Description
Sourdough blueberry lemon focaccia brings Mediterranean sunshine to your kitchen, dancing with tangy and sweet flavors. Rustic Italian-inspired bread celebrates summer’s bounty, promising a delightful slice of culinary adventure for bread enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup active sourdough starter (fed and bubbly)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Wet Ingredients and Sweeteners:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil (plus more for the pan)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Seasoning and Zest:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Craft a silky, elastic dough by blending sourdough starter with flour, warm water, sugar, salt, and olive oil in a spacious mixing vessel. Allow the mixture to meld and hydrate for half an hour beneath a moisture-laden cloth.
- Execute rhythmic stretch and fold techniques across 2 hours, performing 3-4 gentle manipulations. These deliberate movements encourage gluten development, yielding a pillowy, sophisticated texture.
- Permit the dough to undergo a transformative fermentation, expanding voluminously at ambient temperature for 4-6 hours. Alternatively, nestle the mixture in refrigeration for a prolonged, flavor-intensifying slumber.
- Lavishly anoint a rectangular baking vessel with olive oil. Tenderly transfer the dough, coaxing it into a uniform landscape that embraces every pan crevice. Allow gentle rising and relaxation for 1-2 hours.
- Orchestrate oven temperatures to a precise 425F, creating an ideal baking environment.
- Artfully dimple the dough’s surface with fingertips. Distribute blueberries across the terrain, gently embedding them. Whisk together lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice, and olive oil to create a fragrant elixir, then cascade this mixture atop the prepared canvas.
- Bake until the focaccia achieves a radiant golden complexion with crisp, caramelized edges, approximately 20-25 minutes.
- For an optional luxurious finale, construct a luminous lemon glaze by whisking powdered sugar with lemon juice and zest until achieving a silky, pourable consistency. Drizzle artfully over the cooled focaccia.
Notes
- Activate your sourdough starter at least 4-6 hours before mixing the dough to ensure maximum rising power and tangy flavor.
- Choose ripe, plump blueberries for the most intense burst of sweetness and a beautiful scattered appearance across the focaccia surface.
- Experiment with different olive oils to add subtle flavor variations, with extra virgin olive oil providing the most robust and fruity undertone.
- Create deeper dimples in the dough for capturing more of the lemon-sugar mixture, which enhances caramelization and adds extra texture to the final bake.
- Allow the focaccia to cool completely before slicing to maintain its delicate interior structure and prevent a gummy texture.
- Swap blueberries with seasonal fruits like raspberries or sliced peaches for a delightful summer twist on the classic recipe.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze individual slices for quick breakfast or snack options.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg