Sourdough Pita
Pockets that puff dramatically in a hot oven. Great for stuffing. Flatbreads are forgiving and quick, making them the perfect entry point for new sourdough bakers.
Focaccia is the recipe I make when I want to feel like a baker without committing to a 36-hour cold proof. Mix in the morning, bake at dinner. Pillowy crumb, blistered crust, ten minutes of work spread across a leisurely afternoon.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500g bread flour (00 flour for pizza)
- 375g water (75% hydration)
- 10g fine sea salt
- 100g active sourdough starter
- 30g extra-virgin olive oil
Finishing
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Flaky sea salt
- Toppings of your choice
Method
- 1
Mix
Combine flour, water, levain, salt, and olive oil. Mix until shaggy, then rest 30 minutes.
- 2
Bulk ferment with folds
Perform three sets of coil folds at 30-minute intervals over 3–4 hours, until the dough is airy and jiggly.
- 3
Pan and proof
Stretch into an oiled pan or shape on a peel. Rest 1–2 hours until soft and pillowy.
- 4
Top and bake
Dimple, drizzle generously with olive oil, top as desired, and bake at 475°F until golden, 18–22 minutes.
Sarah's Tips
- Don't degas during shaping — the bubbles are the point.
- Use a baking steel or stone for the closest-to-pizzeria results.
- Olive oil at the bottom of the pan creates that bakery-style crisp underside.
Substitutions
Not everything has to come from the recipe list. Here's what swaps cleanly and what to watch for when you make a change.
Any neutral oil works for the dough. For the pan and topping, use the best olive oil you have — that's what you'll taste.
00 flour (the Italian pizza flour) gives a more tender, airy result. Caputo Pizzeria is the standard.
Higher hydration (80%) → bigger, more open holes. Lower (70%) → tighter and easier to handle. Start at 75%.
What can go wrong
Every bake fails differently. Here are the three problems most likely to show up on this recipe — and how to recover.
Flat, dense focaccia
Did you degas during shaping? Don't. Transfer the bulk-fermented dough gently — preserve every bubble.
Soggy bottom
Olive oil at the bottom of the pan should pool slightly when you dimple. Bake on a low rack with the oven preheated to 475°F to crisp the underside.
Toppings burn before dough cooks
Add delicate toppings (fresh herbs, soft cheese) in the last 5 minutes. Sturdy toppings (potato, tomato) go on at the start.
Trouble with the starter itself? Read the troubleshooting library →
Variations to try
Once you've baked the base recipe a few times, these are the riffs worth chasing.
- Top with seasonal vegetables: thin-sliced potato and rosemary, cherry tomatoes and basil, grapes in late summer.
- Make a half-sheet focaccia for a thicker, more bread-like result. Use a quarter-sheet for crispier flatbreads.
- Brush with garlic-infused olive oil and finish with flaky salt and lemon zest right out of the oven.
Frequently asked
Do I need a pizza stone?
For pizza, yes — a stone or steel is the single biggest upgrade. For focaccia, a regular sheet pan works perfectly.
Why is my focaccia dense?
You probably degassed the dough during shaping. Spread it gently into the pan; preserve every bubble. The bubbles are the bread.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Sourdough flatbreads adapt better to gluten-free flours than enriched loaves do. Use a 1:1 GF blend with xanthan gum and expect a more cake-like texture.
Bake this with timers, scaling, and peak alerts.
Step-by-step timers that pause when you do. Dough-weight scaling rewrites every gram. Peak detection so you mix at the right moment. Log the bake when you're done.
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