This is a perfect "mix everything together and let sit recipe" for a no knead sourdough focaccia bread. It's a delicious blend of crispy edges and a tender, slightly sour interior that's good as a dinner bread or cut larger for burger and sandwich buns. It's another easy way to use your discard, too.
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If you've cooked with sourdough for any length of time you're probably looking for new and interesting ways to use your sourdough starter.
Every time you feed it, you need to remove some to bake with and keep the starter healthy - and to keep it from growing into huge monster!
Enter this amazingly easy no knead sourdough focaccia bread. With very little hands on time - just 10-15 minutes total - and an overnight rise with a second rise the next day, you can have warm, homemade sourdough focaccia for dinner.
While easy sourdough artisan bread might be everyone's favorite, this focaccia may become a second favorite. It's got lovely crispy edges from cooking in olive oil, a buttery top, and a tender crumb with a lightly sour flavor from its long rise.
Plus, it's simple to cut half the pan into small squares for dinner and then cut the remaining half into larger rectangles that are perfect for hamburger buns and sandwiches. Just like your favorite brew pub's fancy burgers!
This bread freezes beautifully, so just pop what you don't eat into the freezer and you can have focaccia anytime.
Is sourdough focaccia healthy?
You can choose to make this recipe with half whole wheat flour for a whole grain benefit like I did, plus with its long rise (or "ferment" since it is sourdough), the grain is made easier to digest.
Many people who have wheat sensitivities find they can eat long fermented sourdough breads.
Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
Thankfully, both the ingredients and instructions are super simple. For this recipe you'll need:
- active sourdough starter ("active" means it's been fed and has doubled in 6 hours or less)
- honey (or maple syrup, or sugar)
- flour - whole wheat, white whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, or a mix
- salt (this flaky sea salt is nice for sprinkling)
- olive oil
- butter and seasonings for optional topping
Supplies
- two large bowls
- wooden spoon/spatula
- plastic bowl covers
- 13 x 9-inch baking pan, metal or glass
- silicone pastry brush (silicone is my favorite - no bristles left in the food!)
- serrated bread knife (the best!)
Instructions
I know you will love how easy this recipe is as much as I do!
First, add the starter, honey, and some water into a large bowl and mix it together. Then add the flour and salt and mix until there are no flour streaks left.
Then you transfer it to an oiled bowl, cover, and stick it in the fridge overnight. Nice, right?
TIP: a tea towel doesn't work well for breads with longer rises - it allows air in that forms a crust. I have the best results with reusable "shower cap" type plastic food covers like these. I've had some of them for years, so they really are reusable!
In the morning, it may not have doubled, but it will look fluffier like the top photo above. Transfer that to a buttered and oiled 13x9 pan and let it sit for another few hours.
TIP: Even though it seems like you shouldn't need to butter a pan full of oil, when I didn't the bread stuck pretty badly. So now I butter it lightly with a pastry brush and softened butter every time.
Again, it may just be fluffier and not tons bigger - that's okay. Drizzle the top with oil.
Now it's time to make focaccia's signature dimpled top. It's actually kind of fun. Use your oiled fingers to stretch the dough gently into the corners of the pan.
Once it's even, drizzle more olive oil (it's okay - it sounds like a lot, but the total oil is just 4 tablespoons) and use your fingers to make indentations evenly over the top of the dough. The oil should pool in many of the dimples.
You can sprinkle with a flaky salt at this point if you like (I like). Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges are brown and crisping.
The "optional" topping isn't really optional at our house - I mix melted butter, garlic, and herbs and brush it all over the warm focaccia.
Since this is a bread you want to eat shortly after baking (unlike sourdough artisan bread or sandwich breads, which need to cool almost completely before cutting), let it cool for just 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Focaccia Cutting Suggestion
Unless you're serving to a crowd, I suggest doing what I mentioned above and cut half the pan for dinner and cut the other half into larger pieces for buns to have later:
- With a knife, divide the pan in half so you have two pieces 9"x 6.5."
- Cut one of these halves into 12 smaller pieces.
- Cut the other half into 6 larger pieces. Cut each of these larger pieces in half length-wise to create a top and bottom bun.
Can you freeze sourdough focaccia?
Yes, in fact I suggest freezing as the best storage method since focaccia is really best the day it's made (though you can store it one day and toast it to reheat and it will be good).
Freeze sliced focaccia in an airtight container for 3-4 months. You can reheat it by setting the pieces on a cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes
What do you serve with focaccia?
Here are some of my favorite serving ideas:
- Sheet pan meals like Roasted Sausages with Peppers & Onions.
- Soups like Italian Vegetable Beef Soup, Fast Curried Red Lentil Soup, or Homemade Tomato Soup.
- Frittatas like Potato and Caramelized Onion, Chicken Spinach Frittata with Feta, or Greek Salmon & Vegetable Frittata.
- Main dish salads like Chef's Salad, Greek Tuna & Tomato, or Steak Salad with Garlic-Pepper Dressing.
Easy No-Knead Sourdough Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- 13 x 9-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter (fed and doubling in 6 hours or less)
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, or sugar
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 4-4½ cups flour* depending on hydration of starter
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more for sprinkling
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- butter for pan
Optional Topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, rosemary OR thyme or 1 teaspoon dried herb
Instructions
- Mix sourdough starter, honey, and water in a large bowl until combined.
- Add 4 cups flour and salt; mix with a wooden spoon or paddle of an electric mixer just until no flour streaks remain. (If dough seems too wet - though this is a wetter dough - add up to 1/2 cup more flour.)
- Coat a large non-metal bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a plastic or silicone lid and place in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
- The next day butter a 13x9-inch baking pan (and no, the olive oil alone won't keep it from sticking - trust me on this!) and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the bottom.
- Remove the bowl from the fridge and fold and turn the dough in the bowl a couple times. Dump it into the center of the prepared pan. Cover pan with plastic and let it sit in a warm place for 4 hours. (The dough may not double, that's okay.)
- Heat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the middle.
- Oil your hands and gently stretch/push the dough into the corners to fill the pan evenly. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and use your fingers to dimple the dough all over the top. Sprinkle the top with a flaky sea salt (or regular if you don't have it).
- Bake until golden and edges are crisp, 20-25 minutes.
- Cool a bit in pan while making the optional topping (not really optional in our house!).
Optional Topping:
- In a small bowl, melt butter, garlic, and herb of choice together. Brush all over the top of the warm focaccia bread.
- Cut into squares and serve warm (see cutting suggestions below). Freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- With a knife, divide the pan in half so you have two pieces 9″x 6.5.”
- Cut one of these halves into 12 smaller pieces.
- Cut the other half into 6 larger pieces. Cut each of these larger pieces in half length-wise to create a top and bottom bun.
Nutrition
More Sourdough Recipes to Try:
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