This focaccia is a great introduction to working with high hydration doughs. At 85% hydration, the dough will feel wetter and stickier than you might be used to. It won’t hold its shape like a lower hydration dough—it spreads out more than it puffs up—but don’t worry, that’s normal. Focaccia is wonderfully forgiving, which makes it a perfect practice bake for getting comfortable with handling high hydration doughs. Even if it doesn’t look like it’s rising, trust the process. It is fermenting.
To figure out hydration, we use baker’s percentages: total water divided by total flour.
$$\text{Hydration %} = \frac{410\,\text{g water} + 42.5\,\text{g water in levain}}{350\,\text{g bread flour} + 70\,\text{g einkorn} + 70\,\text{g spelt} + 42.5\,\text{g flour in levain}} \times 100
= \frac{452.5}{532.5} \times 100 \approx 85\%$$
That gives us 85% hydration. As a side note, when you always feed your sourdough starter equal parts water and flour, that’s what we call 100% hydration—another baker’s percentage!
I recommend giving your starter a strong feed at a 1:5:5 ratio—10g starter, 50g flour, 50g water. You can use all bread flour, but I like to mix in a bit of whole grain—rye, spelt, or even einkorn—for extra flavor and a happier culture.
Rosemary Focaccia
Equipment
- 1 bowl or tub
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 dough whisk or your hand!
Ingredients
- 85 g levain (sourdough starter) fed at 100% hydration
- 410 g water filtered
- 350 g bread flour
- 70 g einkorn flour all purpose
- 70 g spelt flour
- 13 g sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 1 tsp flaky salt for finishing
Instructions
- In a large bowl or tub, mix levain and all but 20 g (390 g) of water until just combined.
- Add in all of the flour and mix until there are no dry spots.
- Cover and let rest (autolyse – or as I like to call it, fermentolyse, since we’ve included the levain) for 60 minutes.
- Sprinkle salt and the remaining water evenly over the dough and dimple it in with wet hands. Knead it in the tub or bowl to evenly incorporate the salt. Rest 25 minutes.
- Perform a set of stretch & folds. Then lightly wet your counter and do a few slap and folds to build strength. Rest 25 minutes. Repeat this process 3 times in total.
- Let the dough rest at room temperature for 3–4 hours, covered.
- Transfer the dough to the fridge and ferment overnight, or for 12–18 hours.
- Oil a cast iron skillet.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly wet counter. Using a dough scraper, gently shape into a loose ball and transfer into the skillet. Lightly coat the top with oil and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let it rest at room temp until it spreads to fill the pan—about 4 hours.
- Drizzle with olive oil and dimple deeply with your fingers.
- Toss fresh rosemary in a little oil and scatter over the top. Finish with flaky salt.
- Let the dough rest uncovered for 1 hour while the oven preheats to 430°F.
- Bake on the bottom rack for 25 minutes.
- Move to the top rack and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden and crisp on top.
- Cool slightly, slice, and enjoy warm and crispy!
Timing It Right
The overnight rest in the fridge is what develops that deep, tangy sourdough flavor that sets this focaccia apart. The long, cold fermentation is worth the wait.
Here are two ways to time the recipe based on when you’re home:
☀️ Daytime schedule:
Feed your starter the night before. By morning, it should be active and bubbly—perfect for mixing the dough. Do your stretch and folds over a 3-hour period, then let it finish bulk fermenting during the day. In the evening, place the dough in the fridge for its overnight rest. The next day, shape and proof it during the day, and bake in time for dinner.
🌙 Evening schedule:
Feed your starter in the morning so it’s ready to use by evening. Mix the dough and do your stretch and folds over 3 hours that night. Let the dough rest at room temperature until bedtime (it’s ok if it didn’t rest the full 3-4 more hours), then move it to the fridge. In the morning, transfer the dough to a cast iron pan or baking tray, and leave it to proof on the counter while you’re out. It’ll be ready to top and bake by dinner.
This was so delicious. And your recipe was very easy to follow. Thank you. Excited to try your other recipes.