Home»Food & Ferment»Sourdough

Last Updated on August 30 , 2023

Flour , piss , starter , Strategic Arms Limitation Talks . That ’s all you reallyneed to make a yummy loaf of sourdough bread ! And while I utterly savor a classical and simple-minded bake , we also eff to change it up and add various goodies to homemade bread too . The flexible and originative nature of piss your own sourdough is one of the good thing about it , if you ask me ! ( That , in addition to reducing plastic packaging and consumingmore sizable , wholesome , fresh pelf of course ! )

Kalamata olives, fresh rosemary, sun dried tomatoes, and a teaspoon of salt sit on a wood cutting board.

record along for plenty of drool - desirable sourdough add - ins and top-flight ideas – include those you could commix into dough for cabbage or cracker , or right on top of sourdough focaccia before broil .

If you need a starter , feel costless to snag anorganic sourdough starterfrom our shop . It ’s a foolproof way to get break ! Then , please bask a few of our favored sourdough wampum recipes – ready and wait for mix - Indiana and topping .

When should I mix add-ins to my sourdough dough?

We typically incorporate our sourdough attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ins at thefirst “ stretch and fold ” – during bulk fermentation and briefly after coalesce the sourdough starter , flour , and water . That direction , if you ’re followingour dewy-eyed no - knead sourdough bread recipe , you ’ll have an additional 3 rounds of stretch and folding to amply ruffle and evenly distribute the add - in within the dough .

I find that bestow goodies ahead of time in the process usually provides a little extra desirableness to the ascending as well ! This is belike stimulate by introducing another “ food ” source for the bacteria and yeast to feed on during bulk zymosis . That is , unless your sourdough add - ins are too wet , which can guide to less rise rather . See the short letter below to acquire how to offset that .

Some sourdough minimal brain dysfunction - in can be comprise much after too , such as cake the surface of the dough with sesame ejaculate – which can be done after forming your loaf of bread ( add together inside the banneton during cold tempestuousness ) or decent before broil .

A stainless steel 1/4 cup measuring cup is positioned over a bowl of flour and sourdough starter. The measuring cup is loaded with fresh chopped herbs which are a great sourdough add-in.

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DeannaCat is pulling a newly formed batch of dough to stretch it. There are copious amounts of pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, and cheddar cheese throughout the dough. A white ceramic bowl in the shape of a rounded square sits below the dough.

Tips on adding toppings to sourdough focaccia

Sourdough focaccia is perhaps my all - time favorite bread to broil . It is so easy , fluffy , tasty , and aboveboard even easier to make than a traditional loaf of bread of sourdough pelf ! Most often , folks add toppings to focaccia right before baking ( like a pizza pie ) rather than mixing it within the scratch – yet you’re able to do it either way . Some cunning bread maker adorn their focaccia with fancy pattern , such as creating flowered murals out of eatable toppings . If you ’d like to desegregate goodies within the simoleons , follow the same tips described above ( incorporate the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - IN during the stretch and fold process ) .

depend on your oven , focaccia topping may get a trivial crispy or even burned . Therefore , I suggest bake sourdough focaccia in thelower third of your oven . We also sometimes set an empty baking sail on the oven rack directly over thefocaccia panto deflect some heat from the top of it . nose the add - ins down into thedimplesin the dough also helps prevent burn down toppings !

Find our popular simple sourdough focaccia bread recipe here !

A baking pan full of sourdough focaccia that has been dressed with olive oil, coarse sea salt, kalamata olives, and fresh chopped rosemary which are all great sourdough add-ins. The next step is to bake it!

Choosing the best sourdough add-ins and combinations

The best sourdough ADHD - ins are those that arefull of flavor , and arefairly dryor depression in moisture cognitive content . Wet additions can throw off the hydration proportion of your dough , and surfactant doughs usually spread out more as play off to develop nice and marvelous . Therefore , if you do take to use add - ins with a gamy water contentedness ( thing like shredded zucchini , raw tomato , grated carrots , or Cucurbita pepo puree ) you ’ll need to slimly reduce the H2O added to the overall recipe . Experiment and attempt to get the kale to resemble the consistency you ’re used to working with . No matter what go on , I ’m sure it will be scrumptious !

