This Sourdough Strawberry Donut Focaccia is a mashup of two all-time favorites: focaccia and glazed strawberry donuts. It has the soft dough texture (and bubbles!) of a focaccia, with a sweet strawberry jam topping and a drizzle of icing. It's a delicious same-day recipe that is perfect as a sweet treat or dessert, especially with fresh strawberries!
Why you'll love this recipe
- The mashup of this recipe is a fun combination that everyone will love! Looking for other fun recipe mashups? Try this Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia.
- This recipe is made with sourdough discard, but you could also modify to make with active sourdough starter, if you prefer.
- This is an easy, same-day recipe that is perfect as an afternoon sweet treat or a dessert.
- Looking for other sweet treats? Try these Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites and this Sourdough Discard Strawberry Cake, too.
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Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring this Sourdough Strawberry Donut Focaccia together.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Fresh strawberries: I recommend making the strawberry jam topping with fresh strawberries, but frozen berries will work, too. If using frozen berries, you may need to let them simmer a bit longer to get to a jammy texture.
- In a strawberry mood? Try this Sourdough Discard Strawberry Galette and these Sourdough Discard Strawberry Bagels.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter, you can! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You will also need to increase the rise times.
- Use a different fruit - Want to try this with a different fruit jam? Try blueberries, blackberries, or a mixture of berries for a different flavor! You'll still want to use 1 ½ lbs. of fresh (or frozen) fruit.
- You might like this Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia, too!
How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Donut Focaccia
There are only a few key steps to bring this recipe together. The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Mix together the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. This will be a very shaggy dough! Transfer to a large, oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours.
- Step 2: Transfer the dough to a 9x13-inch baking pan greased with olive oil. Lightly shape the dough to encourage it to spread to the edges of the pan. Cover and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours.
- Step 3: Trim and dice your strawberries.
- Step 4: Combine strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-12 minutes until slightly thickened and jammy. Set aside to cool.
- Step 5: After the second rise, the dough will be reaching the edges and filling the pan.
- Step 6: Drizzle with olive oil and use your fingers to press dimples throughout the dough. Spread the strawberry jam mixture on top of the dough.
- Step 7: Bake until golden and crusty. Let cool in the baking pan before transferring to a cooling rack to cool fully.
- Step 8: Mix together the icing, then drizzle on top of the focaccia. Slice and serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use metric measurements for at least the flour and sourdough discard. These are two ingredients where there can be a huge variation in using cups vs. metric measurements. Using a kitchen scale for metric measurements for at least these two ingredients will set you on the right path!
- The dough will be very wet. Don't worry! This is not a dough that you could knead, even if you wanted to.
- Let the strawberry jam mixture simmer until it's slightly thickened. We want this to be a bit jammy and to reduce some of the water content from the berries.
- Spread the jam mixture evenly over the full surface of the focaccia - ideally, you don't want to leave any "exposed" areas here.
- Let the focaccia cool (or at least, mostly cool) before you add the frosting. If you don't, the frosting will melt right off!
Storage
Refrigerator Storage: This focaccia can be kept at room temperature for a few hours (really, the same day as baking). After that, it should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to make it soft and warm again.
Freezer Storage: Focaccia also freezes well. Once fully cooled, cut the focaccia into slices, then place each piece into a freezer-safe bag or bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat the focaccia in the microwave for about 60 seconds before serving to make warm and soft again.
Recipe FAQs
They're accurate! I use the metric measurements for my own baking, especially with the flour and sourdough discard, so I recommend you do the same! There can be such a huge variation in cups measurements, particularly for those two ingredients.
Yes, definitely! It works well with almost any kind of berry (or a mix of berries). Fresh is great, but frozen fruit will also work well.
More Sourdough Discard Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Sourdough Strawberry Donut Focaccia or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Strawberry Donut Focaccia
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
For the Topping
- 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries diced
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
For the Frosting
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons milk non-dairy or regular dairy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook*, combine the warm water and granulated sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If the yeast does not foam, it is dead (your dough will not rise) and you will need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Add flour, sourdough discard, and salt and mix on low until combined and no dry spots remain. This will be a very shaggy, wet dough (you couldn't knead it if you tried!).
- Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 2-3 hours, until doubled in size.
- Brush a 9x13-inch pan with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, use a spatula to scrape around the perimeter of the bowl, deflating the dough. Transfer the dough to the center of the prepared 9x13-inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise 1 ½-2 hours, until doubled in size and the dough fills (or nearly fills) the pan.
- Make the topping. Near the end of the rise, make the topping. Add the diced strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then let the mixture simmer for 10-12 minutes until slightly thickened and jammy. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly (until it's comfortable to touch).
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230℃).
- Drizzle the dough with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and press deep dimples all over the dough. Make a few larger holes throughout the dough as well, for the strawberry topping to pool into. Spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the dough, leaving no dough uncovered. This will look a bit messy!
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the focaccia is golden and crusty. Drizzle with an additional 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
- Make the frosting. Combine the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and combined. If you want a thinner frosting, add more milk. Drizzle the frosting over the focaccia, slice, and serve!
Jessica Vogl says
Love the mashup! The focaccia texture plus the sweet strawberry topping is a winning combo!