Sourdough Cherry Tomato Focaccia
With blistered cherry tomatoes, golden roasted garlic, and fresh rosemary dimpling its surface, this Sourdough Focaccia is everything we love about baking with wild yeast in the summer. Whether you’re growing tomatoes in the garden or picking up the sweetest punnet from the market, this Cherry Tomato Focaccia is the ultimate way to showcase seasonal produce on soft, airy sourdough bread.
Equipment
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Stand Mixer Fitted with A Dough Hook Attachment
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Baking Tray (9x9in/ 23x23cm)
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Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Sourdough
- 260 g strong bread flour with at least 12% protein content
- 180 -200 ml water
- 110 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 5 g salt
- 25 ml olive oil
Topping
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- 4 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 100 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1-2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
DAY 1
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First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in volume. We typically feed our starter in a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part water: 1 part flour, and it doubles (or even triples) within 4 hours.
Fermentolyse and Mixing The Dough
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, water and active sourdough starter. Mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment for a few minutes on low speed, until the flour is hydrated. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to fermentolyse (a type of sourdough autolyse where sourdough starter is added too) for an hour.
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After an hour, scatter the salt on top of the dough. Drizzle the olive oil all over, and using your hands, squish the salt and oil into the dough, aiming to distribute it evenly.
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TIP: Don’t be tempted to just mix the oil in by running the stand mixer – the dough will split, separated by oil layers.
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Once incorporated, run your mixer on medium speed for 10-12 minutes, until you have a very smooth and elastic dough. It will be wet, but should start gathering around the dough hook attachment.
Coil Folds, Bulk Fermentation, Cold Retardation
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Scoop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl (we like to use a heavy shallow dish – it helps with coil folds later). Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
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Over the next 3 hours, at 30-minute intervals, perform a set of coil folds, using wet hands. See the coil folding video below.
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After all 6 sets of coil folds are completed, cover the dough and let it finish its bulk fermentation undisturbed for 1.5-3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
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Place the dough in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours (or simply overnight).
DAY 2:
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The next day, line a baking tray (approx 24x24cm) with parchment paper.
Roast Garlic
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).
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Separate garlic cloves, but keep them unpeeled.
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Cut the tip of each garlic clove off (this will allow you to squeeze the garlic pulp out after roasting).
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Place the prepared cloves of garlic on a double layered sheets of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly.
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Place the foil parcel in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
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Unwrap and leave the garlic to cool down slightly.
Second Rise
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Take the dough out of the fridge and very carefully transfer it into the prepared baking tray, trying not to deflate it too much. Stretch it out into the corners of the baking dish.
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Cover it again and leave it in a warm spot to proof for another 1-2 hours. It will increase in volume, puff up and have very noticeable blisters across the surface.
Topping and Baking
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
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Squeeze the soft garlic pulp out of the skins into a bowl and discard the peels.
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Oil your fingers, and, taking a little bit of garlic at a time, dimple the garlic into the dough all over.
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Arrange halved cherry tomatoes, cut side up, on top, pressing them right into the dimples.
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Drizzle the top with extra olive oil and sprinkle the top with fresh rosemary and sea salt flakes.
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Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes. Cool it for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 328mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg