Overnight Sourdough Focaccia with Olives
Chewy and soft on the inside, with an extremely airy crumb and crispy exterior, this Sourdough Focaccia is one of the nicest breads we make! Made with naturally leavened dough and topped with soft plump olives and a mixture of herbs, this bread is lovely on its own, dipped in some olive oil and balsamic or served with soups!
Equipment
- 24cm Cast Iron Skillet (or see Notes below)
Ingredients
- 110 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 265 g strong white bread flour
- 150 g water
- 5 g salt
- 25 ml olive oil
For the Topping:
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
- 8 olives each cut in half
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Day 1: Make the Dough
- Make sure your starter is active and at least doubled in size before you use it.
- Mix starter, 190g of flour and water in a mixing bowl of your standing mixer. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for an hour - this process is called an autolyse (or fermentolyse).
- After an hour, add salt, olive oil and the rest of the flour. Using a standing mixer, with a dough hook attachment, knead your dough on slow/medium speed for 6-7 minutes until the dough is less sticky and more elastic.
- Scoop the dough out into an oiled shallow dish and leave at room temperature to rise for 5 hours. Every 30 minutes perform a set of coil folds - you can find a video in the text above (you can stretch and fold instead if you prefer). Blisters will start forming on the surface of the dough after your second fold. By the time you fisnihed all folds, the dough will be lively, elastic and airy.
- Thoroughly cover the dough with a tea towel or clingfilm and pop in the fridge for an overnight cold-proof.
Day 2: Bake your Sourdough Focaccia
- Lightly grease an iron skillet (or see notes). Take the dough out of the fridge and very carefully transfer it into the skillet, trying not to deflate it too much. Cover again and leave in the warmest spot of the house to prove for another hour. It will increase in volume, puff up and have very noticeable blisters across the surface.
- In the meantime, prepare the toppings. Half eight olives. Then in a small bowl, mix olive oil, tomato paste, mixed herbs and crushed garlic.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan
- When your focaccia dough has proved, oil your fingers and dimple the top of the dough all over. Pop the olives halves in the dimples. Then brush the top with the oil mixture, taking care not to burst any blisters. Sprinkle with some sea salt and pop in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This Overnight Sourdough Focaccia is delicious both warm and cold, even the next day!
Video
Notes
If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a round cake tin or non-stick baking tray. Just make sure you oil it properly to make sure your focaccia doesn't stick!
Nutrition
Calories: 329kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 770mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 65IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!