Sourdough Focaccia Bread (Crisp Olive-Oil Sheet)
Sourdough focaccia bread — golden, dimpled and olive-oil glossed, with a soft, open crumb and crisp edges. A hands-off overnight rise, naturally leavened with active starter.
By Maya Ellison · Updated August 21, 2026 · 1 min read
Sourdough focaccia bread is the hands-off bread that beginners should bake first — no kneading, no shaping, no Dutch oven, no styling. A wet dough rises overnight, then you dimple it with oily fingers and bake it crisp-edged and golden. It's the weekly loaf on this site for good reason.
Why focaccia is the beginner's bread
Focaccia strips away everything intimidating about sourdough bread — the tension, the scoring, the steam. You mix a loose dough, let it do its overnight ferment and then literally press it flat on a sheet pan. It's the gentlest way into naturally-leavened bread, and it teaches the same fermentation timing as the deeper sourdough bread family.
The wet dough does the work
This is a high-hydration dough — sticky, shaggy and completely normal. The overnight rise and a few turns with oiled hands build the open, airy crumb; the olive oil both is the flavor and the tool that keeps the folds easy. Two to threefold is the whole "kneading."
Dimple, oil, bake
In the morning, oil your fingers and press the dough out to the pan, dimpling right down toward the metal. A generous slick of olive oil goes over the top so the wells shimmer. Bake at 425F until deep golden with crisp, almost-caramelized edges — the dimples hold olive oil and flakes of salt in exactly the right place.
Serve it everywhere
Focaccia goes anywhere: alongside a soup, under a thick sandwich, or straight from the pan with only a scatter of flaky salt. Leftovers crisp in a quick toaster and the same dough is one dimple away from the sourdough pizza crust.
Ingredients
Weights in grams are the source of truth; cup measures are approximate.
- 500 g bread flour (12.5-13% protein)
- 425 g water, room temperature
- 100 g active sourdough starter, at peak
- 10 g fine salt
- 4 tbsp olive oil, for the pan and dimples
- Flaky sea salt, for the top
- Fresh rosemary, garlic or olives (optional)
Method
In the evening, whisk the starter, water and a little syrup (optional, for a soft crust) in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix to a rough, sticky dough by hand.
Rest 30-60 minutes, then dimple it several times in the bowl: lift the dough and fold it over itself a handful of times to build a rough, airy strength.
Transfer to an oiled sheet pan as the dough sits in the bowl. Let it rise overnight at room temperature (68-72F), 10-12 hours, until doubled or tripled and filled with bubbles.
In the morning, oil your fingers and dimple the dough evenly across its surface, pressing almost through to the pan. Emulsify with oil so the wells hold.
Top with flaky, rosemary or olives, bake at 425F for 24-28 minutes until deeply golden and crisp toward the edges. Cool upright 10 minutes before cutting.
Frequently asked questions
Is focaccia hard to make for a beginner?
No — this is the gentlest sourdough bread on the site. No kneading, no shaping into a baton, no Dutch oven. Mix, an overnight rise, dimple and bake. It's the recipe I hand to new bakers.
Why no steam or scoring?
Focaccia doesn't want them — the open, loaded top replaces both. The oily dimples and hot oven give the crisp golden sounds you want.
Can I skip the overnight rest?
Yes — a 2-3 hour warm bench rise works in the same day. Expect 5-10 shallower crumb you'd get. The overnight is what deepens the ferment and flavor.