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Best Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Focaccia Bread

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This best rosemary garlic sourdough focaccia bread is the culmination of a year of testing, failing, and finally getting it right. It’s pillowy on the inside, crackling on the bottom, with beautiful dimples holding pools of golden olive oil, roasted garlic, and fresh rosemary.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 500 grams bread flour (about 4 cups)
  • 350 grams warm water (about 1.5 cups, 80°F)
  • 150 grams active sourdough starter (about 2/3 cup)
  • 10 grams fine sea salt (about 1.5 teaspoons)
  • 30 grams extra virgin olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, plus more for pan and topping)
  • 4–5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
  • Flaky sea salt (like Maldon, for topping)
  • 2–3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling before and after baking)

Instructions

  1. Mix the dough (10 minutes): In a large bowl, combine warm water and active sourdough starter. Stir until starter mostly dissolves. Add bread flour and mix with hand or dough scraper until no dry bits remain. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes (autolyse).
  2. Add salt and oil: Sprinkle salt over dough and pour in 30 grams olive oil. Squeeze and fold dough until salt is fully incorporated, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Bulk fermentation with stretch and folds (2.5-3 hours): Cover bowl and rest 30 minutes. Wet hands, then perform stretch and fold: grab one side of dough, stretch up, fold over itself. Rotate bowl and repeat on all four sides. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Repeat 4-6 times total until dough is smooth, elastic, and puffy.
  4. Cold retard (optional but recommended, 8-24 hours): Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate for slow fermentation to develop flavor.
  5. Prepare the pan (5 minutes): Pour 2-3 tablespoons olive oil into a 10×15-inch sheet pan and spread around. Dump cold dough into pan. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  6. Dimple and stretch (15 minutes): Using oiled fingers, gently press dough out toward edges of pan. Let rest 10 minutes, then stretch again until dough fills pan evenly. Use fingertips to press deep dimples all over surface down to bottom of pan.
  7. Final proof (1-2 hours): Cover pan with towel and let dough rise at room temperature until puffy and jiggly like a marshmallow.
  8. Preheat and top (15 minutes): About 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Just before baking, drizzle dough with more olive oil, press garlic slices and rosemary into dimples, and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
  9. Bake (25-30 minutes): Place pan on middle rack and bake until deep golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Rotate pan halfway through. If top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for last 5 minutes.
  10. Cool (15 minutes): Let focaccia cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Drizzle with more olive oil and another pinch of flaky salt. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Notes

Use warm water (80°F), not hot, to avoid killing the starter. Don’t skip the autolyse (30-minute rest after mixing flour and water). Wet hands before handling dough to prevent sticking. Trust the jiggle test: dough is ready to bake when it jiggles like Jell-O. Let focaccia cool at least 10 minutes before cutting to avoid gummy texture. For best flavor, do the cold retard (8-24 hours in fridge). Store leftovers cut-side down at room temperature for up to 2 days; freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: sourdough focaccia, rosemary garlic focaccia, homemade focaccia, sourdough bread, Italian bread, focaccia recipe, garlic rosemary bread

Find it online: https://noshbelle.com/best-rosemary-garlic-sourdough-focaccia-bread-recipe/