Easy Sourdough Focaccia: Your Starter's Best Side Project

If you're maintaining a sourdough starter, you're generating discard every time you feed it. And while some people toss that discard without a second thought, I think that's a crime — because sourdough discard makes the best focaccia you've ever tasted. Seriously. This recipe might produce more compliments than your actual sourdough loaves.

Here's what makes sourdough focaccia the perfect project, especially for beginners: there's no shaping, no scoring, no banneton, and no Dutch oven needed. You mix the dough, let it ferment, pour it into an oiled pan, dimple it with your fingers, and bake. If you can make a cake, you can make this focaccia.

Step 1 — Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, olive oil, salt, and starter. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until no dry flour remains. The dough will be very wet, shaggy, and sticky — much wetter than a regular sourdough loaf. That's exactly right. This is a high-hydration (80%) dough, and the extra water is what creates that open, airy, pillowy crumb.

Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2 — Stretch and Fold

After the 30-minute rest, do one set of stretch-and-folds: wet your hand, reach under one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over to the other side. Rotate the bowl and repeat three more times (all four sides). The dough will feel tighter and more cohesive after this. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch-and-fold one more time (two sets total). That's all the "kneading" this dough needs.

Step 3 — Bulk Fermentation

Cover the bowl tightly and let the dough ferment. How long depends on which starter you used:

• Active starter: 4–6 hours at room temperature until the dough has roughly doubled and is bubbly and jiggly
• Discard starter: 8–12 hours at room temperature (an overnight fermentation at around 20–22 °C / 68–72 °F works perfectly — mix in the evening, continue in the morning)

The dough is ready when it has visibly increased in volume (close to doubled), shows bubbles throughout and on the surface, and jiggles like a water balloon when you shake the bowl.

Step 4 — Pan and Oil

Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil into a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking pan or sheet pan. Tilt the pan to coat the entire bottom and sides. Carefully turn the fermented dough out into the oiled pan. Don't worry about being gentle here — pour it right in. Using oiled fingertips, gently spread the dough toward the edges of the pan. It probably won't reach the corners, and that's fine. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the dough will have relaxed and spread further. Now gently stretch it again to fill the pan. If it springs back stubbornly, let it rest another 15 minutes and try again. The dough should cover the entire bottom of the pan in a roughly even layer.

Step 5 — Second Rise in the Pan

Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough proof for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. The dough should puff up noticeably — it won't double, but it should look visibly puffy, bubbly, and light. While the dough proofs, preheat your oven to 220 °C (425 °F).

Step 6 — Dimple and Top

This is the fun part. Drizzle another 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the proofed dough. Now dip your fingertips in olive oil and press them firmly into the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan, creating deep dimples across the entire surface. Don't be shy — press down firmly. These dimples are not just decorative; they create pockets that fill with olive oil and produce crispy, golden wells of flavor.

Step 7 — Bake

Place the pan on the middle rack of your preheated 220 °C (425 °F) oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is a deep, golden brown and the edges are crispy and pulling away from the sides of the pan. The bottom should be golden and crispy too — lift a corner with a spatula to check.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia to a wire rack. If you leave it in the pan, the steam trapped underneath will make the crispy bottom turn soggy. A metal spatula or fish turner makes this easy — slide it under the focaccia and lift the whole thing out onto the rack.

Step 8 — Eat

Let the focaccia cool for at least 10 minutes — I know, I know, but the crumb is still setting. Then tear or cut into generous pieces. The outside should be crispy and golden from the olive oil, and the inside should be soft, airy, and full of irregular holes.

Storing and Reheating

Focaccia is best the day it's baked — the contrast between the crispy exterior and soft interior is at its peak. But it keeps well at room temperature for a day, loosely wrapped in foil. After that, store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat, place slices directly on the rack in a 190 °C (375 °F) oven for 5 to 8 minutes. The oven re-crisps the outside while warming the inside. Don't microwave it — microwaving makes the crumb rubbery and sad.

This recipe is proof that sourdough doesn't have to be intimidating. No precise hydration calculations, no stressful shaping, no fretting over oven spring. Just flour, water, starter, olive oil, and a hot oven. If your sourdough journey has been full of flat loaves and frustration, make this focaccia. It'll remind you why you started baking in the first place.