Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia with Pickle Juice
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If you love burgers and focaccia then you’re going to love this Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia. This sourdough focaccia bread features pickle juice in place of water making this bread super flavorful and then is topped with all your favorite cheeseburger toppings including tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheddar cheese, ground beef, and of course we can’t forget the drizzle of burger sauce on top. Bring take out to your kitchen with this delicious burger bread.
This Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia is the perfect game day appetizer or grab and go dinner the whole family will love. This recipe can be made in one day, just prep it in the morning and bake it in time for dinner. Even better, it has a forgiving timeline making it a stress-free sourdough bread.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Same day recipe
- One pan dinner or appetizer
- Completely customizable; just top with your favorite burger toppings
- All the flavors of a burger wrapped in a delicious crispy, chewy sourdough focaccia bread
Swapping out water in focaccia
I started experimenting with swapping out water for other liquids in sourdough focaccia and I have been blown away at the delicious bread it makes! It all started with my Salsa Sourdough Focaccia which has been a huge hit! I have also made other flavors such as a Margherita Pizza Sourdough Focaccia, Ham and Cheese Sourdough Focaccia, Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia, and Sourdough Carmel Apple Focaccia.
Throughout this series I’ve received several requests for pickle juice but I’ve never been a pickle lover. However, I finally tried it out and I’ve officially been converted. Turns out pickle juice in bread is really delicious!
Tips for making Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia
- Make sure to let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia.
- To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise. Using warm ingredients in the dough will help with this as well.
- If you want to bake the next day, place the dough in the fridge after the first rise. Remove the dough from the fridge in the morning. Place in a oiled 9×13″ pan and let rise until puffy and doubled in size.
- Add dough to a straight edge container so you can easily see when the dough has risen 50%.
Ingredients
Cheeseburger Focaccia Bread
- Pickle juice- I used dill pickles but you can use your favorite type. However, I do recommend checking the ingredients as many have food coloring and excessive amounts of preservatives.
- Sourdough starter- In this recipe you will use an active and bubbly sourdough starter in place of yeast to leaven the dough.
- Salt or garlic salt- I used garlic salt to infuse extra flavor into the dough but you can just use salt if preferred.
- Bread flour- In a pinch you can swap bread flour for all purpose flour but I recommend cutting the amount of liquid by 25-50 grams as all purpose flour does not absorb as much water.
Toppings
- Cherry tomatoes- Any type of tomato will work but I love a sweet cherry tomato. For this recipe I cut the tomatoes in half.
- White or yellow onions- You can sauté minced onions with the ground beef if you would like or you can add rings of raw onion on the dough like I did.
- Pickles- Slice the pickles for bigger bites or mince the pickles.
- Ground beef- Season, cook and drain the ground beef in small chunks to your preference. I seasoned with garlic salt. You can replace the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken or remove the meat all together for a vegetarian option.
- Cheddar cheese- I recommend shredding your own cheese, as pre-shredded cheese often does not melt well due to the anti-caking agents added. Colby jack, pepper jack, or mozzarella cheese would all be good options as well.
- Olive oil- This is drizzled all over the dough to give it a crispy, golden brown crust.
Burger Sauce
- Mayonnaise- Makes a creamy, flavorful base for the sauce.
- Pickle relish- Adds a little zing and texture to the sauce.
- White vinegar- Adds zing and thins out the sauce just slightly.
- Ketchup- What’s a burger without a little bit of ketchup added?
Instructions to make Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia
In a bowl or straight edge container, mix together room temperature pickle juice, active and bubbly sourdough starter, and garlic salt until the starter is dissolved. Add the bread flour and mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Let sit in a warm spot covered for about 30 minutes. I like to cover with a lid or dinner plate instead of a tea towel so that the dough doesn’t dry out.
Perform 2-3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30 minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
Continue to let the dough rise for bulk fermentation until it is risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise (including stretch and folds) will take about 5-6 hours total.
Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Dump dough into the pan. Flip once to coat both sides with oil. Cover and let sit in a warm spot until it doubles in size and is puffy. With the dough staying in the mid 70’s Fahrenheit this will take another 1-2 hours.
Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425 F.
Spread 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough. Top with cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and pickles. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit about 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. If your loaf is getting too dark you can cover with a piece of foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
Mix together the burger sauce and drizzle overtop the cooked loaf.
Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm!
Sample schedule
This is based on the dough temperature being in the mid 70s. There are many factors that can impact how slowly or quickly dough rises so use this as a guideline but look for the visual cues the dough is ready to move on.
| Step | Time |
| Feed sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams starter: 70 grams flour: 70 grams water) | 10 pm |
| Mix dough together | 8 am |
| Stretch & Folds | 8:30-9:30 am |
| Add dough to 9×13 pan | 2:30 pm |
| Bake | 4:30 pm |
How to store focaccia bread
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To reheat, you can warm it in the microwave, or to get a crispy crust again add it back to a 400-degree oven or air fryer for a few minutes until warmed through.
