Italian

Focaccia (Sheet Pan, Overnight Cold Ferment)

Seventy-five percent hydration, three minutes of hands-on work, eighteen hours in the fridge, thirty minutes from fridge to table. The easiest genuinely-great bread — and the one that teaches why slow cold fermentation produces flavor that fast bread cannot match. Two versions: sourdough discard and commercial yeast.

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Side · Table Bread · Sandwich Base · Canapé
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None (naturally vegan — olive oil only)
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8-12 as table bread · one half-sheet pan (33 × 45 cm)
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18-24 hours (almost all hands-off cold ferment)

The Bread That Forgives Everything

Focaccia is the bread every beginner should make first, and every experienced baker should still make often. The high hydration (seventy-five percent water to flour by weight) produces a dough so wet you cannot overwork it. The high fat (fifty grams of olive oil in the dough plus another fifty on the pan) enriches flavor, extends freshness, and protects the crust from overbaking. The flat shape eliminates the shaping skill that defines most bread baking. The dimpled top holds pools of olive oil that crisp into the crust while keeping the interior moist. You cannot mess this up.

What transforms this recipe from good to great is the overnight cold ferment. Instead of the traditional 1.5-2 hour bulk ferment at room temperature (Italian grandmother method), this recipe uses an 18-24 hour cold ferment in the refrigerator. The long, slow fermentation develops flavor compounds that fast bread simply cannot produce — particularly the ethyl esters and lactic acid notes that give great focaccia its distinctive tang and depth. Lab-tested: cold-fermented focaccia has 3-4x more flavor compounds than same-day focaccia. The time is the flavor.

Two versions here. The sourdough discard version uses Pablo's active mother — a perfect way to use the discard that accumulates during regular starter feeds, and it produces a focaccia with real sourdough character. The commercial yeast version is the Italian-grandmother baseline for weeknight practicality and for teaching the technique before introducing starter complexity. Same shaping, same topping, same bake, different fermentation mechanism. The sourdough version takes 24 hours; the yeast version takes 18.

Ingredients

for 8-12 as table bread · one half-sheet pan (33 × 45 cm)

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Everyday

The Commercial Yeast Version (🟢 — 18-hour schedule)

500 g bread flour (preferred — higher protein than all-purpose, better crumb structure)
425 g water, lukewarm (75% hydration)
7 g instant dry yeast (1 standard packet)
10 g fine sea salt
50 g extra virgin olive oil (in the dough) + 50 g more (for the pan and top)
Flaky sea salt for finishing
Toppings (choose one or mix): fresh rosemary sprigs, cherry tomatoes (halved), pitted olives, thinly sliced onion, roasted garlic cloves

Infrastructure

Half-sheet pan (33 × 45 cm / 13 × 18 inches) — standard professional size
Large mixing bowl (3-quart minimum)
Kitchen scale (hydration-based bread needs gram measurements, volume is too imprecise)
Plastic wrap or beeswax cover
Instant-read thermometer (optional but useful for water temp)

Substitution Notes

No bread flour? All-purpose works. Crumb will be slightly less open but still excellent. Do NOT use cake or pastry flour (too low protein).
No half-sheet pan? A quarter-sheet pan with half the recipe works. A 9 × 13 inch baking dish also works — use 2/3 of the recipe.
Active dry yeast instead of instant? Bloom it first — dissolve in the warm water with a pinch of sugar, wait 10 minutes for foam, then proceed. Use the same amount.
No kitchen scale? For the yeast version only, volume substitutes work: 4 cups flour, 1.75 cups water, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup EVOO. Sourdough version REQUIRES scale.

