Rosemary Sourdough Focaccia



My starter was at the 3 week mark so it was time to either remove and replenish or remove and make something delicious then replenish.... So I decided on my old standby, Rosemary Sourdough Focaccia especially since I still had some beautiful fresh rosemary in the 'frig.

Simply remove a cup of the sourdough starter then mix with 4 cups of bread flour, 2 cups of warm water, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt (I used applewood smoked), several turns of freshly ground black pepper, about 1 teaspoon each of powdered onion and garlic and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

Once you have a nice homogeneous sticky mass, simply place it in a well greased 13" by 9" baking pan and spread the mass all the way to the corners keeping the thickness as uniform as possible.


I simply place the pan in the oven overnight to rise - I don't even cover it as the closed oven door is like a sealed container.

The next morning, the mass should have doubled in size with visible carbon dioxide bubbles and craters on the surface. I set it on my counter top gently so as not to deflate the whole mass while pre-heating the oven to 450 degrees.


I then sprinkle the finely minced fresh rosemary over the top along with freshly ground black pepper, kosher salt and olive oil.


Then place the pan directly on my baking stones I keep on the lowest rack in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

After letting it rest for 15 to 20 minutes in the pan, I remove it to further cool on a baking rack. No muss, no fuss, no kneading... as simple as bread making gets...

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