Sourdough Focaccia

Sourdough Focaccia is fluffy and chewy on the inside with a crispy outside, made with an active sourdough starter for that sourdough flavor in every bite! It is delicious on its own, but also pairs wonderfully with various spreads and dipping options. Plus, it is made in a baking dish with just a few ingredients and no yeast. If you have a little patience, you can certainly make this bread. If you need one, here are instructions on getting your sourdough starter going!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Flour: I used all-purpose flour for the bread. This gives the bread a soft, tender texture.

Water: Use room temperature water for the best results when mixing and sitting with the flour. This pre-blending and resting of the flour and water is called the autolyse method. During this process, the enzymes in the flour break down the complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, allowing the gluten to develop. This results in a dough that is easier to work with, has improved texture and produces bread with a better rise and flavor.

Sourdough Starter: When making the bread, use an active sourdough starter (mature or ripe starter), not discard. Active sourdough starter has the most leavening power, which is what you want in this bread since yeast is not used. You can tell your starter is active enough to bake when it is thick, consistently bubbling, and doubling in size within 6-8 hours of each feeding. I do not recommend using sourdough discard, as that may not have enough leavening powder to get the bread to rise.

Salt: Most of the kosher salt will be added to the dough mixture. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon to sprinkle over the top before baking.

Olive Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil when making sourdough focaccia.

Mixing The Dough: The Rubaud Method

After the dough ingredients have been combined, it’s time to mix the dough. You will do this by hand using the Rubaud method. This method is a matter of mixing the dough by scooping, pulling, and stretching the dough 3 or 4 times, and then letting it rest. It develops gluten strength. You will do the pulling and stretching of the dough 4 times within 2 hours. After each stretch and pull session, the dough needs to rest for 30 minutes. The resting time is just as important as the mixing, so don’t skip that step.

What Is A Coil Fold?

After mixing the sourdough focaccia dough using the Rubaud method, you have one more step before letting it rest overnight, the coil fold. A coil fold is a method of folding the dough to help develop gluten. To do this, first, wet your hands. Then, use your wet hands to loosen the dough