More Sourdough Focaccia Recipes
Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia
Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough Focaccia
- 400 grams pickle juice 1 ¾ cups
- 10 grams garlic salt 1 ½ teaspoon
- 150 grams active sourdough starter ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons
- 500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔cups
Toppings
- 300 grams ground beef, cooked 2 cups
- 75 grams cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup
- 55 grams onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup
- 35 grams pickle, chopped 1/4 cup
- 225 grams cheddar cheese 2 cups
- 55 grams olive oil, divided 1/4 cup
Burger Sauce
- 80 grams mayonnaise 1/3 cup
- 30 grams ketchup 2 Tablespoons
- 5 grams white vinegar 1 teaspoon
- 5 grams pickle relish 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- In a bowl or straight edge container, mix together room temperature pickle juice, active and bubbly sourdough starter, and garlic salt until the starter is dissolved. Add the bread flour and mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Let sit in a warm spot covered for about 30 minutes. I like to cover with a lid or dinner plate instead of a tea towel so that the dough doesn’t dry out.400 grams pickle juice, 150 grams active sourdough starter, 10 grams garlic salt, 500 grams bread flour
- Perform 2-3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30 minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
- Continue to let the dough rise for bulk fermentation until it is risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise (including stretch and folds) will take about 5-6 hours total.
- Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Dump dough into the pan. Flip once to coat both sides with oil. Cover and let sit in a warm spot until it doubles in size and is puffy. With the dough staying in the mid 70's Fahrenheit this will take another 1-2 hours. 55 grams olive oil, divided
- Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough. Top with cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and pickles. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. If your loaf is getting too dark you can cover with a piece of foil for the last 10-15 minutes.300 grams ground beef, cooked, 75 grams cherry tomatoes, 55 grams onion, thinly sliced, 35 grams pickle, chopped, 225 grams cheddar cheese
- Mix together the burger sauce and drizzle overtop the cooked loaf.80 grams mayonnaise, 30 grams ketchup, 5 grams white vinegar, 5 grams pickle relish
- Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm!
Notes
- See sample schedule included in the post above.
- Make sure to let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia.
- To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise. Using warm ingredients in the dough will help with this as well.
- If you want to bake the next day, place the dough in the fridge after the first rise. Remove the dough from the fridge in the morning. Place in a oiled 9×13″ pan and let rise until puffy and doubled in size.
- Add dough to a straight edge container so you can easily see when the dough has risen 50%.
Can I leave it in the fridge longer after the first rise? Or does it have to come out first thing in the morning?
Thanks in advance.
What pickle juice and garlic salt brand did you use? I used majestic pickles and lawry’s garlic salt. I just got a sticky dough that never came together or got bubbly
I’m sorry it didn’t go well. The type of pickle juice and garlic salt shouldn’t impact it much. Are you using bread flour? The dough is stickier because of the higher hydration but through stretch and folds should get stronger. As far as it not rising this could be a temperature issue or a starter issue. If you have a meat thermometer you can temp your dough to see where it is at. The same schedule is based on the dough being at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is cooler than that it is going to take longer to rise. Also if your starter isn’t strong that can impact the dough and cause it not to rise. You want to make sure your starter is consistently doubling with each feeding
Mine is so far turning out the same way. Active, bubbly, happy starter quality bread flour. It’s just a soupy mess even after all my stretch and folds. 🙁
Are you using cups or grams? Also make sure your bread flour has 4 grams of protein per 1/4 cup. Some bread flours are not as high in protein.
This was so fun to make and tastes amazing! Made it this morning for my kids lunch! This will also be perfect for a Super Bowl
My dough is mixed now. I’ve done 3 stretch and folds and it still seems very shaggy. What should I do?
Sorry I am just seeing this. It should have smoothed out as it rose. Did it end up working out?
I made this and it’s delicious! I am trying to figure out what the best way to store and reheat the leftovers is though? Thanks!
Since it has meat I keep it in the fridge and either heat it up in the microwave or if I want to crisp it up I will heat it in an air fryer.
This looks so good! I tried it and my day was so sticky. I thought I had messed up. Is that normal for it to be sticky? I’m wondering if I use my regular boule Measurements and substitute Pickle juice and let it over proof it might work better for me? Just curious on your thoughts. I’ve been playing around with all of this for a couple of years, not successfully.😂
Did you use bread flour? The dough is a little sticky but after some stretch and folds it should be a little more manageable. You can reduce the liquid by 25 grams or so to help.
Flavor explosion in every bite! This dish was an absolute hit and will be in our regular dinner rotation from now on. Everyone loved it, even my hungry teenage boys who are in the middle of their cross-country season it was filling enough to satisfy them! This is an absolute MUST MAKE trust me, you won’t regret it!
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