This focaccia sandwich loaf features a golden-brown crust, lightly crisp on the outside while revealing a soft, airy interior that’s perfect for holding fillings without falling apart. It’s all the flavor and fun of focaccia, with the convenience of being in a sandwich loaf.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Focaccia Sandwich Bread
Imagine a rustic, but elegant bread that seamlessly blends the flavors of a traditional focaccia into the convenience of a sandwich loaf. Inside, the texture is chewy, with pockets that make it ideal for absorbing the flavors of your favorite sandwich fillings. Whether filled with layers of meats, cheeses, roasted vegetables, or fresh greens, this focaccia sandwich loaf elevates the humble sandwich experience.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Starter – Previously fed, bubbly and active sourdough starter.
Water – Filtered water is always best.
Flour – I use Kirkland’s organic, unbleached all-purpose flour for most of my recipes, and while organic isn’t always necessary, I always recommend using unbleached flour.
Olive Oil – Good quality olive oil goes a long way with the flavors of focaccia.
Salt – whatever salt you have on hand will be fine, but using coarse sea salt for the top of the focaccia brings better texture and flavor.
Dried Herbs – use your favorite dried herbs!
👩🍳 How to Make Focaccia Sandwich Bread
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your bubbly starter, water, and olive oil until the starter has dissolved. Add the flour and salt and mix together until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest for 1 hour.
- After resting, perform your first set of stretch and folds by lifting one side of the dough up and towards the middle, rotating the bowl each time until a semi – smooth dough forms.
- do 2 – 3 more stretch and folds 30 minutes to 1 hour apart.
- Cover with a damp tea towel or bowl cover and let rest on the counter overnight for 12 – 14 hours.
- In the morning, transfer your dough into a well-oiled loaf pan. gently flip the dough for the surface is covered in oil. Cover and let rest for 1 -2 hours until it has puffed up.
- Season the top of your dough with the dried herbs, lightly oil your fingers and dimple the entire surface of the dough to create little bubbles.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serve as your favorite sandwich bread!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Focaccia bread is essentially “overproofed” dough, so making sure it ferments the entire 12 hours is very important. Don’t be scared to push fermentation on these.
- Good quality olive oil does wonders for the elegant flavors of focaccia bread.
- Oil your sandwich loaf pan really well to make sure the bread doesn’t sitck to the sides.
- Every oven is different, this takes a little longer than traditional focaccia to bake because of its height. So, keep an eye on the bread at the 30-minute mark to make sure the top is golden and crispy, but that the inside is cooked through.
🗒 Variations
I love focaccia because the versatility of it. There are so many ways to incorporate your favorite flavors, and I’m excited to more experimenting with the focaccia sandwich loaf! But, in the meantime, enjoy some of these fun focaccia variations that I have come up with!
🗒 Substitutions
Perfect for picnics, lunchboxes, or casual gatherings, this focaccia sandwich loaf is a versatile delight that will become a staple in your kitchen. But because of the simplicity of the dough, there aren’t a ton of substitutions to make outside of choosing your favorite olive oil and herbs.
- High quality olive oil.
- Favorite dried herbs.
🗒 Best served with
- Picnic lunches.
- Dinner sides.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Cool Completely: Allow the focaccia bread to cool completely on a wire rack after baking. This prevents moisture from condensing in the storage container.
Wrap: Once cooled, wrap the focaccia tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This will help keep it from drying out.
Storage: Place the wrapped focaccia in a bread box or an airtight container at room temperature for 1 – 3 days. Avoid storing it in the refrigerator, as this can cause the bread to dry out more quickly.
FREEZING: For longer storage, you can freeze focaccia.
Wrap: Slice the focaccia into individual portions or leave it whole. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. This double wrapping helps prevent freezer burn.
🤔 Common Questions
This uses a little more sourdough starter than your average loaf, so feeding it a higher ratio both gives it enough time to rise during the day, but ensuring you have the quantity you need for this recipe.
Wrap: Slice the focaccia into individual portions or leave it whole. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. This double wrapping helps prevent freezer burn.
Label: Tag the package with the date so you can keep track of how long it’s been in the freezer.
Thawing: When ready to use, remove the focaccia from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours. For a freshly-baked feel, you can reheat it in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Focaccia Sandwich Loaf
Equipment
- food scale
Ingredients
- 100 grams bubbly, active sourdough starter
- 360 grams filtered water
- 550 grams all-purpose flour
- 25 grams olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 10 grams salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your bubbly starter, water, and olive oil until the starter has dissolved. Add the flour and salt and mix together until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest for 1 hour.
- After resting, perform your first set of stretch and folds by lifting one side of the dough up and towards the middle, rotating the bowl each time until a semi – smooth dough forms.
- do 2 – 3 more stretch and folds 30 minutes to 1 hour apart.
- Cover with a damp tea towel or bowl cover and let rest on the counter overnight for 12 – 14 hours.
- In the morning, transfer your dough into a well-oiled loaf pan. gently flip the dough for the surface is covered in oil. Cover and let rest for 1 -2 hours until it has puffed up.
- Season the top of your dough with the dried herbs, lightly oil your fingers and dimple the entire surface of the dough to create little bubbles.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serve as your favorite sandwich bread!
I doubled this recipe and made two loaves. It fermented quickly and second rise overflowed the pan(expected as I left it longer than I anticipated) but I punched it down, dimpled and basted the top with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Perfection. Thanks for sharing the recipes!
Is the dough supposed to be very sticky on the folds?
I suggest you wet your hands before each folding session. The dough will become more pliable each Stretch and fold.