Sourdough Discard Focaccia
Have you gotten on the sourdough starter bandwagon this year? We have and are loving baking all the breads. Truth be told, we don’t like to throw away our discard sourdough starter and have been looking for ways to use it up. Our Sourdough Discard Focaccia bread does just that! The dough is light and airy with that distinctive sourdough tang.
The dough needs to sit in the fridge overnight so make sure to plan for that. The recipe is simple and can be customized in so many ways. We topped ours with rosemary and sea salt but you can use any herbs you fancy. Shredded Parmesan cheese would be a wonderful addition as would chopped olives! This bread makes a wonderful accompaniment to pasta or soup and is also delicious all on it’s own (with a dip in some EVOO and balsamic vinegar!). You could also take this the sweet route and top with melted butter and cinnamon sugar!
If you are caring for a sourdough starter, give our Sourdough Discard Focaccia a try next time you feed it and have discard. Let us know how you make it your own in the comments!
Jump to Recipe
From left to right: before first rise, after first rise, after second rise.
Top to bottom: after removing from refrigerator, dimpled, topped with olive oil and rosemary.
Baked to a beautiful golden brown.
Remove from pan after allowing to cool 15-20 minutes. Slice and enjoy while still warm!
Sourdough Discard Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 cup (228g) sourdough discard
- 1 cups (228g) lukewarm water
- 4 cups (484g) bread Flour
- 4 TBS (50g) olive oil, plus extra for the pan and the top of the focaccia
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ½ TBS (29g) honey
- 1 package instant yeast
- Flake salt for topping
- chopped fresh or dried rosemary for topping
Instructions
- Combine the starter and water in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the flour with the starter, water, and remaining ingredients. Mix and knead — by hand or stand mixer — until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you're using a stand mixer, this should take 5 to 7 minutes on the lowest speed using the dough hook attachment. If you're kneading by hand, you'll need 12 to 15 minutes.
- Place the dough in a bowl that's been lightly coated with olive oil, cover, and allow to rise for 60 minutes.
- Gently fold the dough over three or four times, and let it rise for another 60 minutes.
- Drizzle a generous 2 tablespoons olive oil into the center of a 9 x 13 pan.
- Transfer the dough to the pan, and turn it over to coat it with the oil.
- Gently stretch the dough into the edges and corners of the pan. As soon as the dough begins to shrink back, cover it, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently stretch the dough again, repeating the rest once more, if necessary, until the dough fills the pan.
- Cover the pan and transfer it to the refrigerator to let the dough rise for 14 to 16 hours (overnight).
- The next day, remove the pan of dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425°F for 30 minutes (if your kitchen is warm) to 60 minutes (in a cooler kitchen)
- Just before you're ready to bake, gently dimple the dough at irregular intervals with your fingers, pressing down firmly but not abruptly; you don't want to deflate the focaccia too much.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to collect a bit in the dimples), then sprinkle with rosemary and a bit of flaked sea salt.
- Bake the focaccia for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Remove the focaccia from the oven. Allow it to cool enough for you to handle it comfortably, 10 to 15 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack.
The directions are very poor and incomplete. The yeast should first be mixed with the warm water and honey and stirred until dissolved. Then you can add it to the starter, then flour and other ingredients.
This recipe calls for “instant yeast” which does not need to be proofed. According to King Arthur Baking- “Mix instant yeast with your flour and other dough ingredients; there’s no need to dissolve it in warm water or another liquid first, as you might with active dry or other yeasts that need to be proofed (i.e., dissolved to ensure they’re alive). That’s one less step to take; 10 minutes proofing time saved. “
Very good recipe. I didn’t put it n the fridge since I needed it for dinner, and didn’t start until the afternoon.
I also needed less flour. Probably only used 31/4 cups..
I divided the dough in 1/2 and made 8 breadsticks and a small focaccia. Like the focaccia the best. Great flavor with all the olive oil and seasoning.