make it special like with this recipe

Or you can use overproofed sourdough bread

The choice of toppings is endless

And it is mostly hands off

I spend about a half hour actively messing with my dough

The rest is rising time and baking

Why is my focaccia bread so dense?

Focaccia bread becomes light and airy when the yeast from the sourdough starter eats the gluten in the flour and produces gas

If your bread is dense, you probably either didn’t allow it to rise long enough or it was too cold 

I have to give my dough a really long fermenting time when it is cold in my home

One my stretch and folds are done, I place my bowl in a warm but off oven to get warm

Then i allow it to ride until doubled in size and very giggly when I shake the bowl

This can take 8 hours in the summer

Or it can take 18 hours in the winter

Is sourdough focaccia bread healthy?

Sourdough focaccia bread is a complex carb

Which means it is better than many other carb options in moderation

Of course, you don’t want to eat an entire batch

But it does do good things for your health

In addition, you can top the focaccia bread with healthy toppings to make it even better for you

Ingredients:

100g active sourdough starter

370g warm water

5g sea salt

500g all purpose flour or bread flour

Olive oil

Instructions:

I like to use a stand mixer

It can be done by hand but kneading it takes a while

I start by putting my starter and warm water into my mixer bowl

Mix those together then add the salt and flour

Knead until fully combined and smooth

You will have a very sticky dough

Add the dough to a well oiled bowl that is at least twice the size of your dough

Cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes

Once rested, do a round of stretch and folds

Take the edge of your dough and stretch it up as much as you can before folding it over the middle

Rotate the bowl 45 degrees and repeat

You will feel the dough get stiffer

Repeat 2 more times and cover the bowl for another 30 minutes

When the 30 minutes is done, repeat the stretch and fold 4 times again

Then cover and allow to bulk ferment on the counter

You want the dough to double in size

If you use a metal bowl and it is cold like I do, I like to turn on my oven for 5 minutes before shutting back off 

I store the dough in there so it warms up and rises better

When the dough is doubled, add parchment paper to a baking sheet and Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Make sure the bowl is not in the oven when it Preheat

Add olive oil to the baking sheet

Pour the dough into the baking sheet and spread it evenly

Add more olive oil on top and wiggle it into the dough by wiggling your fingers down

There should be a lot of dents in the dough

Add any other toppings that you want and bake for 25 or 30 minutes or until the dough is 400 degrees internally

Allow the bread to rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the baking sheet

Enjoy!