I’m always looking for sourdough discard recipes. This one caught my eye and produced the most beautiful, fluffy focaccia. Both my husband and I rated this 5 out of 5 stars!
For those who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! I am fortunate enough to be spending it with my (fully vaccinated and boostered-up) family. Even our Addie is fully vaccinated, so that makes me feel better about her safety.
I have been doing my best to keep my sourdough starter alive and making sure I do a better job feeding him. In doing so, I am trying to find some recipes for the sourdough discard. While doing a simple Google search, I came across this recipe for a focaccia. Over Thanksgiving, one of our family friends gifted us with fresh rosemary from his garden. I wanted to highlight the ingredient so a focaccia seemed like a natural solution.
There were so many things that I loved about this recipe. First, it was no-fuss, so all I needed to do was form the dough, let it rest, spread it out, and let it rest again. Second, it used a lot of sourdough starter (170 grams!). And lastly but most importantly, the focaccia was among the best I’ve ever had. The top was nice and crispy, and the inside was light and fluffy. We dipped our focaccia in both marinara and pesto and enjoyed stuffing our faces with the bread.
The leftovers reheated well too. I cut the focaccia into individual serving portions and wrapped them individually in aluminum foil and sealed them in a zip-top bag. Then I reheated it in the oven (350 degrees F) for 10 minutes, and it was perfect. The bread hardly lost any moisture overnight and still tasted fresh the next day.
I recommend topping this with a generous amount of flaky salt on top. My focaccia did include salt in the dough, but it didn’t feel like it was enough for me. Regardless, I still gave this a rating of 5 out of 5, which is quite a rarity here on Eva Bakes.
Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!
Husband’s rating: 5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 5 out of 5
Sourdough discard focaccia
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 grams) sourdough starter discard active or inactive
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast can omit this if you are using an active starter discard
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour can use white whole wheat (note: you may need up to an additional 1 cup of flour in case your dough is too wet)
- 1 and ¾ cups (225 grams) bread flour can use all-purpose
- 1 and ¼ cups (285 millileters) lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (55 millileters) extra virgin olive oil I did not use as much - I used closer to 4 Tablespoons
- ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the sourdough discard, yeast, water, and flours together on low speed. Once the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium.
- Add the salt and mix well.
- Add more flour as needed (I sometimes need 1 extra cup of flour or even more) in case your dough is too wet. You want to achieve a smooth and elastic dough that isn't sticky (it should not stick to your fingers).
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Line a 9"x12" pan with parchment paper. Then drizzle the olive oil on the parchment paper and up the sides of the pan (I only used about 2 Tablespoons of a flavored olive oil for this).
- Transfer the dough onto your prepared baking pan and gently massage it so it mostly fits into the pan. You may have some trouble getting into the corners, but get it as close as you can.
- Using your finger, push down on top of the dough so it forms a dimple. Do this across the dough so you have rows of dimples on top of the bread. Sprinkle on another 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil and cover the dough again and allow to double in size, another 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 500°F. Top your focaccia with the flaky sea salt and place your focaccia in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. (NOTE: Some readers have commented that 500℉ is too hot. My oven runs cold, so the true temperature is likely closer to 400℉-425℉. Your oven may vary, so I'd recommend heating it up to 400℉ and baking your focaccia a little longer if needed)
- Lower the oven temperature to 450°F and rotate your pan and bake for an additional 5-15 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Allow the focaccia to cool before slicing and serving.
Would it be possible to let the dough rise longer (say overnight) or would that ruin the recipe?
Author
I haven’t tried that but think it would work. Just let the dough come to room temperature before you bake it.
I did an overnight proof in the fridge, then let it come come to temperature a couple hours on the corner before shaping. It turned out beautifully.
Author
Yay – glad it worked!
Winner winner! So easy to make everyone loved it and have been asking for repeat bakes. I have shared it with family, friends and neighbors. Definitely a keeper. Thank you Eva Bakes! 🤗
500 is too hot of an oven. My foccaci was almost burnt in 10 minutes. I turned oven down to 350 and kept it in until the product reached 200, then took it out. Looks dry. Are you sure the temperatures you have are correct?
