Sourdough Focaccia: No-Knead Crispy Flatbread Recipe

Sourdough focaccia is the most forgiving bread you will ever bake with a starter. It needs no kneading, no shaping skill, and no special pan beyond a rimmed baking sheet, yet it comes out of the oven golden, crisp at the edges, soft inside, and dimpled with pools of olive oil. If you can stir flour and water together and wait, you can make focaccia that tastes like it came from a good bakery.

The short answer

To make sourdough focaccia, mix 500g bread flour, 400g water, 100g active starter, and 10g salt into a wet, shaggy dough, let it rise with a few stretch-and-folds until puffy and bubbly, pour it into a well-oiled 9 by 13 inch pan, proof until jiggly and full of bubbles, dimple it deeply with oiled fingers, and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) for 25 to 30 minutes until deeply golden. The high hydration and the pan do the work that shaping does in a boule: the dough spreads, the oil fries the bottom crisp, and the dimples hold flavour where it belongs. If your starter is not ready yet, start with our day-by-day starter guide, and if you are new to handling wet dough, our easy sourdough bread recipe for beginners will teach you the stretch-and-fold rhythm this recipe relies on.

Why focaccia forgives beginners

Most sourdough failures are shaping failures. A boule that is shaped too loosely spreads into a pancake, and one shaped too tightly tears. Focaccia removes shaping from the equation almost entirely. You pour the dough into a pan and let gravity and fermentation do the shaping for you. The dough is supposed to be wet and slack. It is supposed to look like a mess in the bowl. That wetness is what makes the crumb open and custardy inside while the outside crisps, and the pan supports the dough so it cannot spread too far. Even a slightly overproofed focaccia still bakes into something delicious, because the pan holds it up and the oil keeps it moist. It is the ideal second bake after your first boule, and the ideal rescue bake when you have starter to use and no patience for a long, fussy process.

Focaccia is also the best way to learn what properly fermented dough looks and feels like. Because you handle it so little, you can watch it change: from a shaggy mass, to a smooth, elastic dough after folds, to a puffy, bubbly, jiggly slab in the pan. Those visual cues transfer directly to every other sourdough bake. When you later wonder whether a boule is ready, you will recognise the same puffiness and jiggle, because you have seen it here first, in a pan where nothing could go badly wrong.

The formula

This recipe makes one 9 by 13 inch focaccia, enough for 8 generous pieces. Weigh everything. Focaccia dough is about 80 percent hydration, and at that wetness a cup measure is not accurate enough to repeat the result. If you do not own a scale yet, our kitchen scale guide explains which features matter and which do not.

• 500g bread flour (about 4 cups, spooned and levelled)
• 400g water, at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), about 1 2/3 cups
• 100g active sourdough starter, fed and at its peak (about 1/2 cup)
• 10g fine sea salt (about 1 3/4 teaspoons)
• 60g good olive oil, divided (about 1/4 cup, plus more for your hands and the pan)
• Flaky sea salt, rosemary, or other toppings, to taste

Use bread flour, not all-purpose, if you can. The extra protein gives a wet dough the strength to hold its bubbles instead of collapsing into a dense slab. If all-purpose is all you have, reduce the water to 375g and expect a slightly softer, less chewy result. It will still be good. The olive oil matters more than most recipes admit. A mild, fresh oil gives a buttery, golden crust; a stale or bitter oil will flavour the whole loaf, because so much of it ends up in the crumb and on the surface. Save the peppery finishing oil for drizzling at the table, and bake with a clean-tasting oil.

Mixing and bulk fermentation

Stir the starter into the water until it loosens and turns milky, then add the flour and salt and mix with a wet hand or a sturdy spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky and rough. Cover it and rest for 30 minutes, then perform four sets of stretch-and-folds over the next two hours, spaced 30 minutes apart. Wet your hand before each set, lift one side of the dough up and fold it over the centre, turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until you have folded all four sides. By the third set the dough should feel smoother, stronger, and less willing to tear. That change is gluten developing, and it is the whole point of the folds.

