Spring Sourdough Foccacia
Have you ever made focaccia? My family absolutely loves it! The flavor is incredible, especially if you can make a sourdough version. I have been making a loaf of focaccia about once a week now for the past few months, and it disappears within hours. We love eating it dipped in flavored olive oils, as toast with over easy eggs and canned bruschetta, or slicing it in half and turning it into a sandwich. Yummy!
If you are unfamiliar, focaccia is a fermented bread that is similar to pizza dough in flavor. It is bubbly and soft on the inside with a crispy olive oil crust on the outside. I make mine into a sourdough version, but you can also make focaccias that are yeasted doughs. Generally, they need time to ferment overnight so you will have to plan ahead with this bread. The other fun part about making focaccia is that you can layer veggies and herbs on top for added flavor and a pretty design!
ingredients & recipe:
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/2 cup active sourdough starter
2 tbsp extra virgin oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
herbs and vegetables for topping such as bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, chives, parsley, thyme, basil, etc
DIRECTIONS:
The evening before, make the focaccia dough. In a large bowl, mix together the water, sourdough starter, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and flour. Bring the mixture together with a fork until a large dough ball forms. This dough should be on the wetter side, so add flour accordingly. Shape into a rough ball and cover with a damp tea towel, plastic wrap, or a large plate. Let rest 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough twice at 15 minute intervals.
Grease a 9x9” baking dish and place the dough into the dish. Press it gently into the shape of the dish and cover. Let rest 8-12 hours or overnight.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 425° F. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over the surface of the dough. Press the dough gently all over with the tips of your fingers. Arrange any herbs or vegetables on top and sprinkle flaky sea salt and coarse black pepper over the top.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the top of the bread is a deep golden brown. Serve immediately.
You can have a lot of fun creating designs on the top of a loaf of focaccia! I personally love thinly sliced garlic pieces on the top of mine. For this bread, I used some mini sweet peppers, sliced tomatoes, and sliced zucchini. I do not usually purchase these ingredients this time of year, but I had a prior project that I had to work on anyway so it felt like a good way to use them up!
Let me know if you make this recipe and how you like it! (:
xoxo Kayla
