Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
This post may contain affiliate links . Read my full Disclosure Policy here.
This light and fluffy pesto sourdough focaccia features a beautifully browned, crispy crust and is bursting with flavor. Infused with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and a hint of garlic, it’s a must try focaccia recipe.

Focaccia bread is a very beginner-friendly bread as it requires no special equipement, can be made in one day, and has a forgiving timeline. It is a great first recipe to try when baking sourdough because it doesn’t need any fancy shaping or scoring. There is no dutch oven needed, just a simple 9×13″ pan or cast iron skillet, which you likely already have at home! It is really simple to make, but the results are an insanely delicious, chewy, soft, sourdough bread.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick timeline for sourdough: start in the morning and have it ready by dinner time.
- Incredible blend of flavors with the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan and garlic
- Naturally leavened with a sourdough starter, no instant yeast needed
- Perfect texture with a crispy crust and soft, fluffy interior
Flavored Focaccia
Sourdough focaccia is one of my favorite things to make, and while I love a plain sourdough focaccia, I love experimenting with new flavors. From sweet to savory, I’ve tried a lot of variations. Some of my favorites include Margherita Pizza Sourdough Focaccia, Sticky Pecan Sourdough Focaccia, Hawaiian Roll Sourdough Focaccia, Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia, Sourdough Caramel Apple Focaccia, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia.
What is Focaccia?
Focaccia is a flatbread that is made similarly to pizza dough. The bread is made in a pan, usually something like a 9×13 dish or 12″ round cast iron pan. The bread is fluffy and chewy with a thin crispy crust. It has signature dimples in the dough and has a drizzle of olive oil to help create the crispy, golden brown crust. You can make focaccia plain, or add sweet or savory toppings such as herbs, onions, olives, or cherry tomatoes. It is delicious as served by itself, as a side for soups, pastas, and more, or used to make a delicious sandwich.

How to make a sourdough starter
If you are new to baking sourdough, you will first need a sourdough starter. It is really simple to make, but it does take some time and patience! With this Easy Sourdough Starter recipe, you can have a sourdough starter that is ready to bake bread in about two weeks. If you’d like to learn more about my easy, no-stress method of sourdough baking, check out my online Sourdough Course! Inside, I will walk you through exactly how to make a starter and bake your first loaf of sourdough bread.
Tips for success when making Pesto Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
- 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 an 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%.

Tools to make this recipe
Baking Pan- 9×13 pan or 12″ cast iron skillet
Kitchen Scale –When making sourdough bread, I always recommend weighing your ingredients on a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements.
Cooling Rack – Using a wire rack helps the bread cool quicker by allowing air under the bread.
2 quart proofing container– This is the easiest way to tell when the dough has risen 50% for the first rise.
Ingredients for Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
- Water – Either filtered or tap water will work. Despite what some people say, I use tap water when baking sourdough bread with no problem.
- Sourdough starter – Use an active and bubbly sourdough starter that has doubled in size.
- Bread flour – I prefer bread flour, but in a pinch, you can swap bread flour for all-purpose flour. However since this is a high hydration dough I recommend cutting the amount of liquid by 25-50 grams if using all purpose flour as it does not absorb as much water.
- Salt – Any type of salt will work.
- Extra-virgin Olive oil – Using oil creates the signature crunchy outside of the focaccia.
- Basil Pesto– This will be added to the dough and to the top. You can use store bought or make your own pesto.
- Cheese– I used a mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheese but you can swap out the cheeses or omit them for a dairy-free option.
- Sun-dried tomatoes– If using the ones in a jar with oil, place them on a paper towel and pat dry to remove excess oil before adding to the dough.
- Garlic– You can either mince the garlic on top or cut the cloves into slivers and place around the dough.
- Flaky sea salt– For an extra punch of flavor, add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to the top.
How to make Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
In a large mixing bowl or straight edge container, stir together the water, active and bubbly sourdough starter, pesto and 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.
Place sun-dried tomatoes on a paper towel and pat dry to remove excess oil. Roughly chop them and add them to the sourdough focaccia dough during the first set of stretch and folds. 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 hours total.
Spray a 9×13 inch pan or 12″ cast iron pan with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Dump the 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 2 hours.

Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Brush 1/4 cup of pesto on top of the dough. Sprinkle with freshly grated cheeses and slivers of garlic cloves. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake at 425 F for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through (if you use a glass pan expect it to take more like 40 minutes).

Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 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 pan | 1 pm |
Bake | 3 pm |
How to store Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
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.

Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
Ingredients
Sourdough Focaccia
- 400 grams water 1 ¾ cups
- 70 grams basil pesto heaping ¼ cup
- 10 grams 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoon
- 150 grams active sourdough starter ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons
- 500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups
- 75 grams sun-dried tomatoes, chopped ⅓ cup
Toppings
- 30 grams olive oil 2 Tablespoons
- 60 grams basil pesto ¼ cup
- 1 head garlic sliced
- 75 grams parmesan cheese ¾ cup
- 25 grams mozzarella cheese ¼ cup
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or straight edge container, stir together the water, active and bubbly sourdough starter, pesto and 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 water, 150 grams active sourdough starter, 70 grams basil pesto, 10 grams 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 500 grams bread flour
- Place sun-dried tomatoes on a paper towel and pat dry to remove excess oil. Roughly chop them and add them to the sourdough focaccia dough during the first set of stretch and folds.75 grams sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 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 hours total.
- Spray a 9×13 inch pan or 12" cast iron skillet with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Dump the 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 2 hours. 30 grams olive oil
- Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Brush ¼ cup of pesto on top of the dough. Sprinkle with freshly grated cheeses and slivers of garlic cloves.60 grams basil pesto, 1 head garlic, 75 grams parmesan cheese, 25 grams mozzarella cheese
- Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake at 425℉ for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through (if you use a glass pan expect it to take more like 40 minutes).
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm!
Notes
- 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 an oiled 9×13″ pan and let rise until puffy and doubled in size.
- 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.
This recipe is a 10 out of 10! It’ll be in the regular rotation!