Cheesy Sourdough Focaccia

5 from 6 votes

This Cheesy Sourdough Focaccia has a cheesy, crispy crust with a soft and chewy texture on the inside. Extra cheesy garlicy flavor in every bite.

Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Rise Time7

Total Time7 43

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

400 grams water 1 ¾ cups
10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
150 grams active sourdough starter ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons
500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups
60 grams garlic oil, divided 4 tablespoons
150 grams shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, cheddar, and colby jack) 1 ⅓ cup
10 grams minced garlic 1 Tablespoon

Topping:

225 grams shredded cheese 2 cups

Instructions

In a bowl or straight edge container, mix together the water, active and bubbly sourdough starter, 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, 10 grams 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. During the first stretch and fold add 150 grams of freshly shredded cheeses to the dough along with minced garlic. 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.
150 grams shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, cheddar, and colby jack), 10 grams minced garlic
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 12″ cast iron pan with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of garlic 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 2 hours.
60 grams garlic oil, divided
Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread 2 Tablespoons of garlic oil on top of the dough. Dimple the dough with your fingers bake at 425 F for 28 minutes. Pull the focaccia out of the oven at 20 minutes and sprinkle an additional 2 cups of cheese on top, depending on how cheesy you want it. Bake for a total of the remainder 8 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. The temperature of the dough should read between 195F-210F.
225 grams shredded cheese
Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm!

Notes

You can substitute garlic oil for olive oil.
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″ or cast iron 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%.

Nutrition