Same-Day Sourdough Focaccia

Focaccia is usually made with active dry yeast, but I thought it would be fun to try to make this using my sourdough starter. Topped with fresh rosemary, sautéed shallots, and flaked pink salt, my version is completely oil-free, and 100% delicious.

As you know, I avoid adding oil as an ingredient to my recipes, but I do not insist everyone eat the same way I do, so when I serve this to people that do use oil, I create a little dish for them with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper to use on the side for dipping.

We love this alongside pasta, soups, salads…just about anything savory. And we love it the next day too, sliced and toasted.

If you use sourdough starter, I hope you’ll try this. Please let me know when you do!

SAME-DAY SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA

Servings: makes one 9-inch x 13-inch pan
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450 grams unbleached bread flour
50 grams whole wheat flour
400 grams warm water
100 grams unfed sourdough starter (discard)
10 grams table salt
1 shallot, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
pink salt (generous, or to taste)

Instructions

Combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, warm water, starter, and table salt in a large bowl. It’s fine to use sourdough starter straight from the refrigerator if that’s where you keep it, though it’s best if you’ve fed it at least once in the past week.

Mix ingredients by hand until the dough forms a shaggy mass, with no dry flour remaining. Cover bowl and let dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Stretch and fold time! Fold the dough by grabbing a section from one side with a wet hand, lifting it up, then pressing it down to the middle to seal. Repeat this with the remaining three sides of the dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Fold the dough three more times, giving it a 15-minute rest between the two, for a total of four sets of folds in 60 minutes. As you perform the folds you’ll notice that the dough smooths out and becomes more elastic.

Cover the dough tightly after the final fold, and leave it at room temperature (approximately 72°F) or on a dough riser/proofer (either a Raisenne or one like this) for about 4 to 6 hours or until your dough has grown by somewhere between 50% and 75%. You want it to feel soft and relaxed, look bubbly, and jiggle when you shake the bowl. Watch the dough here, not the clock. It’s helpful to mark the height of the dough to gauge how much it rises.

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Dust generously with flour. Turn dough out and gently stretch it toward the edges. If it snaps back, cover and rest for 10 minutes, and try again.

Time for final proofing! Cover the pan loosely, and place it on the dough riser/proofer, if you have one. Proof until the dough is puffy and pillowy, and dough wobbles when gently nudged. Plan on 1 to 2 hours for this.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet (like Scanpan) over medium-high heat. Add the shallot slices, and steam sauté until tender. Sprinkle a little bit of water as needed to prevent sticking to the pan. Once the shallots are tender, remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

With wet fingers, and quick motions, poke fingers all over the dough to create dimples. Brush or spray lightly with water (this helps with the crust development, since we are not using oil). Top with caramelized shallots, minced rosemary, and pink salt.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until deep golden brown on the edges, and firm on top. If you have a bread thermometer you are testing for between 205 to 210 degrees.

Cool 10 minutes before slicing.