Name: Easy Overnight Sourdough Discard Focaccia Bread
Prep time: 8 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 1/4 tsp (7g) active dry yeast; 1 2/3 cups (394g) water; 1/2 cup (120g) sourdough starter discard; 1 Tbs (21 g) honey; 4 cups (500g) all-purpose or bread flour (see note); 1 1/2 tsp (9g) fine salt; 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil, for coating the pan

This easy recipe for Overnight Sourdough Discard Focaccia Bread practically makes itself and is the lowest maintenance bread recipe ever.

Make your own chewy, fluffy, flavorful focaccia bread perfect for dipping in flavored oil and balsamic vinegar or sliced in half for sandwich bread. It also makes outstanding pizza dough!

overhead view of a cutting board with sliced sourdough focaccia bread

Since this recipe involves sourdough, if you're brand new to your sourdough journey and need an orientation to using an active sourdough starter and discard, check out this Sourdough 101 guide.

Why I Developed This Recipe

Perhaps this is a niche case. It was 7pm on a Saturday night and I was hosting lunch at my house the next day. I got the idea to make focaccia sandwiches with homemade sourdough focaccia. Problem was that I hadn't prepared my sourdough starter earlier in the day.

I typically keep my active starter in the refrigerator and then take it out and feed it when I want to make bread. But, bringing it back to its peak to then proceed with making focaccia bread would have required six hours of waiting.

I love sourdough, but I don't let it affect my sleep.

So, instead, I followed my standard sourdough focaccia recipe using sourdough discard and just added active dry yeast to serve as the leavening agent so I could mix up the dough and be ready to bake by the next morning, while still getting a full night of sleep.

closeup view of sourdough discard focaccia fresh from the oven with rosemary and salt on top

What is Cold Proofing?

Allowing the dough to rise is an important part of breads like focaccia. Cold proofing is where you let the dough rise (aka "proof") in the refrigerator over an extended period of time.

I love cold proofing because it allows you a much more flexible schedule for baking. No need to plan your day around your bread. It's ready when you are!

Because the yeast is slower acting in colder environments the rising action happens slower. This results in slower fermentation which enhances the flavor and texture of the dough. It often results in a better crumb structure and crust.

For this recipe, you cold proof the dough after the first mixing for at least 8 hours but up to 48 hours.

How to Make Overnight Focaccia Bread

Step 1: Bloom the Yeast

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine dry active yeast with warm water that's 100F to 110F and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast foams up on top. That's called "blooming" and indicates that your yeast is active and ready to go.

Step 2: Form the Dough

Add the sourdough starter discard, honey, all purpose flour or bread flour and salt to your water and yeast and mix it all together until a shaggy dough forms. You can do this by hand with a spatula or bread whisk or on a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. No need to make it smooth or do excessive kneading.

sourdough dough after first mix — focaccia dough after first mixing

bowl of sourdough dough covered — focaccia dough after first mixing

Step 3: Overnight Cold Proofing (First Rise)

Cover the bowl with the dough loosely with plastic wrap, towel or some sort of loose fitting lid. I love my bowl cover I got from Wild Clementine Co. Then stick it in the fridge for at least 8 hours. But feel free to leave it in there up to 24 hours. As it sits the dough just gets more bubbly and happy. However, going longer than 48 hours and you're starting to run the risk of the yeast loosing it oomph. It will be super jiggly and bubbly on top which means it's ready.

Step 4: Fold the Dough

The next day, once you're ready to bake the bread, pull it out of the fridge and complete one set of coil folds to help develop the gluten bonds before the second rise.

I use a silicone dough scraper to pull the dough away from the sides of the bowl. Then using slightly wet hands, gently slide your hands under the dough, so your fingers are underneath and your thumbs are on top. Lift the dough from the middle, allowing it to stretch and elongate naturally. While holding the dough in the air, tuck the ends under itself, forming a coil as you gently lay the dough back into the bowl.

The dough will now have a bit more structure and will appear slightly tighter. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process, equalling two coil folds in total. This ensures the dough is evenly folded from all sides.

bowl with sourdough focaccia dough after rising 12 hours — dough after rising overnight

pulling the dough out of the bowl — dough after rising overnight

Step 5: Put it in the Pan (Second Rise)

Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in a 9 x 13 baking pan or grease it with butter. Then place your dough into the center of the pan for its second rise. I like to cover it with plastic wrap and then let it sit for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature until it has filled the pan and is visibly nice and bubbly.

a greased 9 x 13 pan with the dough ready for second rise — in a greased pan before its second rise

dough in the pan after the second rise — in a greased pan before its second rise

Step 6: Dimple It

About 30 minutes prior to baking, turn the oven on and preheat it to 425F. When your focaccia is ready to bake, drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil on the top and then using damp fingers, press them into the dough to create dimples all over. Sprinkle flaky salt, fresh rosemary, parmesan cheese or other seasonings as desired across the top of your bread.

sourdough discard focaccia bread dough in the pan drizzled with olive oil — drizzle with oil

dimpling focaccia bread — drizzle with oil

Step 7: Bake It!

Bake your focaccia bread for 10 minutes at 425F, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the bread it golden brown on top. If you're using an instant read thermometer, the bread is done when it registers 195F to 205F degrees.

focaccia bread before being baked with fresh rosemary and salt on top — Before going into the oven

sourdough discard focaccia bread fresh out of the oven and golden brown on top — Before going into the oven

Why Do You Dimple Focaccia Bread?

Dimpling helps create the characteristic airy, open crumb of focaccia by preventing the dough from rising too quickly and evenly during baking. This allows for pockets of air to form, giving the bread its light and fluffy texture.

The dimples also act as little wells to hold any toppings or seasonings you add, such as olive oil, herbs, or salt. This ensures that the flavors are evenly distributed across the bread and that the toppings don't just sit on the surface.

The dimples help the focaccia bake more evenly by distributing heat throughout the dough, which can prevent large bubbles from forming and ensure a uniform bake.

closeup view of the interior of a focaccia bread slice

two slices of sourdough discard focaccia stacked on eachother with other slices around

How to Store Sourdough Discard Focaccia Bread

Hot tip! Don't refrigerate it. I refrigerated my bread for years thinking that it helped keep it fresher longer.

Turns out refrigerating pulls the moisture out of the bread which actually causes it to go stale faster. I keep it in an airtight container in my pantry for up to three days for the best results.

After three days, if there's still some left, I'll toast it which improves the texture. Though admittedly it goes fast so I don't end up storing it for long anyway.

What to Serve with Sourdough Discard Focaccia Bread

Make sliders with my Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
On the side with my family's famous Caesar Salad Recipe
An accompaniment to the equally easy Slow Cooker Angel Chicken Pasta