Author
Hi Lori – this is the temp that I used but my oven might run colder than yours. My focaccia was not dry.
The same thing happened to me after 12 min. 500 is too hot. I saved it just in time though.
Just a heads up, you didn’t note where in the process to add the 2 tsp of salt. I assumed with the rest of the ingredients to the mixer bowl, but it’s not listed. Maybe a quick edit?
Author
Thank you for noticing the omission! I’ve corrected it.
Step 2 references the salt.
Nice recipe! When do you add toppings?
Author
I added them prior to baking
This is one of the best things I’ve ever made. In my whole life….. I will be 62 in September. I added rosemary and used garlic EVOO. oh my goodness! It is phenomenal.
Author
Oooh – I love the addition of garlic and Rosemary. I might have to try that next time! I’m so thrilled you loved this, Christine!
I roasted garlic in EVOO and added it to the dough. I saved some for the top and added the EVOO that the garlic was roasted in and also added some rosemary. It was the BEST! Thank you for this recipe!
Author
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Deanie!
This was fantastic! I actually ended up turning it into garlic bread. I sprinkled the top with flaked salt and garlic powder, baked it for 15 min, then topped it with mozzarella cheese and baked it for just under 10 min. It was gone in the blink of an eye! Totally addicting! 🤗
Author
What a great idea, Sara! I will have to try this the next time!
I followed your recipe exactly but my dough was so wet. I ended up have to add another 3/4 cup of flour. Is that right??? I had my mixer on for almost 20 min before the dough would come together. I am not sure which part I did wrong.
Author
Hi Rita – this has happened to me before (on a different recipe). There are lots of variables that could cause your dough to be too wet or dry (like how humid it is where you live). When that happens, you should add water or flour until it’s pliable and elastic. The dough should not stick to your fingers.
I’ve made this twice and both times I had to add extra flour. I weigh and use grams, not sure if that changes things
Flours from different brands absorb significantly different amounts of water. There are a bunch of factors that go into that, but generally the higher the protein the more water it can take.
Sadly I had the same experience. The dough was way too wet. I have much better results with a different recipe which uses all the same ingredient ratios but with 120grams of additional flour.
Me too. I had to add almost a cup more of flour. I adjusted the recipe for next time.
Can the dough be mixed n the bread maker n the dough cycle?
Author
I haven’t tried it myself but I imagine it would work!
Modified the recipe slightly and added sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil to the dough. Used the oil from the tomatoes for olive oil in recipe. Topped with fresh ground garlic salt. Turned out beautifully and delicious.
Author
Ooooh – the sun dried tomatoes sound awesome! Glad you enjoyed this!
Do you think this recipe would be good with cheese? If so what kind and when should I add
Author
I think cheese could be a great addition on top. I’d add it in the final 5 minutes of baking so it doesn’t burn. I’m not sure how it would bake if it’s incorporated within the dough.
I’m really conflicted about this recipe. It’s not my first go at focaccia but the first time I’ve used this recipe and the end result is fine, but I found the recipe awkward. Like others, I needed to add an additional 150g flour. The initial consistency was like a moderately thick soup…sticky isn’t even the word for it. That can’t be because someplace might have some humidity. I’m in a dry climate and there’s just no way that’s why it’s like soup. The measurements are in tsp, g, and ml. Why not just keep them all in grams so measurements are accurate and consistent? In the ingredients it calls for an additional 1/4 cup of oil (and a note that she used closer to 4T…but 4T is 1/4 cup?) but then in the instructions it says 1-2 tablespoons. So much room for error and just a poorly edited recipe. I wish I’d have paid more attention before I started so I could choose a different one but I’m glad I tried it.
I agree. Same issues.
I’d like to try this. The discard sour dough starter…… what temperature must it be. In or out of the fridge?
Author
Hi Myrna – when I use sourdough starter, I use it directly from the refrigerator and do not warm it up to room temperature. Hope that helps!