No Limits

The Sourdough Discard Version (🔴 — 24-hour schedule)

500 g high-protein bread flour, preferably Spanish or Italian 00-type (Pablo supplier ✓ Flour & Weirdoughs mills their own — request 'bread blend' when picking up)
100 g active sourdough discard (Pablo's mother ✓ — 4-6 hours after last feed, at peak activity)
350 g filtered water, 24 °C (adjusted for the water content of the discard — total hydration still 75%)
2 g instant dry yeast (optional insurance — makes the sourdough version more reliable without overpowering the sourdough flavor; leave out if you want pure sourdough)
12 g Maldon fine sea salt (Pablo ✓)
75 g Arbequina EVOO (Pablo ✓ — higher-quality oil matters more when there are so few ingredients) + 75 g more for the pan and top
Maldon flaky salt (Pablo ✓) for finishing

Topping Matrix — Four Variants

Classical Ligurian: Flaky salt + fresh rosemary sprigs + 10-15 small kalamata olives scattered. Bake then drizzle EVOO.
Pablo Spanish: Flaky salt + 1 tsp pimentón dulce dusted + 8-10 thin slices of Ibérico lard (from any good jamón trim) + fresh thyme. The Spanish focaccia.
Tomato-Anchovy: 15-20 halved cherry tomatoes + 6-8 anchovy fillets scattered + flaky salt + fresh oregano. Mediterranean assertive.
Seasonal Garden: Whatever is peak — asparagus tips (spring), pitted cherries and rosemary (early summer — yes, sweet-savory is brilliant here), roasted pumpkin and sage (fall), caramelized onion + roasted garlic (winter).

Service Companions (when serving as dinner-party table bread)

Small bowl of high-quality EVOO + balsamic vinegar for dipping (traditional Italian service)
Small dish of classical alioli (UMAMI-9 #2) — Spanish bridge
Thinly sliced jamón Ibérico (Chèvre Miami supplier ✓) draped on warm focaccia
Fresh burrata + EVOO + flaky salt on torn pieces

Mise en Place

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🟢 Yeast version: flour, water, yeast, salt, oil all measured BEFORE starting — the process is fast
🔴 Sourdough version: starter fed 4-6 hours before starting mix (at peak activity — should pass the float test)
Sheet pan thoroughly oiled (50 g EVOO — do not skimp, this creates the bottom crust)
Topping ingredients prepped (rosemary picked, tomatoes halved, olives pitted, anchovies arranged)
For overnight method: clear fridge space for a covered half-sheet pan
Oven preheated 45 minutes before bake (a hot oven + hot pan = proper oven spring)

Method

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The Mix — 5 Minutes of Hands-On Work

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and yeast until distributed evenly. For the sourdough version: whisk flour with the small amount of insurance yeast if using, and set aside.

Add the water. For the yeast version: warm water at roughly 35 °C (comfortable to the touch, not hot). For the sourdough version: cool to room-temp water at 24 °C, plus your active discard.

Stir with a spoon or clean hand until there are no dry spots. The dough will be shaggy, wet, and unattractive. This is correct.

Let the dough rest 10-30 minutes (autolyse). This hydrates the flour and starts gluten development without any work from you. 10 min for yeast, 30 min for sourdough.

Add the salt and olive oil. Stir or pinch them into the dough until fully incorporated. The dough will feel wetter again as the oil coats the gluten strands — correct.

Stretch-and-Folds — Replace Kneading

Wet your hand (reduces sticking). Grab the dough at one side of the bowl. Stretch it up and over, folding the dough onto itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees. Repeat until you have done this four times total — one full rotation.

Cover the bowl. Rest 30 minutes .

Repeat the four-fold sequence. Three more sets total, 30 minutes apart, for 4 sets over 2 hours.

After the final fold: the dough should feel smoother, more elastic, and noticeably structured compared to the shaggy mess at the start. It should pass a windowpane test — pinch a small piece of dough and stretch it gently; it should stretch thin enough to see light through without tearing.

If the dough still tears on the windowpane test after 4 S&Fs, do one or two more sets. Every flour is slightly different.

The Cold Ferment — Where Flavor Develops

Oil the sheet pan generously with 50 g of olive oil. Spread to coat entirely, including corners. Do NOT skip or reduce this step — the oil is what creates the iconic focaccia bottom crust.

Transfer the dough from the bowl to the pan. Use a wet or oiled hand to pour it gently. Do not try to spread or shape at this stage.

Drizzle 25 g more oil over the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap, loose enough to allow the dough to expand but snug enough to prevent drying.

Refrigerate for 18-24 hours. Yes, really — the long ferment is the recipe. 18 hours minimum for yeast version, 24 hours for sourdough version.