To keep up a good texture and acclivity , your sourdough add - ins should make upno more than 20%of the total intensity of your kale . Honestly though , we never valuate . If I had to estimate , I would hint a twosome tablespoon of dry herb , about a stern loving cup of chopped refreshful herbs , and maybe a half loving cup of crank or cheese to the average loaf of sourdough . Play around and see what works for you !

Now , have playfulness dreaming up luscious sourdough add - in combinations from the inclination below . We rarely add together just one matter . Most often , we fuse one or two types of fresh herbs , a sprinkle of some sort of dry flavoring ( like onion pulverization or “ everything but the bagel ” ) and then either European olive tree , cheese , testis or source . Even amongst that base jazz band of ingredients , the options are sempiternal : swapping between parmesan or cheddar , black or unripened olive , walnuts or pumpkin ejaculate … the list goes on !

A close up of sourdough add-ins that include walnuts, chopped herbs, grated cheddar cheese, and dry turmeric powder sitting atop fluffy dough.

20 Sourdough Additions and Topping Ideas

1) Fresh Herbs (or dry)

With ourherb gardenjust outside the front door , fresh herbs are a go - to sourdough gain . Sage , thyme , oregano , and rosemaryare my favorites . Sometimes we add just one , sometimes a couple , other time all four ! Basil is also excellent in sourdough , along with dill weed , marjoram or Artemisia dracunculus . Herbs pair exceptionally well with cheeseflower and Allium sativum . We add anywhere from a couple tablespoon to a fourth loving cup of fresh herbs per loaf of bread ( chopped ) . If you opt for dry herb instead , you’re able to use less since dry herbs have more concentrated flavor . The ecumenical linguistic rule of thumb is to use about one - third less dry herbs than the amount you ’d use sassy .

2) Dry Seasonings

Calling all seasoning powders!Onion gunpowder , garlic pulverisation , stinker Madagascar pepper , turmeric powder , leek powder , black pepper … heck , even a littlechili powder , if that ’s your thang ! ( We arise and make a ton of our own seasonings – flick on any of the highlighted single for a tutorial ) . Use 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp of ironic seasonings , depending on the seasoning , how strong it is , and your desire solution . And let ’s not forget:“everything but the bagel ” seasoning!That stuff is ridiculously good on it ’s own , but convulse in a little herb , Malva sylvestris , garlic , or olives with that sinful stuff?Fugghedaboutit .

3) Olives

Green , black , kalamata , whole , sliced … baker ’s choice ! I ’m not sure what more I can say here . Olives are the bomb calorimeter ! We bake with them all the time . Be certain to eat a few off your fingertips for me while you ’re at it !

4) Cheese

Vegans , look away – or skip to the next sourdough add - in idea below ! Everyone else : go wild here . bring around with adding various types of cheese to your bread : parmesan , sharp cheddar , brie , feta , gouda , havarti , blue high mallow , goat cheese , whatever tickle your fancy . total grated Malva sylvestris for a subtle and even statistical distribution , or leave it in chunks or block for a nice gooey chomp .

5) Nutritional Yeast

If you ’re looking for a little “ cheap ” panache but sans dairy , this is it ! Add a tablespoonful or two of vegan - well-disposed nutritional yeast to your sourdough to mimic creamy , punk feeling bill . We ’ve made some cause of death wampum with nooch ( nutritional barm ) , roasted garlic , and walnut !

6) Garlic

The serious way to add together garlic to your sourdough is either thinly sliced or diced ( raw ) , in powder form , or by bestow whole blackguard clove ( roasted in advance and then add together to the dough ) . Unless youreallylove garlic , I find add whole raw cloves inside dough does n’t allow them to cook quite as much as I ’d like . woolgather of garden - to - table meals?Learn how to grow your own garlic here !

7) Artichoke Hearts

Artichoke meat typically come one of two ways : marinated in oil , or plain in pee . Both are fantastic , IMHO ! Yet either way , they ’re a tad on the pie-eyed side as a sourdough add - in , especially so if you leave them whole . Therefore , I suggest get them sit out in a colander or on a paper towel to drain andreduce excess liquidbefore adding them to your dinero . We usually use artichoke hearts on top of focaccia rather than inside the simoleons dough . I cut them into small pieces than how they come in the jar too .

