You can watch me doing many steps of this recipe in my Focaccia Instagram Highlight, if needed. This is all of the footage I shared on my stories as I was developing this recipe.

Same-Day Sourdough Focaccia

Servings pieces

This same-day sourdough focaccia is a total staple recipe! The interior is soft and squishy, and the exterior is crisp and golden. Enjoy it as a side, sliced in half for sandwiches (our fav!), or just torn off and eaten as-is.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 8

Total Time 9 15

Equipment

Scale
Danish dough whisk
Large mixing bowl
Bowl Scraper
Warming mat or proofing box or DIY option – see Recipe Notes
Bowl cover
9×13 baking pan
Cooling rack
Bread knife

Ingredients

Feed Your Starter

▢ 20 g sourdough starter
▢ 100 g water
▢ 100 g bread flour

Added Later

▢ 20 g olive oil* divided; can sub avocado oil
▢ 40 g water
▢ Flaky sea salt

Before You Begin

This dough is VERY wet and sticky – this is normal, so don't panic. Using a wet bowl scraper and wet hands will help prevent sticking. Re-wet between every single use.

Instructions

Feed your starter: Before bed, in a 3/4 L Weck jar (or similar-sized glass jar), mix together 20 g sourdough starter and 100 g water. Then, mix in 100 g bread flour until smooth. Loosely cover and let ferment on the counter overnight [10-12 hours at 68-75°F (20-24°C)].
Mix the dough: In the morning, in a large mixing bowl, combine 390 g warm water, 200 g active sourdough starter (that you made, from above), 15 g olive oil, and 10 g sugar. Add the 500 g bread flour and 10 g salt. Mix until no dry flour remains, using a Danish dough whisk or a wet bowl scraper. (Note: Bulk fermentation has begun.)
Put in a warm spot: Cover and place the covered bowl in a proofing box or on a warming mat set to approximately 80°F (27°C). You could also use your oven with the light on or your microwave with a cup of boiling water inside. Let rest for 30-40 minutes.
Stretch and folds (beginning 30-40 minutes after mixing and repeating every 30–45 minutes for a total of 3 rounds): Using a wet bowl scraper, scrape the dough up and over itself on each corner of the bowl, rotating as you go. Cover and rest between rounds. Keeping your scraper wet makes this much less messy than using your hands!
Coil folds (beginning 30-40 minutes after the last stretch and fold and repeating every 30 minutes for a total of 4 rounds): With wet hands (seriously – dunk them in water!), slide your hands under the center of the dough, lift it up, and let the ends fold underneath. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat, wetting your hands often. Cover and rest between rounds.
You don't have to do this many rounds of coil folds, but wet doughs benefit greatly from handling throughout bulk fermentation.
Finish bulk fermentation: Bulk fermentation began when we first mixed our dough – we're ready to transfer it to our pan when it has approximately doubled in size and is covered with tiny bubbles. For me, bulk fermentation took a total of 5.5 hours at about 80°F (27°C), but timing can vary, so pay more attention to visual cues.
Optional – overnight cold proof: You can put your dough in the fridge until tomorrow. The focaccia will develop a more sour, complex flavor profile and may be easier to digest for those sensitive to gluten. When ready, bring the bowl back out, let it warm up slightly (for about 1-2 hours), and proceed with the next step.
Transfer to pan. Drizzle 10 g olive oil* into your 9×13 pan and rub it all over the bottom and sides. Gently dump the dough on top, then flip it upside down so it's fully coated in oil. (Do not dimple yet – that's the next step!) Stretch the dough to fill the pan. If it springs back, leave it uncovered to rest for 10–15 minutes, then come back and gently stretch it out again. Cover and return the pan to your warm spot.
*If you are not using a nonstick pan, you may want to double the amount of olive oil used to coat it.
Pre-bake prep and preheat: Approximately 2 hours after transferring to the pan, drizzle the remaining 10 g olive oil* and 40 g water evenly over the surface. Sprinkle generously with Flaky sea salt. Dimple the entire surface deeply with your fingers, pressing all the way down to the pan. Move your oven rack to the lower third and preheat to 500°F (260°C) conventional.
Bake. Once the oven is fully preheated, place the focaccia on the lower third rack. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C). Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until deep golden brown on top and the interior temperature is 205-210°F (96-99°C).
Cool. Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing – this helps the interior finish setting and gives you cleaner slices

Notes

*If you are not using a nonstick baking pan (like I did), you may want to double the amount of olive oil used to coat it.

Bread flour: Use a high-protein bread flour for best results. I recipe tested with Central Milling High Mountain (13.5% protein) – other great options include Ballerina Farms farm flour (14%), King Arthur bread flour (12.7%), or Bob’s Red Mill bread flour (12.5–13.5%). If you’re working with a lower-protein flour like Costco All-Purpose (11.5%), you’ll likely need to add about 15-25g more flour, or toss in 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten to compensate.

Wet tools are your best friend: Keep a small bowl of water nearby throughout the folding process. A wet bowl scraper and wet hands prevent sticking without adding extra flour.

Best on day 1: Focaccia is definitely the best the day it’s baked. If you don’t plan to eat it within 2–3 days, slice it and freeze it as desired. It reheats beautifully.

Proofing mat/box options:

Cozy bread proofing mat: https://collabs.shop/rzhrun Use code THATSOURDOUGHGAL for 10% off
Brod & Taylor proofing box: https://collabs.shop/ik3uxy
Giyudot proofing box: https://shop.thatsourdoughgal.com/amzn/giyudot-proofing-box
DIY – Your oven with the light on
DIY – Your microwave with a cup of boiling water inside

Did you make this recipe?Rate this recipe, leave a comment below, and share a photo on Instagram! Tag me @thatsourdoughgal so I can see it!

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Same-Day Sourdough Focaccia – For Recipe Testers