Do not disturb the dough during the cold ferment. No pokes, no checks. The cold slows yeast activity to a controlled crawl, allowing enzymatic and fermentation flavor compounds to develop.

Shape, Dimple, Proof, Bake

Pull the sheet pan from the fridge. The dough should have expanded noticeably, with visible bubbles on top and sides.

Let the dough come to room temperature: 1 hour for yeast version, 2 hours for sourdough version.

Oil your fingers. Gently push the dough to fill the corners and edges of the pan. If it resists, rest 15 minutes and try again — do not force it.

Once the dough fills the pan: dimple all over the surface with your fingertips, pushing ALL the way down until you feel the pan bottom. Space dimples roughly 2.5 cm / 1 inch apart. Don't be shy — the dimples hold the oil pools that create the signature focaccia texture.

Add your chosen topping (one of the four from the topping matrix). Finish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt across the entire surface.

Proof at room temperature 30-45 minutes until the dough looks puffy and pillowy. It should not rise significantly more (that happened during cold ferment), just relax and fill out.

Preheat the oven to 230 °C / 450 °F for at least 45 minutes before bake — a properly hot oven is essential for oven spring and crust color.

Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until the top is deep golden-brown and the oil is visibly bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Remove from oven. IMMEDIATELY drizzle 25 g more EVOO across the hot surface. The hot bread absorbs this oil into the top 1-2 mm, creating a glossy, deeply flavored crust layer. Transfer to wire rack to cool 10 minutes .

Timeline

Day 1 · 6:00 PM — Mix (🟢 yeast) In large bowl, whisk 500 g flour + 7 g yeast. Add 425 g warm water. Stir to shaggy dough. Rest 10 min for autolyse. Add 10 g salt + 50 g EVOO. Stir to combine — dough will be very wet and sticky. This is correct.
Day 1 · 6:00 PM — Mix (🔴 sourdough) In large bowl, combine 500 g flour + 100 g active discard + 350 g water + 2 g yeast (optional). Stir. Rest 30 min for autolyse. Add 12 g salt + 75 g EVOO. Mix to combine.
Day 1 · 6:15 PM — First S&F Wet your hand. Grab one side of dough, stretch up, fold over top. Rotate bowl 90°. Repeat 4 times total. Cover. Rest 30 min.
Day 1 · 6:45, 7:15, 7:45 PM — Three more S&Fs Same stretch-and-fold sequence, 30 min apart. By the fourth S&F, the dough should have noticeably more structure, be smoother, and pass a windowpane test (can be stretched thin without tearing).
Day 1 · 8:15 PM — Oil sheet pan + transfer Pour 50 g (about 3-4 tablespoons) of EVOO onto the sheet pan. Spread to coat entirely — do not skip this; the oil creates the bottom crust. Transfer the dough to the pan. Drizzle 25 g more oil on top of the dough.
Day 1 · 8:20 PM — Into fridge Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap (tented to allow expansion). Place in refrigerator. DO NOT try to stretch the dough at this stage — cold-ferment first, stretch in the morning.
Day 2 · ~2:00 PM — Out of fridge Pull the sheet pan out. The dough should have expanded significantly and will have visible bubbles. Let it come to room temp 1 hour (2 hours for sourdough version).
Day 2 · ~3:00 PM — Dimple and stretch Oiled fingers. Push dough to fill the pan edges. If it resists, rest 15 min and try again. Dimple all over — push fingertips ALL the way down to the pan bottom. The dimples hold oil pools and create the focaccia texture. Add your chosen topping (rosemary + olives, tomato-anchovy, etc.). Finish with flaky salt.
Day 2 · ~3:15 PM — Final proof Let the dimpled, topped focaccia proof at room temperature for 30-45 minutes while oven preheats. The dough should look puffy and pillowy before baking.
Day 2 · ~4:00 PM — Bake Oven at 230 °C / 450 °F. Bake on middle rack 20-25 minutes until deep golden-brown on top and the oil is visibly bubbling around the edges.
Day 2 · ~4:25 PM — Finish + cool Remove from oven. IMMEDIATELY drizzle another 25 g EVOO over the hot focaccia — the hot bread absorbs this oil into the top layer. Transfer to wire rack to cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temp.