After the folds, let the dough rise undisturbed until it has grown by 50 to 75 percent, is domed, and shows bubbles on the surface and around the edges of the bowl. In a kitchen at 75 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 26 degrees Celsius), bulk fermentation usually takes 4 to 6 hours from mixing, folds included. In a cooler kitchen it takes longer, and our baking schedule guide shows how to fit that longer rise into a day without staying up late. Do not rush this stage. An underproofed focaccia bakes pale, dense, and gummy, because the yeast and bacteria have not produced enough gas or flavour. If in doubt, give it another 30 minutes and look again.

Into the pan and the second rise

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and spread it into the corners and up the sides. If your pan is not reliably nonstick, line it with parchment first and then oil the parchment. Turn the dough gently out of the bowl into the pan, letting it fall in a loose blob. Pour another tablespoon of oil over the top, then use oiled hands to press the dough outward toward the corners. It will resist and spring back. That is normal. Cover the pan and wait 30 minutes, then press it out again. Two or three rounds of this, spaced 30 minutes apart, will fill the pan without tearing the dough or knocking out the gas you spent hours building. Patience here is worth more than force.

Once the dough fills the pan, cover it and let it proof until it is light, puffy, and very jiggly when you shake the pan gently. It should look alive: bubbles visible on the surface, the dough domed slightly, the edges pulling softly away from the pan. This second rise usually takes 1 to 3 hours at warm room temperature, longer in a cold kitchen. For a make-ahead version, you can cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight at this point, which is the same cold-proofing idea as our overnight cold-proofing guide. The next day, let the pan sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes before dimpling and baking, so the dough relaxes and the oven spring is not sluggish.

Dimpling without deflating

Dimpling is the signature step, and it is also the step beginners overthink. Oil your fingers generously, then press straight down into the dough until your fingertips nearly touch the bottom of the pan, and lift straight out. Work across the whole surface in rows, about 1 inch apart, pressing firmly and confidently. You are not poking holes for decoration. You are creating wells that will hold olive oil, salt, and toppings, and that will keep the focaccia flat instead of ballooning into a dome in the oven. If your fingers stick, you do not have enough oil on them. Re-oil and continue.

Do not be gentle to the point of uselessness. Shallow dimples disappear in the oven as the dough springs up, leaving a flat, unmarked surface. Deep dimples survive the bake and give you the classic focaccia look and the little pockets of oil that make each bite rich. If a large bubble bursts while you dimple, do not worry. Press the dough back down around it and move on. The loaf will still bake beautifully, and a few rustic irregularities are part of focaccia's charm. After dimpling, drizzle another tablespoon or two of oil over the surface so it pools in the wells, then scatter flaky salt and your toppings.

Toppings that work, and ones that burn

Rosemary and flaky salt is the classic for a reason: the rosemary perfumes the oil, the salt crunches, and neither burns in 25 minutes at high heat. Cherry tomatoes, halved and pressed cut-side up into the dough, roast into sweet, jammy pockets. Thinly sliced red onion softens and sweetens. Olives, pitted and halved, hold up well. Garlic needs care: thin slices can burn and turn bitter, so tuck garlic slices down into the dimples or use garlic-infused oil instead of raw slices on top. Fresh herbs other than rosemary, such as basil, scorch quickly; add them after baking instead, torn over the hot loaf with a final drizzle of oil.

Cheese is a topping, not a base, for focaccia. A light scattering of grated Parmesan over the top in the last 10 minutes of baking gives a savoury crust. A heavy layer of mozzarella from the start will trap steam, weigh the dough down, and turn greasy. If you want a loaded focaccia, bake it plain first, then add cheese and return it to the oven for 5 minutes to melt. The same restraint applies to wet toppings. Too many tomatoes or too much sauce will make the centre soggy. Two toppings, well distributed, beat five toppings piled on.

Baking for a crisp bottom and golden top

Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) with a rack in the lower third, so the bottom of the pan gets strong heat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the top is deeply golden, not just pale gold, and the edges are dark and crisp where they meet the pan. A pale focaccia is an underbaked focaccia, and its crumb will be gummy even if the crust looks set. If the top browns before the bottom crisps, move the pan to the lowest rack for the last 5 minutes. If your oven runs hot on top, tent loosely with foil for the final 5 minutes rather than pulling the loaf early.

