Sourdough Focaccia with Pesto and Mozzarella

This flavorful sourdough focaccia is made with a homemade sourdough starter and then topped with homemade pesto and mozzarella. It is a very simple beginner's recipe.

📝 Ingredients

• 250 g Bread flour (or half bread and half all-purpose )
• 70 g Sourdough starter, Levain (or discard)
• 170 ml Water
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 5 g Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup Pesto (I used homemade)
• 1/2 cup Cherry tomato halves
• 1/2 med Spanish onion (sliced)
• 100 g Mozarella (thinly sliced)
• 10 Basil leaves (fresh)
• 1 tbsp Sea salt (I used garlic sea salt)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Sourdough starter (levain) – If your sourdough starter is not active, you’ll need to feed it a few hours before making the bagels to ensure it’s active and bubbly.
2. 2Autolyze - In a large bowl, combine the water, levain/starter, olive oil, and flour. Combine well until no dry flour is visible. Cover the bowl and leave it on the counter for an hour.
3. 3Stretch & Fold - After an hour of resting, sprinkle the salt over the dough and knead the dough using a stretch and fold method for 2 minutes. Rest for 30 minutes, then stretch and fold one more time.
4. 4Bulk ferment - Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise in a warm place (24°C/74°F) on the counter for 5 hours or in the fridge overnight.
5. 5Shape - Transfer the dough to a 10-inch oiled or lined cast-iron skillet or 9 x 13-inch rectangle baking dish lined with parchment paper. Using the flat of your fingers, gently spread the dough in the pan.
6. 6Proof - Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Leave to rise on the counter until it doubles in volume for about 2 to 3 hours.
7. 7Oven - About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven at 425°F/220°C/ Gas Mark 7
8. 8Assemble - Once double in size, give it a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and create dimples/holes in the dough by poking your fingers into the dough. You can break the big bubbles but leave some to become crisp during baking.
9. 9Top - Spoon the pesto over the top of the focaccia. Then, dot the top with cherry tomato halves, sliced onions, and slices of mozzarella. Sprinkle some garlic sea salt.
10. 10Bake - Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. When baked, remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack at least 10 minutes before you cut. Garnish with more fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.