Sourdough Focaccia with Roasted Tomato, Rosemary, and Garlic

The Best Sourdough Focaccia – Fluffy, crispy sourdough focaccia topped with heirloom tomatoes, fresh rosemary and garlic

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Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Easy Nan-e Barbari Bread

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Multigrain Seed Bread

Ingredients 

unbleached all purpose flour – I prefer to use unbleached all purpose flour made King Arthur Flour. I find that their flours always deliver consistent results, and the higher protein content in the AP helps with gluten development.

sourdough starter – I’m using active sourdough starter that was fed 8-12 hours prior. If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, click here  to make one! 

honey – just a touch! The undetectable amount of honey round out the flavors in a really nice way.

olive oil – we’re using quite a bit of olive in almost every stage of this focaccia recipe! I prefer to use a light olive oil here with a milder flavor. The olive oil adds to the crispiness of the crust, and the softness of the crumb.

flaky salt – the flaky salt on top is an absolute must! It really enhances all of the flavors. I typically use Maldon sea salt for its clean flavor, and extra fancy crystals.

tomatoes – I was lucky enough to grow some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes this year, and of course tomatoes taste the best when they’re in season in the late summer. Ifyou’re making this any other time of year, go with the Campari tomatoes, they tend to be the sweetest.

garlic – a little goes a long way here. Slice fresh garlic thinly, and dot it around on the surface of the focaccia.

rosemary – I really the earthiness of fresh rosemary here, and it pairs so nicely with the garlic and tomatoes. If you only have dried rosemary, you could definitely substitute that here. OR, if you prefer another herb like basil or thyme, go for it!

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN BREAD

HOT TAKE: We don’t suffer from any gluten intolerance, and I think making my own bread with high quality, minimal ingredients has a lot to do with that. It’s a very sensory/meditative process, and it makes me nostalgic for a simpler time – before corporations took over the farming and food industry and before bread had a list of 20+ ingredients on the supermarket shelves.

With just a few basic ingredients and a couple of tools, you can create delicious artisan bread at home (see my list of tools below).

Here’s the thing with baking 100% Sourdough Bread at home: it’s not difficult, it just takes time.

Full disclosure, you may have to make this a couple of times before you really get a feel for it, and that’s totally ok. Every great bread baker has made countless loaves, and over time you really do get a FEEL for it. Slicing into a beautifully proofed, airy loaf of bread is highly satisfying and exhilarating, and totally worth the effort.

How to make Fluffy Sourdough Focaccia

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and sourdough starter. Use a whisk to dissolve the sourdough starter into the water. Add the raw honey, and olive, then whisk to combine.
• Add the unbleached all purpose flour to the bowl, and use a Danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour. Once the dough comes together, it will be sticky and shaggy, that’s fine! 
• Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of the surface of the dough, and cover the bowl with a plastic shower cap or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 25 minutes.

What does “Stretch and Fold” Mean?

• Use lightly damp hands to pinch the salt into the dough until no pockets of salt remain. Redampen your hands, and start to stretch and fold the dough to develop and strengthen the gluten. To perform the stretch and folds, gently lift up one corner of the dough, then fold it over itself onto the ball of dough. The goal is to stretch the dough to the limit without tearing it.
• Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and lift up the next side of dough, and fold it over, working your way all the way around the bowl. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Repeat the stretch and fold process with damp hands. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Final stretch and fold or coil fold the dough. The surface of the dough should be much smoother by now, as the gluten has developed. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough bulk ferment (rise) at room temperature for 3-4 hours until it is puffy and bubbly. 

Baking your Sourdough Focaccia

• If you’re short on time, you have the option here to do the bulk fermentation in the fridge for 8-24 hours. Remember, cold temperatures delay fermentation, heat speeds it up!
• Generously drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Pour the risen focaccia dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the surface of the dough with a bit more olive oil, and use your finger tips to stretch the dough out towards the corners of the pan, and dimple the dough. If you prefer a thinner focaccia, stretch the dough out further. For a thicker focaccia, stretch it out less. 
• Let the dough rest at room temperature for another 60-70 minutes until it is bubbly and puffy. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Add the sliced tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic to the surface of the focaccia, and use your fingers to gently press them down into the dough, and dimple the top of the focaccia well.
• Drizzle the top with a bit more olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake the sourdough focaccia for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the edges are crispy.

ESSENTIAL SOURDOUGH MAKING TOOLS

Here’s my complete guide Sourdough Bread Tools that every baker needs!

Danish Dough Whisk – this is a really handy tools that is specifically designed to mix bread dough by hand. I use it in the beginning stages of mixing, then mix with my hands.

Metal Bench Scraper – This is kitchen workhorse, and I use it almost daily to shape dough, cut dough, and move ingredients around the kitchen.

The Recipe

Print

Sourdough Focaccia with Tomatoes, Rosemary, and Garlic

Course bread

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bread, focaccia, sourdough

Prep Time 6 hours

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 305 g filtered water warm about 85 degrees F
• 150 g active sourdoughs tarter
• 20 g raw honey
• 15 g olive oil
• 460 g unbleached all purpose flour
• 12 g kosher salt
• 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 large ripe tomatoes sliced
• 2 garlic cloves slices thinly
• Plenty of olive oil for drizzling
• Flaky sea salt I love Maldon for finishing

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and sourdough starter. Use a whisk to dissolve the sourdough starter into the water. Add the raw honey, and olive oil, then whisk to combine.

2. Add the unbleached all purpose flour to the bowl, and use a Danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour. Once the dough comes together, it will be sticky and shaggy, that’s fine!
3. Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of the surface of the dough, and cover the bowl with a plastic shower cap or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 25 minutes.
4. Use lightly damp hands to pinch the salt into the dough until no pockets of salt remain. Redampen your hands, and start to stretch and fold the dough to develop and strengthen the gluten. To perform the stretch and folds, gently lift up one corner of the dough, then fold it over itself onto the ball of dough. The goal is to stretch the dough to the limit without tearing it.
5. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and lift up the next side of dough, and fold it over, working your way all the way around the bowl. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
6. Repeat the stretch and fold process with damp hands. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
7. Final stretch and fold or coil fold the dough. The surface of the dough should be much smoother by now, as the gluten has developed. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough bulk ferment (rise) at room temperature for 3-4 hours until it is puffy and bubbly.
8. If you’re short on time, you have the option here to do the bulk fermentation in the fridge for 8-24 hours. Remember, cold temperatures delay fermentation, heat speeds it up!

9. Generously drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Pour the risen focaccia dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the surface of the dough with a bit more olive oil, and use your finger tips to stretch the dough out towards the corners of the pan, and dimple the dough well as you do that.

   If you prefer a thinner focaccia, stretch the dough out further. For a thicker focaccia, stretch it out less.

10. Let the dough rest at room temperature for another 60-70 minutes until it is bubbly and puffy. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
11. Add the sliced tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic to the surface of the focaccia, and use your fingers to gently press them down into the dough, and dimple the top of the focaccia well.

12. Drizzle the top with a bit more olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

    Bake the sourdough focaccia for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the edges are crispy. Use scissors to cut big slices. Store leftover focaccia in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

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