Soft and tender, mouth-watering sourdough focaccia with robust and earthy extra virgin olive oil, a generous pinch of Italian herbs, and lots of flaked sea salt. This sourdough focaccia bread recipe will impress your family and friends; it takes less than 24-hours from start to finish, plus it’s a great discard recipe if you’re looking for a quick and easy sourdough bread!

This focaccia bread is so tender and pillowy on the inside surrounded by a crispy and savory outside, you will fall in love instantly. I just love the flavor of sourdough bread and this one has all the flavor without a lot of work! I chose to do simple herbs and EVOO on mine, but let your taste buds guide you on a focaccia adventure!

Focaccia Topping Suggestions:

• Garlic and Herb
• Sun-dried Tomato and Rosemary
• Fresh Tomato and Garlic
• Petite Mozzarella and Sun-dried Tomato
• Grated Parmesan and Kamalata Olive
• Green Olive and Herb
• Roasted Artichoke and Garlic
• Prosciutto and Petite Mozzarella
• Za’tar and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Pine Nuts and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Go wild and enjoy every bite, with lots of flakey sea salt, and don’t forget the Italian Butter…an absolute MUST in my house!

Italian Butter Recipe

1/4 cup Really good and flavorful cold-pressed EVOO (I prefer unrefined: so flavorful!)

1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar, drizzled over

2 Tbsp Fresh Grated Parmesan

Add all the ingredients to a shallow dish and dip away!

Why Sourdough is So Good for You!

Have you ever wondered why sourdough is considered a healthier bread? There are several reasons why sourdough is a great choice when looking for a tasty and nutrient dense bread. Sourdough bread is rich in fiber, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, vitamins B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (riboflavin) and B9 (folate).

Sourdough bread can be easier to digest for those with gluten sensitivities.  I do NOT recommend eating sourdough bread if you have celiacs disease or any type of severe sensitivity to gluten without checking with your physician first.  One of the reasons sourdough can be more digestible for those with gluten sensitivities is due to the long fermentation process that sourdough bread undergoes. This allows for the wild yeast and bacteria present from your starter to break down proteins and carbohydrates (fructans) found in the flour [1].

Sourdough bread can be helpful for individuals working to maintain more stable blood sugar levels as it has a lower glycemic index, which supports healthier blood sugar regulation by reducing the potential for a severe blood glucose spike due to its slower absorption.  This is thought to occur due to the fermentation process and how the carbohydrates are broken down and changed [2].

So grab your starter and let’s get baking!

Sourdough Focaccia Bread Ingredients

Serves 12-24

100g Sourdough Starter

12g Real Fine Salt

490g Filtered Water

100g Organic Whole Wheat Flour

500g Unbleached Organic Bread Flour

3-6 Tbsp EVOO

1 Tbsp Flaked Sea Salt

1.5 tsp Italian Seasoning

How to Make Sourdough Focaccia

1. In a large bowl combine the starter, water and salt, stirring to dissolve the starter.

2. Add the whole wheat flour and mix into the starter solution with a whisk to eliminate any clumps.

3. Add the unbleached bread flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and set aside.

Shaggy Dough

4. In 30-minutes do 8 folds (2 rounds of 4-folds turning the bowl 90 degrees for each fold) where you grab the dough from the top of the bowl towards the bottom of the bowl and pull it up and over towards the bottom of the bowl, repeat in another 30-minutes.

Pro Tip: Dampen your hands with cool water before folding to reduce the dough from sticking to your hands.

Dough after 1 round of folding

Dough after 2 rounds of folding

5. After the last round of folds, rub 1-2 Tbsp EVOO over the dough, cover and let sit until doubled, 2-8 hours.

6. Once the dough has doubled, take 1-2 Tbsp EVOO and coat the baking pan you are going to use.

7. Loosen the dough from the sides of the bowl and place into the center of the oiled baking pan. You can fold in the sides to create a rectangular shape (make sure you flip the dough back over so the seams are down), or you can just let it organically rise, which is what I do.

8. Gently coat the dough with 1-2 Tbsp of EVOO and set aside, uncovered for 2-8 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

10. In a small bowl, combine 1-2 Tbsp EVOO and the Italian herbs, then pour over the focaccia. Using your fingers, gently press them down into the dough making dimples all over the top of the bread. Sprinkle generously with flaked sea salt and bake.

11. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and lightly browned.

12. Remove from the oven and from the baking pan transferring the bread to a cooling rack.

13. Cool slice and serve!

Like this Video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy, whole food recipes! Want to be notified when I post a new video? Click on the bell icon and you’ll get a notification when new recipes are uploaded! Happy Healthy Eating!!

FAQs

Q: I used a glass baking dish, why does my focaccia stick to it after baking?
A: If you use a glass baking dish, you may want to use ghee or butter instead of the EVOO to keep the bread from sticking.

Q: My dough isn’t rising, what wrong?
A: The room temperature may be too cool, try to find a warmer place to keep it to allow it to rise.

Q: Will my dough rise faster in the summer?
A: Yes, the warmer the room temperature, the faster the dough will rise.

Q: Can I use fresh herbs to make sourdough focaccia?
A: Yes! Dried or fresh herbs, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, olives, really, you can’t go wrong with aromatics and toppings!

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the products and kitchen gear I love. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Almond Milk and Cookies!