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Best Easy Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Focaccia Bread

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This rosemary garlic sourdough focaccia bread is obsessed with those irregular, blistered pockets of air trapped in the dough, and honestly, everything else follows from there. It’s the kind of bread that makes you close your eyes after the first bite — not because it’s fancy, but because it’s honest.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 500g bread flour or all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
  • 200g active sourdough starter (about 1 cup, fed and bubbly)
  • 350g warm water (about 1 ½ cups, around 80°F)
  • 60g extra virgin olive oil (about ¼ cup, plus more for the pan)
  • 4–5 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 10g fine sea salt (about 2 teaspoons)
  • Flaky sea salt (for finishing, like Maldon)

Instructions

  1. Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine 500g flour, 350g warm water, 200g active sourdough starter, and 10g fine sea salt. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  2. First stretch and fold: After the rest, wet your hands slightly and grab one side of the dough. Stretch it up and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do 4 stretches total, then cover and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this stretch-and-fold process 3 more times, every 30 minutes.
  3. Bulk fermentation: After the final stretch and fold, cover the bowl and let it rise at room temperature (70-75°F) until doubled in size and bubbly on the surface, about 6-10 hours.
  4. Prepare the pan: Pour 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Spread it evenly over the bottom and up the sides.
  5. Transfer the dough: Gently scrape the dough into the oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Stretch the dough: Use oiled fingers to gently stretch the dough toward the edges of the pan. If it resists, let it rest another 15 minutes and try again.
  7. Second rise: Cover the pan and let the dough rise until puffy and jiggly, about 2-3 hours.
  8. Dimple and top: Preheat oven to 450°F. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough. Using oiled fingertips, press dimples all across the surface, pushing all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Scatter sliced garlic and chopped rosemary evenly over the top, pressing them gently into the dimples. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
  9. Bake: Place the pan on the middle rack and bake until deep golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. If browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
  10. Cool: Slide the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Notes

For the best texture, weigh your flour and water. Volume measurements can vary wildly. If your starter is sluggish, feed it 8-12 hours before mixing. Fresh rosemary is essential; dried rosemary becomes hard and sharp when baked. The olive oil in the pan is not optional—it creates the crispy bottom crust. Wet hands are your friend when handling sticky dough. Don’t rush the bulk fermentation; the dough needs to double in size. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Focaccia freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: sourdough focaccia, rosemary garlic bread, homemade focaccia, artisan bread, easy sourdough recipe

Find it online: https://lindabake.com/best-easy-rosemary-garlic-sourdough-focaccia-bread/