8) Roasted red bell peppers

Treat and apply marinade roast cerise bell pepper similar to artichoke hearts , explained above . A handful of roasted crimson bell ( or even thin - sliced fresh bell pepper ) are especially welcome on top of focaccia . Yum ! We ’re not even halfway through this list but I ’m quick to stop writing and go bake myself some clams alternatively …

9) Onions

There are many ways to sum up onions to sourdough ! One especially tasty way is tocaramelize onions in a pan(we keep ours al dente ) on the stovetop and then comprise them . It ’s deserving the extra step , I promise ! We usehomemade onion powderquite often . you may also chop up cive or gullible onions to mix in your dough , sprinkle over focaccia , or apply long green onions to create “ radical ” on disingenuous focaccia design . Thinly - sliced bare-ass sweet , crimson , or yellowed onions also make groovy focaccia toppings , though I do n’t in person care sum up raw onions to a steady loaf of dough .

10) Tomatoes: sun-dried or fresh

Given their lower moisture content , sun - dried tomatoes are the best choice to mix in gelt dough orsourdough snapper . ( We sometimes like to re - hydrate ourhomemade Sunday - dry out tomatoesby soaking them in oil or water system for a bit before adding them to dough . ) On the other hand , fresh cherry tree tomatoes or large fresh tomato plant slice are wondrous on top of sourdough focaccia . rest on top , some of their wet is allowed to vaporise and therefore not make the bread marshy . Tomatoes , herbs , olives and cheese quickly turn over sourdough focaccia into sassing lacrimation pizza - trend bread !   Another selection is to integrate Lycopersicon esculentum pulverisation into your dough .

11) Nuts and Seeds

Hellooo crunch and protein!Herbs away , nuts or seeds are our second most unwashed sourdough minimal brain damage - in . opt between walnuts , raw or toasted pecans , pistachio , pine nuts , slivered almonds , blast pumpkin germ , helianthus seeds , sesame seed , poppy ejaculate , or hemp seed – you ca n’t go wrong ! Nuts and seed mate particularly well with dry fruit , cheese , or herbs .

12) Pesto

You ’ve plausibly considered dabbing some pesto on top of your finished lettuce , but how about aright in the dough ? Pesto is an absolutely delicious sourdough add - in , drizzled over the top of focaccia before baking , or as the sauce on your homemade sourdough pizza . We late made focaccia with our ‘ besto pesto ’ ( see that formula here ) , caramelized Allium cepa and disgraceful sesame ejaculate – a delectable sourdough combination ! Since it ’s a tad on the wet side , you may want to withhold just a dab of piddle from your recipe if you commingle a few spoonful of pesto into your dough . look out my Instagram Reel of dressing pesto focaccia .

13) Honey

To expend honey , add it to your sourdough early on – when you ’re mixing your starter with the rest of the dough . Using a couple tablespoon of honey as a sourdough minimal brain dysfunction - in will offer your bread a note of sweetness , and pairs perfectly with walnut , caramelized Allium cepa , garlic , or dry out yield . Oursourdough cornbread recipecalls for honey too !

14) Mushrooms

Shrooms ’ are awesome , but they do release a lot of pee while they falsify . Because of that , it ’s better to cook mushrooms in a goat god on the kitchen stove to let them dry and shrivel a bit before adding them to your bread cabbage . Yet if you ’re working with focaccia , but slice them thin and lie them on top – just like you ’d dress a pizza . white-hot and brownish ( crimini ) mushroom cloud are the well-off to find , but I personally love sautéedwild chanterellesor shiitakes most !

15) Zucchini

Nothing like sneaking some extra veg into a repast , am I good ? Because grated zucchini also contains a ton of wet , it takes a little more tweaking of your standard recipe than most sourdough add - ins . Before mixing it in the sugar , we scrape , lightly salt , rack out , and drain the rip up zucchini – much like you would when baking other types of courgette bread . tick off out ourzucchini and walnut sourdough formula herefor more elaborated instructions .

16) Jalapeños

Cheddar and jalapeño sourdough anyone ? Enough say . habituate either thinly sliced impudent jalapeños , or the one you’re able to get in a jolt .

17) Dried Fruit

feel fruity ? Consider adding raisins , cranberry , dried cherry , pieces of dried apricot or Malus pumila , or similar dried fruit to your sourdough loaf . If you incorporate dry apple or raisins , do n’t draw a blank a dash of Cinnamomum zeylanicum – and maybe a touch of honey too !

