Simple no-knead slow raise Sourdough Focaccia recipe with detailed step-wise pictures. With Sourdough Starter, I made a very easy and fail-proof Garlic and Coriander Focaccia – best as a side with hearty soups or just as it is.
Its been a while I talked about my Sourdough experiments, well there have a lot of experiments in the last few weekends and there is a backlog of recipes that I have got to share here. The last time I made my Basic Sourdough Bread, I talked about how to increase the volume of the Sourdough Starter. But given it was my first attempt at using my Starter, I went by the recommendation from King Arthur Flour blog to add some commercial yeast. My very next attempt was a Sourdough Boule with nothing but my Starter as the levain. The results surprised and shocked me – the bread was extremely porous and soft, but it wasn’t at the hydration percentage I liked, or the process wasn’t simple for a Sourdough novice like me. For the next few weekends, I practiced the same recipe until I felt comfortable with it to try different flour ratios. A few weeks into the experimentation now, I am completely off commercial yeast and am solely baking using my Sourdough Starter. Before I shared the Sourdough Bread recipe, I wanted to share a simpler recipe and hence this Sourdough Focaccia.
In all my kitchen experiments, my family is a sport and to be very honest, without their support I don’t think I could continue my passion for cooking. I wouldn’t necessarily call all my Sourdough experiments a failure, the results were truly delicious although they didn’t match the standard I had in my head. So week after week, we made use of the bread in sandwiches and as sides to soups or converted some into open toasts. Never once did my family (read husband) complain. There are a lot of calculations happening in my head as I tweak the single recipe I was trying to perfect, and this Garlic and Coriander Sourdough Focaccia happened as part of one of the experiments. The result was so good that I made it again the following weekend to tweak the recipe further. Check out other Focaccia recipes!
If you are new to Sourdough baking, there are a lot of recipes and help available online (in videos and blogs) but nothing sort of prepares you until you get your hands dirty. Everything I am learning with my Sourdough bread baking is with own experiments and every single bake teaches me something new. For this recipe of Sourdough Focaccia, there is no kneading involved as such and that’s what makes it simpler. It is also a slow-raise focaccia recipe with bulk of the fermentation happening in the fridge, letting the gluten form naturally. So yes, this does take a bit of preparation and planning ahead (for that matter, it is true for every sourdough bake) but you don’t need to have any special equipment like kitchen weighing scale or bench scrapper or manage a very wet dough.
The whole process for making the Sourdough Focaccia from scratch including how to take your Sourdough Starter (mother) and use it in your bakes is as per the schedule below –
On Day 1, I take my Sourdough Starter out of the fridge and leave it on the kitchen counter for about 4-5 hrs, to bring it to room temperature.
- At 2pm on Day 1, I took ¼ cup of my Sourdough Starter and added 2 tablespoon Whole Wheat Flour (as my Starter is made with Whole Wheat Flour) and 2 tablespoon Water. Mixed it well and left it on the kitchen counter until it was frothy and increasing in volume. Mine took just about 2.5hrs. Depending on how strong your starter is, this could take extra time.
- At 4.30pm on Day 1, I mixed all the ingredients. No kneading as such, left it untouched for 30 mins.
- For next three hours - In regular intervals of one hour, I used the “fold and slap” technique to build the dough. Fold and Slap involves picking the dough at one end and folding it over the rest of the dough. I used the simple approach of doing it inside the bowl. There are several videos online on the process.
- At 8.30pm on Day 1, I did the last round of fold and slap on my dough. Covered the dough and left it in fridge for the bulk fermentation for 8hours minimum.
- At 10am on Day 2, I removed the dough from fridge and inverted it onto a lightly floured kitchen counter. I just shaped the dough by pulling it away from you and then bringing it closer to you. Again, there are a lot of videos online on the process. If you have a bench scrapper, it is very easy.
- I set the dough in a tray with some olive oil, let the dough double up in volume.
