Pesto Sourdough Focaccia
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.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Sourdough Focaccia
- 400 grams water 1 ¾ cups
- 70 grams basil pesto heaping ¼ cup
- 10 grams 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 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 337IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg
