Garden Herb Sourdough Focaccia

Looking for a way to use all those yummy flavors from your thriving homegrown herbs? Try this garden herb sourdough focaccia!

It has a perfectly crispy crust and a soft, fluffy inner crumb. The bright herbs work so well to balance out the olive oil and flaky sea salt. If you love focaccia, this recipe is a must-try.

If you're new to sourdough, this is a great recipe to start out with. There's no shaping involved, the bulk fermentation is short, and the flavor is guaranteed delicious. Just make sure you're using an active sourdough starter (at least doubled in size and bubbly around the sides and top), and the rest is simple.

What's great about this focaccia is that you can modify it however you'd like. Craving something heartier than just garden herbs? Top it with fresh garden tomatoes, Italian basil, and buffalo mozzarella. Want something with a kick? Try spicy peppers and prosciutto. Need something plain and simple for sandwiches? Go with a classic flaky sea salt and olive oil.

For mine, I wanted to feature the vibrant flavors of the herbs in my garden: English thyme, lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, Italian oregano, and rosemary.

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Garden Herb Sourdough Focaccia

Ingredients

For the bread

• 125 grams active sourdough starter

• 375 grams warm water

• 10 grams sugar

• 500 grams bread flour

• 15 grams high-quality olive oil

• 15 grams salt (try flavored salts to add complexity)

For the topping

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup high-quality olive oil (depending on your preference)

• 1/4 cup chopped garden herbs: English thyme, lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, Italian oregano, and rosemary

• Coarse, flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix together sourdough starter, water, sugar, and bread flour until no flour pockets remain. The dough will be shaggy. Cover it and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour.

I recommend combining starter, sugar, and water first until well combined, and finally, the bread flour, so all ingredients are equally distributed.

2. Add salt and olive oil to the dough. Mix by hand, using your fingers to incorporate oil and salt fully.

3. Transfer the dough to a square baking dish. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes, then perform a set of coil folds. Rest for another 30 minutes, then perform a second set of coil folds. Rest for a final 30 minutes, and perform your last set of coil folds.

4. Grease a 13 x 9 baking sheet (for rectangular focaccia) or two 9-in cake pans (for circular focaccia) generously with olive oil. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet or divide it in half and transfer it to cake pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 4-5 hours.

Tip: Focaccia can rest in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. This is an excellent option if you are making the dough ahead of time or prefer the strong sourdough flavor cold fermentation provides. If you do this, make sure to let the dough rise in a warm place for 4-5 hours after storing it in the fridge before baking.

5. Preheat oven to 450° F.

6. Drizzle focaccia generously with olive oil and dimple the focaccia with your fingertips.

7. Mix a small amount of oil into the herbs before adding to the focaccia. This will prevent them from burning during the baking process.

8. Add herbs and flaky sea salt to your focaccia and dimple again with your fingertips to incorporate.

9. Bake focaccia in the bottom rack of your oven for 20-25 minutes until the top and bottom are crisp and golden brown. My focaccia was ready at 23 minutes, but check it at 20 minutes and adjust the bake time accordingly as it can differ across ovens.

10. Allow focaccia to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Drizzle with more olive oil, and ENJOY! Trust me - there will be no leftovers!

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If you give this recipe a try, share all of the yummy toppings you added to it in the comments below. I'd love to see the delicious combinations you come up with.

Happy cooking!