Roasted Garlic and Cheese Sourdough Focaccia
INGREDIENTS
Feed Your Starter
- 20 g sourdough starter
- 100 g water
- 100 g bread flour
Main Dough
- 390 g warm water
- 200 g active sourdough starter that you made from above
- 15 g melted butter or olive oil, avocado oil
- 15 g sugar
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g salt
Roasted Garlic
- 1 large head of garlic See Notes for quantity
- 2 tsp olive oil
- pinch of salt and pepper
Prep the Pan
- 45 g olive oil or melted butter; lower to 10g if using USA Pan; lower to 20g for glass or ceramic
- 10 g freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Dimple In
- 30 g olive oil or melted butter
- 30 g freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tbsp seasoning of choice such as Dan-O's cheesoning, King Arthur pizza seasoning, or Italian seasoning blend
- 170 g low-moisture mozzarella cheese
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.Also, your pan choice affects how much oil you'll use — amounts vary quite a bit by pan type, so make sure to read Step 9 carefully before you pour.
Equipment
- Warming mat or proofing box or DIY option — see Recipe Notes
- Bowl cover 15% off with code THATSOURDOUGHGAL
- Lloyd Pans 10x14" Detroit-Style Pizza Pan or a 9x13" USA Pan or a 12" cast iron skillet — see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Roast the garlic (at any time): Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the top off of 1 large head of garlic to expose the cloves. Set it cut side up on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place directly on the oven rack and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool completely before unwrapping the foil. Note: I typically roast a few heads of garlic at once and store the extras in the fridge!
- Feed your starter: This recipe uses 200 g of active sourdough 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 (you should have 20 g remaining), 15 g melted butter, and 15 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 starts as soon as the ingredients are mixed.)
- Put in a warm spot: Cover the bowl and place it in a warm spot, ideally around 80°F (27°C). A proofing box or proofing mat works well, but your oven with the light on or your microwave with a cup of boiling water inside will also work. Let the dough 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, lift and fold the dough over itself from four points around the bowl, rotating as you go. Wetting your bowl scraper after each fold makes this much less messy than using your hands! Cover the bowl and let the dough rest between rounds.
- 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 under themselves. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat, wetting your hands often. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest between rounds.You don't have to do this many rounds of coil folds, but wet dough benefits 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 bubbles. It'll feel bouncy and airy. For me, bulk fermentation took a total of 6.5 hours at about 79°F (26°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 you're ready, remove the bowl from the fridge, let the dough warm up slightly for 1–2 hours, then continue with the next step.
- Prepare your baking pan: The amount of oil we add depends on your pan type. If using the Lloyd Pan or a cast iron skillet, coat bottom and sides of pan with 45 g olive oil. If using a USA Pan, use just 10 g olive oil. For glass or ceramic (not recommended), spray with nonstick spray or coat with softened butter, line with parchment, and add 20 g olive oil on top of the parchment.
- Then, add 10 g freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the oil.
- Transfer dough to pan: With oiled hands, pick up your dough and place it smooth-side up on top of the cheese. Do not dimple yet – that's in the next step!
- Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. If it springs back, leave it uncovered and let it rest for 10–15 minutes, then gently stretch it again. Cover the pan and return it to your warm spot for the final proof.
- Pre-bake prep and preheat: Approximately 2–3 hours after transferring to the pan, or once the dough looks super puffy and roughly 50% larger, drizzle 30 g olive oil evenly over the surface. Then, top with 1 tbsp seasoning of choice, 170 g low-moisture mozzarella cheese, and 30 g freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano. If your seasoning of choice does not contain salt, I suggest you sprinkle about 1/2 tsp salt over the dough.Squeeze out your roasted garlic cloves and place them evenly across the dough's surface. Dimple the entire surface deeply with your fingers, pressing all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Move your oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) conventional. Note: if using a glass dish, preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- Bake: Once the oven is fully preheated, place the focaccia on the lower oven rack. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C). If using glass, skip the temperature reduction and bake at 425°F throughout; the bake time may be slightly longer. Bake for 20–30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through and keeping an eye on it around the 20-minute mark. Pull it when the top is a deep golden brown and the interior temperature is 205–210°F (96–99°C).
- Cool: Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 5 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.
- Serving and storage: Slice with a bread knife and serve warm or at room temperature. It pairs beautifully with marinara or vodka sauce for dipping. Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2–3 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months. It reheats beautifully.
Notes
Pan recommendations: My current go-to is the Lloyd Pans 10×14″ Detroit-Style Pizza Pan — it gives a darker, crispier bottom that is just chef's kiss. That said, the USA Pan 9×13″ is a very close runner-up and is actually the most popular pan among testers (50% used it!). It requires less oil and still delivers a fantastic result. A 12" cast iron skillet is also a great option and produces a similarly crispy bottom. Glass and ceramic will work in a pinch, but testers consistently rated their results lower than those baked in the other pans — so if you have another option, use it.
Garlic: Garlic head sizes vary greatly. I recommend using either 1 large head (60–70g before roasting) or 2 small heads. After roasting and squeezing out the cloves, you should have approximately 35–40g of roasted garlic. But this is so flexible – add as much garlic as you like!
Bread flour: Use a high-protein bread flour for best results. I tested this recipe with Central Milling High Mountain (13.5% protein).
Other great options include:
Other great options include:
- Ballerina Farm high protein farm flour (14%)
- King Arthur bread flour (12.7%)
- Bob's Red Mill bread flour (12.5–13.5%)
- Cozy Bread Original Proofing Mat — Use code THATSOURDOUGHGAL for 10% off
- Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer
- Giyudot Folding Bread Proofing Box
- DIY — Your oven with the light on
- DIY — Your microwave with a cup of boiling water inside
Nutrition Facts
Roasted Garlic and Cheese Sourdough Focaccia
Amount per Serving
Calories
318
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
0.04
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
14
mg
5
%
Sodium
485
mg
21
%
Potassium
95
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
40
g
13
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
2
g
2
%
Protein
11
g
22
%
Vitamin A
165
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
170
mg
17
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
