Sourdough Focaccia Bread with Rosemary

Isn’t it wonderful when one recipe can yield so many different variations? This easy sourdough focaccia recipe is made using sourdough starter discard (that's the starter that you remove from your starter container when you feed it).

Actually, when I’m at a creative loss for uses for my unfed starter discard, this is my go-to bread recipe I use to make pizza, naan, ciabatta, stromboli, or just plain loaves or buns.

Even though I do use commercial yeast in the dough, the sourdough starter discard still lends its tangy flavor adding more depth to the item. Yummm….

Focus on focaccia

Hailing from Italy, focaccia is a flat oven-baked bread similar in style to pizza, but generally shaped and topped differently.

Focaccia bread can be made thick enough to slice in half for a sandwich or thin to just be a vehicle for its toppings (like a bread-based tart). I generally make my homemade focaccia in between those two extremes, but it’s really dependent on the amount of dough and the size of the pan.

My basic bread dough recipe comes from Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. It’s an easy-to-remember recipe ratio of 5 parts flour to 3 parts water (by weight), with some salt and yeast added. I’ve made sourdough pretzels and bagels with great success using this ratio adapted for using sourdough starter.

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What you need

The ingredients for a sourdough discard focaccia bread dough consist of all-purpose flour, water, yeast, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. That part is pretty much set.

Toppings for sourdough focaccia at its most basic are olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse salt. Here the toppings are kept simple: just finely chopped fresh rosemary, salt, and more olive oil.

I like to make sourdough focaccia bread with rosemary by chopping it up with the salt. Some other ideas could be other chopped fresh herbs (thyme and oregano come to mind), roasted and chopped onion or garlic, drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped olives, chopped…uhm...I could go on but you get the idea. Whatever you choose, be sure to chop them into ¼-inch or smaller pieces to ease in distribution and biting.

If you start adding meats or cheeses, then this to me becomes a pizza, and that’s a whole other ball o’...uhm...dough.

How to make Focaccia Bread with sourdough starter

Step 1: Make the dough

You can make the dough with sourdough starter 2 ways. I like the first method because it's more accurate.

Method 1 - Use a scale: To determine the amount of additional flour and water you'll need, measure the sourdough starter discard into the bowl of a stand mixer using a kitchen scale. Divide the measured amount in half. That is the amount of flour and water you already are using (that is, if your sourdough starter is 50/50 flour to water, like mine). Measure in enough additional flour to the bowl so that the total amount (including the amount from the starter) is 15 ounces (425 grams). Add the salt and yeast. Next, pour in enough warm water so the total amount is 8 ounces (227 grams). Add the 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Method 2 - Use volume measurements: If you have 1 cup of sourdough starter, add in 2¾ cups flour and ½ cup water to start the dough. Add the salt, yeast, and olive oil.

Start with the lesser amount of water to account for the humidity of the day. If the dough is too dry, add in 1 tablespoon water as needed until the dough is the right consistency.

Once you've got all the dough ingredients measured, combine the dough on low speed for about a minute, then turn up the speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes (photo 1).

Step 2: Let the dough rise

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover and put in a warm place to rest until doubled, about 3 hours (photo 2). The oven with just the light on works well.

If you want to develop the sourdough flavor even more, you can put it in the refrigerator after this first rise for up to 3 days. Let it come to room temperature for about an hour before shaping.

Step 3: Shape the dough

Lightly brush a baking stone with olive oil. Press the dough out into a rectangle, or your desired shape (photo 3).

Step 4: Proof & dimple the dough

Cover the dough with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 400 °F.

Brush more olive oil on the top of the dough. Dimple the dough using 2 fingers, then sprinkle on your toppings (photo 4).

Step 5: Bake the focaccia

Bake the focaccia for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove it from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack (photo 5). Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Step 6: Slice the focaccia

Slice the focaccia to your desired size (photo 6). I sometimes make croutons from the trimmings, but more often than not I just nibble them while I'm slicing!

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: Focaccia is versatile

The wonderful thing about sourdough focaccia bread with rosemary is that it can go from a week-night supper to an elegant dinner party with ease. We've even used it as a dipper for cheese fondue!

Light, airy, tangy, delicious

This is the best sourdough focaccia recipe around. Light and airy, the bread is flavorful from the olive oil, rosemary, and salt, with the subtle tang from the sourdough discard. When you customize it with your topping choices, you can pair it with your meal.

Plus, its recipe ratio is simple to remember (5:3 flour to water). You can easily figure out how much extra flour and water to use depending on how much discard you have (keep that kitchen scale handy!).

I hope you’ll keep this sourdough focaccia bread recipe in your back pocket for those times you want a use for your sourdough starter discard. You’ll be amazed at what you can make!