Crispy Rosemary Sea Salt Sourdough Focaccia
A crispy, chewy sourdough focaccia with olive oil dimples, fresh rosemary, and crunchy sea salt flakes. Perfect for easy homemade bread with a flavorful crust and soft crumb.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Total Time: 7-10 hours
- Yield: 1 focaccia (about 8 servings) 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) lukewarm water (about 80°F/27°C)
- ½ cup (120g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ½ teaspoons (9g) fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or whole sprigs)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Mix the Dough (10 minutes): In a large bowl, combine 3 ½ cups flour with 1 ½ cups lukewarm water. Stir until no dry flour remains. Add ½ cup active sourdough starter and 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt. Mix gently until roughly combined.
- First Rest and Fold (2 hours): Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Every 30 minutes, perform a gentle stretch-and-fold 3-4 times during the 2-hour period.
- Bulk Fermentation (4-6 hours): Leave the dough to ferment until it doubles in size and bubbles appear on the surface. The dough should feel airy and jiggly.
- Prepare the Pan and Shape Dough (10 minutes): Generously oil a 9×13-inch baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Tip the dough onto the pan and spread evenly without deflating air pockets. Use fingers to create deep dimples about 1-inch apart.
- Final Proof (1-2 hours): Cover the dough loosely and let it rise until puffy and almost doubled, with bubbles growing inside the dimples.
- Preheat Oven & Bake (25-30 minutes): Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Drizzle another 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough and sprinkle chopped rosemary and coarse sea salt flakes evenly. Bake until golden brown and edges are crispy.
- Cool & Serve: Let the focaccia cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
If the crust browns too fast, tent loosely with foil halfway through baking. The dough should be a bit wet for an open crumb and perfect olive oil pockets. Use coarse sea salt flakes for texture and bursts of saltiness. Avoid over-kneading; use gentle stretch-and-folds instead. Preheat oven fully to 450°F for a crispy crust.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About a 2-inch squar
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 0.5
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 1.3
- Carbohydrates: 27
- Fiber: 1.5
- Protein: 5
Keywords: sourdough focaccia, rosemary focaccia, sea salt focaccia, homemade bread, crispy focaccia, easy sourdough bread