Simple Sourdough Focaccia

Half for 8x8"; 3/4x for 8x11" pan; prep time: 24 hours cook time: 25 minutes total time: 24 hours 25 minutes yield: 1 loaf

50 g (summer) – 100 g (winter) (1/4 to 1/2 cup) active starter

10 g (about 2.5 teaspoons) kosher salt

430 – 440 g filtered water, room temperature

512 g (about 4 cups) bread flour, see notes above

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

herbs - garlic, rosemary, etc.

Nice, flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine — it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated.

If time permits, perform one “fold”: 30 minutes after you mix the dough, reach into the bowl and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the bowl quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance.

Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and rub to coat. Cover bowl with a tea towel or bowl cover and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours (the time will vary depending on the time of year, the strength of your starter, and the temperature of your kitchen.

Note: This took 9 hours in January. House was 70 at time of making dough (8 pm) and cooled at night. It had doubled by 5 am and I put in fridge where it continued to rise a bit.

When dough has doubled (use straight sided container), place 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9×13-inch pan. (I have been using this USA Pan, which I love. I have had no sticking issues. If you are using a glass pan, you may, as a precaution, want to butter it it first — I have had disasters with bread sticking when I’ve used oil alone with other baking vessels.)

Drizzle dough with a tablespoon of olive oil. Use your hand to gently deflate the dough and release it from the sides of the bowl. Gently scoop the dough into the center of the pool of oil in your prepared pan. Fold dough envelope style from top to bottom and side to side to create a rough rectangle. Turn dough over so seam-side is down.

Leave alone for 4 to 6 hours, uncovered, or until puffy and nearly doubled.

Prepare the toppings: Whisk the remaining olive oil with the minced garlic and herbs. Set aside.

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Rub hands lightly with oil, and using all ten fingers, press gently into the dough to dimple and stretch the dough to nearly fit the pan.

Drizzle on the olive oil topping and use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it all over the top. Add a little more olive oil if needed so the dough is completely covered. (This creates the crisp crust!)

Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer pan to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden all around. Remove pan from oven and transfer bread to a cooling rack. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes: Once your starter is ready to go, this recipe requires an initial 4- 18 hour rise, followed by a second 4- to 6-hour second rise. After the initial rise (depending on the time of year and temperature of your kitchen), you can deflate the dough, and stick it in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours (maybe longer), which might help you regarding your schedule. Keep in mind, when you remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a pan, it will still need to rise for another 5- to 6- hours.

Video - https://youtu.be/koEppmNnT0A

https://alexandracooks.com/2019/03/22/simple-sourdough-focaccia-a-beginners-guide/