The only focaccia recipe you will ever need! Bakes up beautifully with a crispy golden brown crust, and the sourdough discard adds complex flavor. Don't wait to try this recipe!

Like so many other people, I discovered the joy and wonder of making my own sourdough starter at the beginning of 2020. Since then, I've made countless sourdough goodies: whole wheat sourdough, Sourdough Cornbread, Sourdough Naan, and sourdough English muffins.

But there is something uniquely enjoyable about making sourdough focaccia. Maybe it's because you get to handle the bubbly dough so much, slathering it with olive oil and creating dimples and crevices, but it's also hard to mess up this recipe.

The result is a light and fluffy dough with a crunchy, golden brown crust that's been speckled with rosemary, olive oil, and flaky sea salt. The olive oil pools in the crevices and creates a crispy crust.

It's flavorful enough to eat as-is, but you could also use your focaccia to make this Chicken Avocado Focaccia Sandwich or as an accompaniment to Thick and Hearty Vegetarian Chili, Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup, or Southwest Black Bean Soup.

Why This Recipe Works

This focaccia is a combination of fluffy and chewy on the inside while being crisp and crunchy on the outside, thanks to lots of olive oil. The sourdough discard gives it added complexity that you will love.

The fresh rosemary adds a lovely herbyness to the bread, but if you are not a fan of rosemary, you can simply leave it out or add your favorite herb instead (see Topping Suggestions below).

Although this bread does take some time, I promise it's worth it. If you plan ahead, you can do the chilling stage overnight and bake your focaccia in the morning. And no shaping or Dutch oven is needed, just a stand mixer and your hands!

This recipe is inspired by one created in bon appétit magazine. I’ve tried several different recipes but this one bakes up beautifully every time.

Expert Tips

• Plan ahead. The final step of resting your dough takes a minimum of 8 hours, so plan accordingly. If you plan ahead, you can do this step overnight and bake your focaccia in the morning.
• Don’t be afraid of the amount of olive oil used in this recipe; I promise it needs it! If you cut back on the oil, your focaccia will be too dry.
• You can skip the sourdough discard in this recipe. Just increase your bread flour measurement to 6 ¼ cups and your water measurement to 3 cups. Technically, it won't be sourdough, but it will still be delicious!
• Be patient. When resting the dough to let it double in size, be sure to let it do its thing. If the dough takes a bit longer, try to not rush the process.
• Use a high-quality olive oil. Focaccia is a very olive oil-forward bread, so we want to use a good olive oil when making it.
• How to store: Store your focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Because it's made with olive oil, it gets better with age!
• How to freeze: Wrap focaccia slices in foil and place in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer (it freezes very well!) for up to 3 months.

Ingredient Notes

• Bread flour - Has a large amount of gluten, which creates a chewier texture.
• Sourdough discard - Adds a tangy and more nuanced flavor.
• Active dry yeast - Acts as the leavener for this recipe.
• Sugar - Helps to activate the yeast.
• Extra-virgin olive oil - Use a good-quality olive oil here, as it is a prominent flavor in focaccia.
• Rosemary - Provides fresh herby flavor.
• Flaky sea salt - Adds a lovely salty crunch to the top of our focaccia.

How To Make This Recipe

(Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below)

First, you will combine your flour, water and discard in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Once a shaggy dough is formed, you will cover this for a few minutes while you prepare the yeast mixture.

Next, you will stir yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl and let this sit for about 5 minutes. You will then add this mixture to your dough and combine until the dough becomes super elastic and sticky.

Next step is to coat a large bowl with oil, and transfer dough into the bowl. You will then cover this and place in a warm spot until the dough is doubled in volume, about 2-3 hours.

Once your dough has doubled in size, you will oil a large baking sheet. Now it's time to deflate your fluffy dough (this is good!) by folding it a few times. After transferring it to the baking sheet, you will let it rest for 10 minutes.

Now we go in with oiled hands and gently stretch our dough to the sides of the baking sheet. And then it's time to chill it for at least 8 hours (and up to 24).

After chilling for a bit, you will let the sheet pan sit in a warm spot to reactivate the dough, for about 1 hour.

Now we get to play with our dough! Generously oil hands and drizzle more oil onto dough. Press your fingertips firmly into the dough, creating dimples all over, and then sprinkle with rosemary and flaky sea salt.

Bake your focaccia until the surface is a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

What Is Sourdough Discard?

If you are like me (and the millions of other people around the world) who started making sourdough at the beginning of 2020, you quickly learned that there is a thing called “sourdough discard”.

Essentially, it is the excess starter that you remove before each feeding. Depending on how often you make a loaf of sourdough, you could end up with quite a bit of discard after a while.

Because it is discarded before each regular feeding, it is not considered "active" and therefore has no leavening properties. It is used in recipes simply to add more complex flavor.

