Sourdough Focaccia (Yeast Version too)

Step 1

Mixing and Bulk Fermentation

Step 2

Add all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes with the paddle attachment, and medium speed for another 8 minutes with the dough hook, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can mix by hand for about 15 minutes, letting your arm and the dough rest between short bouts of effort.

Step 4

Move the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Mark this as the beginning of your bulk fermentation.

Step 6

After a 30 minute rest, stretch and fold, or coil fold, the dough four times (every 20-40 minutes) over the next 2-3 hours. Wet your hands before handling the dough, and cover the dough afterward.

Step 8

Leave the dough to continue bulk fermenting for 3-6 more hours until it has almost doubled and is bubbly. The yeast version of this recipe bulk fermented for a little over 5 hours total, about the same as the sourdough version.

Step 10

Final Proof and Topping

Step 11

Prep a parchment lined baking pan with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil (parchment is optional if the pan is non-stick). Make sure to go up the sides of the parchment/pan.

Step 13

Gently scrape the dough onto the parchment. With oily fingers pull and press the dough outward to the edges of the pan, dimpling it with oily fingertips.

Step 15

Cover the pan with plastic wrap or put it inside two clean plastic grocery bags. I use binder clips to keep the bags from touching and sticking to the dough (see gallery).

Step 17

Let proof 1-2 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the refrigerator, plus another 2-4 hours to warm up in the morning). The dough should look thicker and have some bubbles when the final proof is over.

Step 19

Baking

Step 20

Preheat your oven to 450F for 20 minutes with an inverted baking sheet (or 30 minutes with a pizza stone) one shelf up from the bottom shelf.

Step 22

Drizzle oil on the top of the dough (thumb over spout of oil bottle or using spoonfuls), dimple it again if you'd like, add toppings and finally sprinkle it with coarse salt.

Step 24

Put the focaccia pan in the oven on top of the hot baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. (The bake time is the same for 9x13 and 13x18 pans.)

Step 26

The internal temperature of the focaccia should be at least 200F.

Step 28

Remove the focaccia from the pan and parchment, and let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be wrapped in the parchment you baked it in.