Salsa Sourdough Focaccia

This Salsa Sourdough Focaccia Bread is not like your typical focaccia recipe! This recipe swaps out some of the water for salsa in the dough to give fresh flavors of tomato, onions, and garlic in every bite! It has a cheesy, crispy crust and is fluffy and chewy on the inside. The perfect summer bread recipe that requires minimal effort and has all the fresh flavors of summer you crave. 

What is focaccia bread?

Focaccia can be described as a type of Italian flatbread and it is made similar to how pizza dough is made. The bread is made in a flat pan, usually something like a 9×13 dish or 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. Focaccia can either be made plain, with my Easy Sourdough Focaccia recipe or with different toppings. Some popular toppings include fresh rosemary or thyme, olives, or even vegetables such as onions or zucchini. 

You can find many different focaccia flavors on my blog, a few of my favorites include Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia, Sticky Pecan Sourdough Focaccia, Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia with Pickle Juice, and Hawaiian Roll Sourdough Focaccia.

Making focaccia is actually my favorite way to bake over-proofed sourdough bread! If you find that your sourdough bread dough is sticky, hard to work with, and over-proofed, you can easily turn it into sourdough focaccia by adding it to a 9×13 pan, flatting it out, and adding olive oil! 

Toppings for focaccia bread

The great thing about focaccia is that the variations and flavors are endless! This salsa version already has a ton of flavor from adding the salsa to the dough, so if you want to keep it simple without any topping, you will still get a flavorful bread!  

However, I highly recommend adding a sprinkle of cheese on top and pickled red onions. The pickled red onions are tangy and sweet, and add the perfect amount of zing to the focaccia! You do have to take the extra step in making the pickled red onions, but it is so easy to do! Here is the recipe I use to make the pickled red onions!

If you like a little extra spice, you can also add jalapeños to the dough during the stretch and folds, or add slices on top of the dough as well. 

How to make a sourdough starter

A sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of water and flour full of wild yeast. It replaces commercial yeast in recipes to naturally leaven breads and baked goods. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make one with my easy sourdough starter recipe in as little as two weeks!

Once you have an active starter, which means that it consistently doubles in size and is nice and bubbly, you can use the starter to make recipes such as Artisan Sourdough Bread, Cinnamon Rolls, or Sourdough Bagels. 

Tools for this sourdough focaccia recipe

9×13 pan or round 12″ cast iron skillet– A 9×13 pan will result in a thinner pan whereas a cast-iron skillet will result in a thicker focaccia.

Kitchen Scale – When making sourdough bread, I always recommend weighing your ingredients on a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements. 

Tips for making Sourdough Salsa Focaccia 

• Use fresh salsa with a higher water content for this recipe. I used Jack’s Cantina salsa that you can get at Costco. Using too thick of a salsa may make it hard to mix and get the flour incorporated 
• 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 and use warm water when creating the dough.
• If you want to bake the next day, after the dough is placed in the pan cover it and place it in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature and get puffy before baking.

Ingredients for Sourdough Salsa Focaccia Bread

• Water – Tap water or filtered water, either one works!
• Salsa – I used Jack’s Cantina Salsa (you can get it from Costco) I recommend using a cantina salsa for this recipe that has a higher water content and runnier consistency. If the salsa is too thick you may have a harder time getting the dough to come together. 
• Garlic salt – I use garlic salt instead of regular salt to add extra flavor. 
• Sourdough starter – Use an active starter that is bubbly and doubled in size. 
• Bread flour – I prefer using bread flour when baking any type of sourdough bread.
• Olive Oil – Using olive oil gives the bread the signature focaccia flavor. 
• Optional toppings: pepper jack cheese, pickled red onions, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, coarse sea salt 

Instructions to make Sourdough Salsa Focaccia

To make the dough, mix the water, salsa, garlic salt, sourdough starter, and bread flour together in a large bowl until combined in a shaggy dough.

Then let the dough sit covered at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

Perform 1-2 sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side of the dough 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. Let the dough sit covered for 30 minutes and then repeat this process for the second set of stretch and folds. 

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 75℉, the first rise (including stretch and folds) will take about 5 hours total.

Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Dump the focaccia dough into the pan. For the second proof, let the dough rise for another hour or two until it is puffy and mostly fills the pan. 

Add ¼ cup olive oil to the top of the dough and then using the tips of your fingers press down into the dough stretching it to fill the pan and dimpling it, creating craters in the dough.

Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, pickled red onions, cherry tomatoes, coarse sea salt, and any other toppings of choice. 

Bake in a 425F degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown and baked through. If you use a cast iron pan the dough will be thicker and will need to bake for about 40 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack. Slice & enjoy!

How to store focaccia bread

You can store the bread in an airtight container or bread box for a couple days on the counter. If your house is very hot and humid you may want to store in the fridge to extend the shelf life. When you are ready to eat it again, you can warm it up in the microwave or for a crisp crust place it in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes at 350F. 

You can also freeze the focaccia by wrapping it in foil or adding it to a freezer-safe bag. It will stay good for up to two months. To enjoy it again, let it defrost and then you can add it to a 350-degree oven for a few minutes until it gets warm and the outside is crispy. 

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.