- At 2.30pm on Day 2, I was ready to make the Focaccia dents and started pre-heating the oven. Topped off the prepared Focaccia with garlic and coriander.
- Baked the Sourdough Focaccia at 230°C covered for 15mins and without cover at 200°C for another 15 mins.
How to make Sourdough Focaccia | Garlic and Coriander Focaccia –
Sourdough Focaccia | Garlic and Coriander Focaccia
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Mixing Bowl
- Convection Oven/OTG
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Sourdough Starter ripe and fed
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Water
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 8-10 Garlic Pods
- 2-3 tablespoon Fresh Coriander Leaves finely chopped
- 4 teaspoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sourdough starter and salt.
- Add all the water at once and using a spoon, mix all the ingredients until it comes together. Leave it aside covered for 30mins.
- In the next 30mins to 1 hour, fold and slap the dough by picking the dough at one end and slaping/folding it over the rest of the dough. Repeat this all around the dough. Keep the dough covered. Repeat this process 3 times in intervals of one hour each. With each fold, we are activating the gluten.
- After the third and final fold, keep the dough covered and leave it in the fridge for bulk fermentation for at least 8hrs.
- Next day morning, take out the dough from fridge – it should have doubled in size.
- Invert it onto a lightly floured kitchen counter.
- Shaped the dough by pulling it away from you and then bringing it closer to you. If you have a bench scrapper, it is fairly easy.
- Set the dough in a baking tray with 2 teaspoon olive oil, flattening it out without knocking out any air.
- Let the dough double up in volume at room temperature.
- After 3 hours, the dough was ready to bake. Start pre-heating the oven at 230°C. Make dents on the focaccia.
- Fill up the dents with rest of the olive oil.
- Top off the prepared Focaccia with garlic and coriander.
- Baked the Sourdough Focaccia at 230°C covered for 15mins and without cover at 200°C for another 15 mins.
- Serve sliced as a side with soups or make into sandwiches. Store in an airtight container in fridge for upto 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave oven or OTG or grill pan before serving.
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Sourdough Focaccia | Garlic and Coriander Focaccia –
In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sourdough starter and salt.
Add all the water at once and using a spoon, mix all the ingredients until it comes together. Leave it aside covered for 30mins.
In the next 30mins to 1 hour, fold and slap the dough by picking the dough at one end and slaping/folding it over the rest of the dough. Repeat this all around the dough. Keep the dough covered. Repeat this process 3 times in intervals of one hour each. With each fold, we are activating the gluten. And every hour, the dough raises in volume. After the third and final fold, keep the dough covered and leave it in the fridge for bulk fermentation for at least 8hrs.
Next day morning, take out the dough from fridge – it should have doubled in size.
Invert it onto a lightly floured kitchen counter.
Shaped the dough by pulling it away from you and then bringing it closer to you. If you have a bench scrapper, it is fairly easy. If the dough is too wet, use just a little flour.
Set the dough in a baking tray with 2 teaspoon olive oil, flattening it out without knocking out any air.
Let the dough double up in volume at room temperature.
After 3 hours, the dough was ready to bake. Start pre-heating the oven at 230°C. Make dents on the focaccia. I accidentally tore off a part of the dough.
Fill up the dents with rest of the olive oil.
Top off the prepared Focaccia with garlic and coriander.
Baked the Sourdough Focaccia at 230°C covered for 15mins and without cover at 200°C for another 15 mins.
Serve sliced as a side with soups or make into sandwiches. Store in an airtight container in fridge for upto 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave oven or OTG or grill pan before serving.
Note –
- The success of the Sourdough recipes totally depend on how strong the starter is. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon commercial yeast (active instant dry yeast) if you are not too sure.
- You can use any topping on Focaccia per availability.
- I prefer to use glass bowls or plastic bowls with thick walls while proofing the sourdough, to make sure there are no acidic reactions with metals and also, helps build the dough properly.
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