Farm-to-Table Focaccia Using Sourdough Starter

I previously shared a Farm-to-Table Focaccia I made from Samin Nosrat’s recipe using dried yeast. This summer, I made focaccia with my own sourdough discard using my friend Melissa’s Sourdough Discard Focaccia recipe. Her recipe is a great option if you’d like to use sourdough discard instead of dried yeast!

I’ll also try Samin Nosrat’s recipe again soon subbing my own starter for the yeast. I’ve discovered that you can substitute sourdough discard for dried yeast in a recipe using this ratio: 100g of sourdough starter = a 5-7g packet of commercial yeast. So a 1/2 tsp of dried yeast weighs approximately 1.4g. (Time to use proportions - this is why we learned simple algebra, friends!)

When I tried Melissa’s Sourdough Discard Focaccia recipe, I got creative with our large-leaf Italian basil leaves and fresh red onions straight out of the ground. 😍 I couldn’t resist making flower patterns - flowers always, and always. Halved cherry tomatoes and dried basil and oregano from last year’s garden were sprinkled on top, along with a generous sprinkle of cracked black pepper and sea salt. It was absolutely delicious! My girls really loved the thinner focaccia made on this cookie sheet, but next time I’ll also try making it in a cast iron skillet so it’s thicker.

For all things sourdough, check out this post and podcast episode where I share the method and recipe I use for feeding sourdough, using the discard, and making bread.