Small-Batch Sourdough Discard Focaccia

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Easy small-batch sourdough discard focaccia with a soft, airy crumb and rich olive oil flavor. Perfect for dipping, sandwiches, or serving alongside soups.

Close-up of airy crumb inside sourdough discard focaccia

This small-batch sourdough discard focaccia is soft, airy, and rich with olive oil, making it an easy way to use up leftover sourdough discard without baking a large loaf. It’s made for home cooks who want a simple, approachable focaccia that fits everyday meals. Serve it warm for dipping, alongside soup or pasta, or slice it into thicker pieces for easy sandwiches.

Why You'll Love This Focaccia

A great way to use sourdough discard. It turns unfed discard into a soft, flavorful focaccia without complicated steps.
Small-batch and practical. Perfect when you don’t want a huge tray of bread sitting around.
Soft, airy, and olive-oil rich. The crumb stays light while the edges bake up golden and crisp.
Easy to fit into everyday meals. Great for dipping, serving with soup or pasta, or slicing for sandwiches.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for sourdough discard focaccia including flour, discard, olive oil, yeast, and salt

Sourdough discard: Unfed discard adds flavor and helps create a soft, airy crumb.
Water: Hydrates the dough and keeps it light and airy.
Instant yeast: Helps ensure a reliable rise, especially with discard.
Bread flour: Provides structure and chew for classic focaccia texture.
Salt: Enhances flavor and balances the richness of the olive oil.
Fresh rosemary (optional): Adds a subtle, aromatic flavor on top.
Extra-virgin olive oil: Keeps the focaccia tender inside and crisp around the edges.
Flaky salt: Sprinkled on top for texture and a finishing touch.

How to Make Sourdough Discard Focaccia

Sourdough discard mixed with water in a glass bowl to start focaccia dough — Dissolve the discard in water

Sticky sourdough discard focaccia dough after mixing flour, yeast, and salt — Dissolve the discard in water

Mix the dough: In a large bowl, mix the sourdough discard and water until combined. Add the yeast, bread flour, and salt, then mix until a sticky, shaggy dough forms. This is a high-hydration dough, so stickiness is normal. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
First stretch and fold: With wet hands, perform a set of stretch-and-folds directly in the bowl. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
*If you’re new to stretch-and-folds, I walk through the technique step by step in my sourdough discard bread post, including what it looks like and why it works.
Second stretch and fold: Repeat another set of stretch-and-folds using wet hands. Cover and let the dough rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on room temperature.
Prepare the pan: Generously coat a 7.5 × 11.5-inch pan with olive oil. A 9 × 9-inch pan also works. Make sure the corners and sides are well coated.
Pan the dough: Transfer the dough to the pan and gently stretch it toward the edges. It does not need to fully cover the pan yet.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
Dimple and top: Drizzle olive oil over the dough, then use oiled fingers to deeply dimple the surface. Sprinkle with flaky salt and rosemary, if using.
Bake: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 18 minutes, until deeply golden on top with crisp edges.
Cool and serve: Let cool slightly, then remove from the pan. Cut and serve warm.

Golden sourdough discard focaccia with crisp edges and flaky salt

What to Serve It With

Soups: Butternut squash bisque (or the vegan version), orzo soup
Pasta and hearty mains: Miso mushroom pasta, chicken roulade
Sandwiches: Roasted eggplant sandwich with halloumi, air-fried grilled veggie sandwich
Dipping and light pairings: Easy tomato garlic dipping oil, fried goat cheese salad

Troubleshooting and Tips

Why is this focaccia dough so sticky?

This is a high-hydration dough, which helps create a soft, airy crumb. Stickiness is normal. Wetting your hands during stretch-and-folds makes the dough much easier to handle.

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?

Yes. If using active dry yeast, bloom it in the water first before adding the remaining ingredients.

How much sourdough discard should I use?

I’ve successfully made this focaccia using anywhere from 60 g to 120 g of unfed sourdough discard. This recipe is meant to be flexible depending on how much discard you have. The focaccia shown in the photos was made using 100 g of discard.

Small-batch sourdough discard focaccia cut into squares for dipping and sharing

More Small-Batch Sourdough Recipes

Easy Sourdough Discard Bread (small loaf): The foundational small loaf where I walk through folding, shaping, and scoring step by step.
Sourdough Olive Bread for Two: A savory small loaf with briny olives, using the same small-batch method.
Small-Batch Cranberry Walnut Sourdough: A cozy small loaf with tart cranberries and toasted walnuts, built on the same base dough.

This focaccia is an easy, flexible way to use sourdough discard while keeping baking small and manageable. I hope it becomes a recipe you come back to whenever you want something soft, flavorful, and just right for two.

Small-Batch Sourdough Discard Focaccia

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This easy small-batch sourdough discard focaccia is soft, airy, and rich with olive oil. Perfect for dipping, sharing, or making sandwiches at home.

Author: George
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Rise Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8 pieces 1x
Category: Bread
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

60–120 g sourdough discard (unfed)
240 g water, room temperature
1 tsp instant yeast
300 g bread flour
6 g salt (about 1–1¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
1–2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced (optional)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Flaky salt, for topping

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Instructions

Mix the dough
In a large bowl, mix the sourdough discard and water until mostly smooth. Sprinkle in the yeast, then add the flour and salt. Mix until a sticky, shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
First stretch and fold
With wet hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat 3–4 times until the dough tightens slightly. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Second stretch and fold
Repeat another set of stretch-and-folds. Cover and let the dough rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on room temperature.
Prepare the pan
Generously coat a 7.5 × 11.5-inch pan (or 9×9-inch pan) with about 1½ tablespoons olive oil, making sure the corners and sides are well coated.
Pan the dough
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Gently stretch it toward the edges. It does not need to fully fill the pan yet (it will spread as it rises).
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
Dimple and top
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough. Using oiled fingers, deeply dimple the surface. Sprinkle with flaky salt and rosemary, if using.
Bake
Bake for 20–25 minutes, checking at 18 minutes, until the focaccia is deeply golden with crisp edges.
Cool and serve
Let cool slightly, then remove from the pan. Cut into pieces and serve warm.

Notes

This is a high-hydration dough, so stickiness is expected. Wet hands make stretch-and-folds much easier.
You can use anywhere from 60 g to 120 g of sourdough discard. This recipe is designed to be flexible depending on how much discard you have. The focaccia shown here was made with 100 g discard.
Instant yeast works best, but active dry yeast can be used. Bloom it in the water first before adding the remaining ingredients.
Bread flour gives the focaccia more chew, but all-purpose flour works well if that’s what you have.
Baking times may vary slightly by oven. Look for a deeply golden top rather than relying on time alone.