When the focaccia is done, let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to lift it onto a wire rack. The bottom should be golden and crisp, almost fried from the oil. If it sticks, slide a thin spatula under it while it is still warm and work around the edges; waiting until it is cold makes sticking worse. Cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Cutting hot focaccia compresses the soft crumb and makes it gummy, the same mistake that ruins a sliced boule. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, and cut into squares or long fingers depending on how you plan to serve it.

Serving, storing, and using leftovers

Focaccia is at its best warm, within a few hours of baking, torn or cut and served with good olive oil for dipping, soup, or a simple salad. It also makes outstanding sandwiches: split a square horizontally, fill it with mozzarella, tomato, and basil, or with roasted vegetables and pesto, and press it briefly in a dry pan. Because the crumb is soft and the crust is not shattering, it holds a filling without falling apart, which is why many bakers who struggle with sandwich loaves switch to focaccia for lunchboxes entirely.

Store leftover focaccia at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil for up to 2 days. Do not refrigerate it, which dries the crumb faster than room temperature storage. To revive a day-old piece, sprinkle it lightly with water and reheat it in a 350 degree Fahrenheit (175 degree Celsius) oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the crust crisps again. For longer storage, cut the cooled focaccia into portions, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 degree Celsius) oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Frozen focaccia also makes excellent croutons and breadcrumbs: cube it, toss with oil and salt, and bake until crisp, or blitz stale pieces into crumbs for coating chicken or topping baked pasta.

If you end up with extra starter after feeding, focaccia is a poor use for unfed discard, because it needs an active, vigorous starter to rise properly. Save discard for recipes built for it, like the collection in our sourdough discard recipes guide, and keep your active starter for this bake. Conversely, if a focaccia bake leaves you with questions about why your dough behaved a certain way, the troubleshooting guides help: a dough that never rose may point to the same causes as our starter not rising guide, and a dense result usually traces back to underproofing, which our dense and gummy diagnosis walks through step by step.

Focaccia troubleshooting

Dough will not fill the pan. It is underproofed or too cold. Give it more time at room temperature and press it out in stages. Forcing it tears the gluten and deflates the bubbles.

Focaccia is flat and dense. It was underproofed before baking, or the starter was not at its peak. Next time, wait for a jiggly, bubbly pan proof, and check that your starter doubles reliably after feeding. If it does not, feed it on a regular schedule for a few days first, as explained in our feeding guide.

Bottom is pale and soft. The oven rack was too high, or the pan was insulated. Bake on the lowest rack, use a metal pan rather than glass or ceramic, and give the loaf the full baking time even if the top looks done.

Top is dry and toppings fell off. The dimples were too shallow, or there was not enough oil. Dimple deeply, oil generously, and press toppings down into the wells rather than resting them on the surface.

Crumb is gummy. The loaf was cut too soon, or underbaked. Wait until it is fully cool before slicing, and bake until deeply golden, not just lightly coloured.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make sourdough focaccia without a stand mixer? Yes. This recipe is designed for hand mixing. A wet dough and stretch-and-folds develop gluten better than a mixer for most home bakers, and you will feel the dough change as it strengthens.

Can I use discard instead of active starter? No, not for a good rise. Discard is not vigorous enough to leaven an 80 percent hydration dough on its own. Feed your starter, wait for its peak, and use it active. Discard recipes are a different category and work because they do not rely on discard for all of the rise.

What pan can I use if I do not have a 9 by 13 inch pan? A half-sheet pan works and gives a thinner, crisper focaccia; reduce the bake time by about 5 minutes. A 9 inch round cake pan gives a thicker loaf; add 5 to 10 minutes. A cast iron skillet also works beautifully and gives an extra-crisp bottom.

Can I cold-proof focaccia overnight? Yes. After the dough fills the pan, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then bring it to room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes, dimple, and bake. The flavour deepens noticeably.

Why is my focaccia oily? It should be rich, but not greasy. If oil pools on top after baking, you used more than the dough could absorb, or the dimples were too shallow to hold it. Use the amounts in the formula, dimple deeply, and drain the loaf briefly on a rack after baking.

Focaccia rewards patience more than skill, which is exactly why it belongs early in any sourdough journey. Mix it in the morning, fold it while you do other things, dimple it in the afternoon, and eat it warm for dinner. Once you have felt a properly proofed focaccia jiggle in its pan, you will recognise good fermentation everywhere else, and every later loaf will be easier because of it.