Simple Overnight Sourdough Focaccia (with timestamps!)
This sourdough focaccia is AMAZING. Think: crispy exterior with a bubbly, fluffy interior. I eat it straight out of the pan, but I’ve also cut a slice in half (making it open, not cutting another slice) and used it as sandwich bread.
The more I’ve made sourdough bread, the more I’ve learned to use the refrigerator to my advantage. Dough still proofs in the cold, it just presents as dormant. So the trick to having fresh bread in the morning is starting your dough at night and leaving it in the fridge overnight. In this post, I’ll provide you with directions with timestamps so that you can have fresh bread within a couple of hours of waking up!
Tips for baking this focaccia:
Don’t skimp on the oil— Use more avocado (or olive) oil than you think in the pan. It’s what gives you that crispy, almost fried bottom instead of soft bread
Don’t pop the bubbles — You want the dough to be bubbly when dimpling. As tempting as it may be, do NOT pop the bubbles. You want to create bubbles while dimpling.
Don’t add more flour — Use wet or oiled hands when handling the dough instead of adding flour. Extra flour will make it dense instead of light and airy.
Prevent soggy, oily crust— Using a metal, preferably stainless steel for non-toxic purposes, will give you a better crisp than glass or ceramic pans.
Don’t pop the bubbles — You want the dough to be bubbly when dimpling. As tempting as it may be, do NOT pop the bubbles. You want to create bubbles while dimpling.
Bake it long enough — If you pull it when it just looks golden on top, the bottom often isn’t done yet. You want a deeper golden color overall.
Topping ideas:
Follow instructions until you’re dimpling the bread, this is when you should add your toppings! I recommend making this recipe at least once before you start experimenting.
Pizza — Add about 1/4 cup of sauce, whatever pizza toppings you prefer (pepperoni, sausage, onions, jalapenos, etc.) shredded mozzarella cheese, and then press it all in with your finger tips as you’re dimpling- skip the oil. Adding the tomato sauce will likely need some extra baking time because it adds some moisture.
Caramelized Onion and Gruyere — Sprinkle caramelized onions and small gruyere chunks all over the top along with the oil and press your finger tips down to dimple- make sure you’re not popping the bubbles that are being created!
Cinnamon Roll— Create a cinnamon sugar butter mixture by mixing together ½ cup softened butter, 100 g brown sugar, 50 g white sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
How to make this focaccia step-by-step with timestamps:
8:00 PM: Mix (120g active bubbly sourdough starter, 415g luke warm water, 500g flour, 10g salt, and 45g oil) together until a very sticky, wet dough forms and cover with cling wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
8:30 PM: Wet your hands (so the dough doesnt stick) and grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself, rotate the bowl and repeat 4 times. Cover bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.
9:00 PM: Repeat the previous step; wet your hands (so the dough doesnt stick) and grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself, rotate the bowl and repeat 4 times. Cover again for about 30 minutes to an hour.
9:45 PM: Keep covered and place in the refrigerator for the night. It will cold-proof and get perfectly fermented WHILE you sleep!
6:00 AM (or whenever you wake up- but we’ll use 6am as the example): Generously oil a 9×13 metal (stainless steel for non-tox) pan with 1-2 tbsp olive or avocado oil. Dump dough into pan. Drizzle another 15–30 g olive oil over the top. Let it rest at warm-room temperature for 45–60 minutes so it spreads.
7:00 AM: This is the fun part- oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over the dough, but don’t pop bubbles that appear- you want bubbles! Sprinkle flaky sea salt all over. *Optional- top with fresh or dried rosemary. See above for different topping ideas!
7:00 AM: Bake at 425 F for 22–28 minutes or until deep golden brown, has crispy edges, and a fluffy interior.
Simple Overnight Sourdough Focaccia (with timestamps!)
Ingredients
Method
- 8:00 PM: Mix 120g active bubbly sourdough starter, 415g luke warm water, 500g flour, 10g salt, and 45g oil together until a very sticky, wet dough forms and cover and rest 30 minutes.
- 8:30 PM: Wet your hands (so the dough doesnt stick) and grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself, rotate the bowl and repeat 4 times cover again for about 30 minutes or so.
- 9:00 PM: Repeat previous step, stretching and folding. Let it sit covered for 30–60 minutes.
- 9:45 PM: After sitting for 30-60 minutes, place covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
- 6:00 AM: Generously oil a 9×13 metal (stainless steel for non-tox) pan with 1-2 tbsp olive or avocado oil. Dump dough into pan. Drizzle another 15–30 g olive oil over the top. Let it rest 45–60 minutes so it spreads.
- 7:00 AM: This is the fun part- oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over the dough, but don’t pop bubbles that appear- you want bubbles! Sprinkle flaky sea salt all over. *Optional- top with fresh or dried rosemary.
- 7:00 AM: Bake at 425 F for 22–28 minutes or until deep golden brown, has crispy edges, and a fluffy interior.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!