Made this recipe this evening and even did some veggie artwork on top! It turned out pretty well and had a good taste. My only issue is that it did not rise hardly, even for a flatbread. I did have to add about an extra 1/2 cup of flour like most of the others who commented. But I am pleased with this recipe and will just tweak it each time I make it. Thanks!
Author
I’d love to see your veggie artwork! Thanks for trying the recipe!
Hi there…I also had to add extra flour, but personally I think it’s my own inexperience with bread. How long do you usually knead for? Maybe I’m just not giving it enough time in the mixer!
Author
Hi Amanda A I usually knead until the bread looks smooth and elastic. It will depend on the humidity of your kitchen, but for me, it’s usually about 4-5 minutes.
Mine turned out well…didn’t have any rosemary, but still good. My dough was sticky, though…even after a few extra tablespoons of flour. Also, I Googled internal temperature for foccacia and it came back as around 190°F …and mine was over 200°F, after the initial bake time (and I checked my oven temp…it was accurate). So, a couple of weeks, but happy with the recipe!
This was my first time baking focaccia and it was incredibly easy and delicious! I added halved tomatoes, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes, Italian herbs and slivered red onion along with seasoned olive oil to the top before baking. At the half way mark I added chopped garlic, and after I baked it added fresh basil. Will definitely be making this again- I liked the suggestion someone had to add the oil from sun dried tomatoes!
Author
Your additions sound incredible, Jenni! So happy that you enjoyed the focaccia!
4 tablespoons is 1/4 cup
This is my second time making this recipe now as was looking for useful ways to utilise sourdough discard (thanks Eva Bakes!). I live in France so the flour is different but I’m a trained chef and have lots of experience with breads and focaccia so kind of used to adapting on the fly. I used a mix of bread flour (type 65) and pasta flour (00). My dough was SO wet when using the recipe measurements so I just added a bit more flour while it was wizzing around in the mixer. I’ve always been told for breads – the wetter the better. I got it to the point of coming together but not where I could knead it by hand and just left it in the mixing bowl to double in size. Then tipped it into a lined (with baking paper) oiled pan and used my hands coated in olive oil to coax it into the corners. I added olives, rosemary, dried herbs, garlic powder, chili flakes and grated Parmesan just before baking. My husband said it’s the best focaccia I’ve ever made for him. Thanks for the recipe!
Author
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, Jessica! And yes, wetter dough is better than dry dough when it comes to breads. I’m so happy you enjoyed this focaccia! 🙂
I ended up using your tips here, Jessica, and it’s the easiest, most delicious bread I’ve made—just rising in the bowl and dumping into the pan for a second rise. When I touch the bread less, the puffier it gets! I now make it weekly with different toppings and almost eyeball the ingredients now. Thanks Eva for the recipe and thanks Jessica for the chef tips! Sometimes it’s nice to have a less fussy go-to.
Just a heads up 4 Tablespoons= .25/ 1/4 cup. Useful to know
I’m wondering if some of the issues with the dough being too wet might be due to different percentages of flour and water in the sourdough discard. Also, the type and variety of grain from which the flour is made can be different. I use mostly whole grains that I mill at home. I’ve purchased whole grain wheat of the same variety, but grown in different parts of the country, and had to ake adjustments because they didn’t quite work the same.
I am having the same issues that many people had about the dough being too wet and having to add waaaay more flour than the recipe calls for! I have been baking sourdough bread and sourdough foccacia for a few years so I can usually work with sticky, wet dough but this took about 30 minute of kneading with continually adding flour. The recipe did not specify that discard needed to be cold, nor how long to knead bread. I had to finally put oil on my hands to be able to get it shaped into a ball and now it is rising (hopefully). Please consider revising this recipe and adding notes about temperature, type of flour, humidity, time needed to knead and to proof.
Baked this today added some garlic and italian seasoning and then topped with cheese ! it was so delicious! My oven seems to run really hot so I did start out at 400 and turned down to 350 I always temp check my bread and it turned out amazing! It smelled so good I had to really resist cutting it early!! Thanks so much
Author
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Kaylee! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the focaccia. I love the addition of the garlic, Italian seasoning, and the cheese!