Of course, you could throw it away, but you really shouldn’t – there are so many great ways to use your discard! I keep mine in a covered bowl in the refrigerator, and use it anytime I bake something and want to add an element of tanginess, or a more complex flavor, to a recipe.

The general rule is: For every 1 cup of discard that you add to a recipe, you should subtract ½ cup of flour and ½ cup of any liquid in the recipe.

Part of the fun of using discard is that you get to control how much depth of flavor you want to add, and that will determine how much discard you use.

Topping Suggestions

Try one of these toppings for a fun variation:

• Garlic
• Basil
• Thyme
• Cherry tomatoes
• Caramelized onions
• Olives

Frequently Asked Questions

Enjoy your week, and feel free to drop me a line in the comments – I would love to hear if you try this recipe! Or tag me on Instagram @maryannehoekstra to let me know how it turned out! Also, if you are enjoying my blog, please consider recommending it to your friends. They can subscribe here.

Sourdough Rosemary Focaccia Recipe

The only focaccia recipe you will ever need! Bakes up beautifully to a golden brown, and the sourdough discard adds complex flavor. Don't wait to try this recipe!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Resting Time 10 hrs

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12 slices

Calories 162 kcal

Equipment

• stand mixer

Ingredients

  

• 5 ¾ cups bread flour
• 2 ½ cups water, divided
• 1 cup sourdough discard*
• 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (from one ¼-oz. packet)
• pinch of sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt
• 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided, plus more for greasing and drizzling)
• 2 Tablespoons rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 Tablespoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

 

• Combine flour, 2 cups room-temperature water, and sourdough discard in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed, scraping down sides and hook as needed to incorporate any dry flour, until a shaggy dough forms.
• Remove dough hook and cover bowl with plastic. Let sit while you prepare the yeast (you can leave the dough in this state up to 2 hours).
• Stir yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water with a fork in a small bowl to dissolve. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Pour yeast mixture into stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until dough absorbs all additional water, about 1 minute (mixing on low speed will prevent liquid from splashing over the sides). Add sea salt and continue to mix, increasing speed to medium, until dough is extremely elastic and very sticky (it will look more like a thick batter and will start to slap sides of bowl), about 5 minutes.
• Pour 3 Tbsp. oil into a large bowl and swirl to coat sides. Scrape in dough with a large spatula or flexible bench scraper. Cover and place in a warm spot until dough is doubled in volume, 2–3 hours.
• Drizzle 2 Tbsp. oil over a baking sheet and use a pastry brush or your fingertips to rub all over bottom and sides. Using a large spatula or flexible bench scraper, fold dough inside bowl a couple of times to deflate, then scrape onto prepared baking sheet. Using oiled hands, lift up dough and fold over onto itself in half, then rotate baking sheet 90° and fold in half again. Cover dough with a piece of well-oiled plastic and let rest 10 minutes to let gluten relax.
• Uncover and go back in with oiled hands, gently stretching dough (to avoid tearing) across length and width of baking sheet in an even layer, working all the way to edges and into corners. If dough starts to spring back, let sit 5–10 minutes and start again. Cover again with same piece of oiled plastic and chill at least 8 hours and up to 24.
• Let sheet pan sit in a warm spot until dough is puffed and bubbly and nearly doubled in height, 45–65 minutes. Meanwhile, place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 450°.
• Remove plastic and drizzle dough generously with more oil. Oil hands again and press fingertips firmly into dough, pushing down all the way to bottom of pan to dimple all over. Sprinkle with rosemary and flaky sea salt.
• Bake focaccia until surface is deep golden brown all over, 25–35 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Slide a thin metal spatula underneath focaccia to loosen from sheet pan (it may stick in a couple of places, so really use those muscles) and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before cutting as desired.
• Tightly wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.

Notes

*If not using discard, simply add ½ cup flour and ½ cup water to mixture to replace discard.

• Plan ahead. The final step of resting your dough takes a minimum of 8 hours, so plan accordingly. If you plan ahead, you can do this step overnight and bake your focaccia in the morning.
• Don’t be afraid of the amount of olive oil used in this recipe; I promise it needs it! If you cut back on the oil, your focaccia will be too dry.
• You can skip the sourdough discard in this recipe. Just increase your bread flour measurement to 6 ¼ cups and your water measurement to 3 cups. Technically, it won't be sourdough, but it will still be delicious!
• Be patient. When resting the dough to let it double in size, be sure to let it do its thing. If the dough takes a bit longer, try to not rush the process.
• Use a high-quality olive oil. Focaccia is a very olive oil-forward bread, so we want to use a good olive oil when making it.
• How to store: Store your focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Because it's made with olive oil, it gets better with age!
• How to freeze: Wrap focaccia slices in foil and place in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer (it freezes very well!) for up to 3 months.

Keyword focaccia, rosemary, sourdough