18) Cranberry sauce

This may sound like an uneven sourdough add up - in , but do n’t knock it until you test it ! Around the wintertime holiday season , we always make several large batches of homemade fresh cranberry sauce . It ’s stellar with plain yogurt and granola , on vanilla coconut ice emollient , with tall mallow and crackers , and more . Well , one year I decided to drizzle some of our chunky cranberry sauce over sourdough focaccia along with chunks of Fromager   d’Affinois ( similar to brie cheese , but better ) and a sprinkling of fresh rosemary . Not only was it delicious , it looked absolutely gorgeous too!Check out our novel cranberry sauce formula here . It ’s deep-freeze - favorable , and also stellar on top ofsourdough pancakes .

19) Chocolate

Calling all chocolate lovers ! In case you need to hear this : umber is a perfectly satisfactory sourdough plus . contain coffee fleck or glob along with ball , cinnamon , and even dried fruit to create a sweet and savoury sweet - comparable sugar . Clearly your final loaf wo n’t pair with as many repast as some other flavor combining , but is godlike toasted with a short butter or emollient cheese on top . You could also total a handful of cocoa chips to ourzucchini walnut sourdough breadrecipe !

20) A pop of color

Last but not least , opine about fun ways to make your pelf POP with color ! For example , we grow ‘ Black Nebula ’ carrots that can turn sourdough dark purpleness ! To do so , we fret a couple carrots , reserved and add up a portion of the formula ’s call - for water into a bowl with the carrot to let them “ shed blood ” into the liquid state , and then sum up that wet compounding to our slightly drier - than - usual autolyse . You could try out doing the same with common beet , though the colouring material of beetroot fades more during baking . I know other bread maker useblue butterfly pea powderto naturally dye their sourdough spirit of blue and purple . Turmeric powderwill make your loaf a sunny yellow to orange .

How’s that for sourdough add-in ideas?

A slice of focaccia is featured, its fluffy interior is visible with air pockets here and there. A green olive is slightly blistered and shrunken from its original size due to the baking process. A pocket of cheese is on the opposite end of the slice. Below lies the remainder of the loaf of focaccia bread on a wire cooling rack. The top of the loaf is dotted with green olives, pockets of cheese, and fresh chopped herbs. Its bubbly surface is golden brown.

A sourdough boule loaf is sitting atop a wooden cutting board. The crust has sections of white flour adhered to the outside while the remainder of the loaf is a dark golden brown. Green olives and walnuts are bursting out from the inside of the loaf as they were the sourdough add-ins of choice.

A close up of the top of a freshly baked sourdough focaccia loaf. Chopped herbs, melted cheese, and sliced artichoke hearts were the sourdough add-ins. The loaf is a mixture of golden brown crust, gooey white cheese, green artichoke hearts, and speck of chopped herbs.

A close up of baked sourdough focaccia, with a light brown bubbly surface, flecks of little green thyme leaves, slices of round tomatoes, and black olives pressed into the dimples on top of the dough.

A slice of sourdough bread is featured with sun dried tomatoes and chopped rosemary. The bread is light brown in color with various holes throughout due to air pockets, dots of red and yellow with slivers of green are throughout the slice as well.

The top of a fresh baked loaf of sourdough is featured with caramelized onions, pockets of dark green pesto, and dotted with sesame seeds. The loaf is bubbly and dark golden brown in color against the sourdough add-ins.

A close up of the inside of a white bowl, there is a dough ball in the very bottom with pink salt, a light greenish powder, and a darker green powder in three distinct lines across the top left half of the dough, the right half of the dough is covered equally by shredded zucchini on the bottom and sourdough starter on the upper right.

An image of 3 slices of sourdough bread displayed showing their insides. Below the slices there is the rest of the loaf of bread. There is a nice and brown crusty crumb showing on both sides of the bread and it is also littered with air holes, walnuts, and specks of zucchini.

An unbaked loaf of sourdough focaccia is featured with pockets of cranberry sauce, chunks of white soft cheese, and fresh chopped rosemary set against the pillowy white dough. Into the oven it will go!

A sourdough boule loaf has been cut in half on a wood cutting board. One half of the loaf has been cut into four slices revealing a beautifully stark purple color inside with pockets of walnuts. The bread has been dyed with black nebula carrots which turned the entire loaf dark purple. The other half of the loaf has streaks of purple in the top from where the loaf was scored set against a floury white crust.

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