Name: Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia
Prep time: 480 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 510 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sourdough starter (discard); 1 1/2 cups warm water (can do 1 cup warm water and 1/2 cup lemon juice); 3 1/2 cups flour; 1 Tbsp salt; 3 cups blueberries; 3/4 cup sugar; 4 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 3/4 cup flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 cup melted butter; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 tbsp lemon juice

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pan of lemon blueberry sourdough focaccia

This lemon blueberry sourdough focaccia recipe is filled with juicy blueberries, and covered in a bright lemon glaze. Simple and easy to make, this is one of my family’s favorite spring and summer breakfast treats. Similar to my artisan sourdough bread, this recipe is perfect for a batch of sourdough that may have accidentally gotten over-fermented. If that happens to you, like it does to all of us sometimes, just turn it into a delicious focaccia. This recipe is one of our favorite things to make in blueberry season.

Why You’ll Love Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia

Bright and beautiful – the blueberries spread throughout this delicious focaccia give it a strikingly beautiful appearance, perfect for spring or summer.
Healthy – made with long fermented sourdough for the maximum gut health benefits
Delicious – of all the sweet things that I make, this one is always gone the quickest. The sweet blueberries and tart lemon flavor make the perfect combo.
Snack or Dessert – this sweet sourdough focaccia makes a great snack or the perfect dessert for a summertime picnic.
Quick and Easy – If you’re needing a last minute bread for an evening meal, you can quickly whip up a focaccia in the morning using discard from your refrigerator, and have it baked in time for supper.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Sourdough?

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion. Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well. When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest. A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.

Simple Ingredients

Flour

I like to use bread flour when making sourdough bread, but all-purpose flour works just fine too. I prefer to source my flour from Azure Standard, but I can sometimes get good quality flour from Sam’s club as well. You can also use whole wheat flour, but I prefer to mix it 50/50 with all purpose flour.

Water

Non-chlorinated water is best. You can leave chlorinated water sit out on the counter for a few hours and the chlorine will naturally evaporate. Always use warm water when working with sourdough as it will better activate the wild yeast in the sourdough. If you like a stronger lemon flavor, you can also use lemon juice for part of the water in this recipe.

Salt

I prefer to use Redmond Real Salt, but use whatever you have available.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough discard works just fine for making focaccia, but you can use active sourdough starter if that’s all you have available.

Sugar

You can use cane sugar or regular sugar to sweeten the cream cheese

Powdered Sugar

We use powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a delicious glaze for this sourdough focaccia.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is mixed with honey and slathered on the top of the bread after it is baked giving it a light and citrusy flavor.

Blueberries

Fresh blueberries are the best, as they aren’t quite as juicy, but frozen will work fine if that’s all you have.

Corn Starch

To thicken the blueberry filling.

Example of Timing For Making Lemon Blueberry Focaccia

Sourdough bread is so flexible, it can fit into any schedule. Here’s a couple of examples of how you could fit sourdough baking into the margins of your day.

Option 1

Before bed feed sourdough starter
8:00 a.m. the next morning mix ingredients
8:30 a.m. do one stretch and fold and bulk ferment for several hours
5:00 p.m. shape and bake in time for supper or shape and put into refrigerator and bake the next morning

Option 2 (this would work great if you work away from the house all day)

7:00 a.m. feed your sourdough starter
5:30 p.m. mix your ingredients
5:45 p.m. do one stretch and fold and bulk ferment until bedtime
10:00 p.m. shape and put into the refrigerator
7:00 a.m. bake

If you like this recipe, be sure to try our lemon blueberry sourdough bread.

FAQ

Sourdough starter is a fermented mix of flour and water that has captured the wild yeast that is in your environment. It uses this yeast to raise your bread so you don’t have to purchase store bought yeast. As long as you have access to flour, water and salt, you can make bread and other delicious recipes like this sourdough focaccia.

Sourdough focaccia is more flat than a regular loaf of sourdough bread, and can be made either sweet or savory. A lot of focaccia’s are made savory with herbs, vegetables and salt, or sweet with fruit, sugar and usually a powdered sugar glaze.

Yes, you can. Since we’re not worried about building structure in the dough and creating a really open crumb like we do in a regular sourdough loaf, then discard works just fine. In fact, I usually make focaccia with discard.

Yes! And in fact, I do that a lot. If you happen to over ferment your sourdough into a sticky dough, just turn it into a focaccia by spreading it out in a greased pan, dimpling it and adding in some sweet or savory toppings.

Yes, long fermented sourdough focaccia is healthier than yeast bread because of the phytic acid that is broken down during the fermentation process. A lot of people that are gluten intolerant can eat long fermented sourdough bread without any digestion issues. Sourdough bread also has a lower glycemic index than regular yeast bread and when eaten with a meal it actually lowers the glycemic level of the entire meal. This is really important for people that are diabetic. More information on the glycemic level of sourdough bread here.

All purpose flour works just fine for making sourdough focaccia. You can use any kind of flour you want though, it really is a flexible recipe.

Lemon and blueberry is a popular flavor combination because the tartness of the lemon pairs well with the sweetness of the blueberries. It’s the perfect spring and summertime flavor blend.

Yes, you can freeze lemon blueberry sourdough focaccia. Just wrap it in plastic wrap or place it into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, set it out on the counter until it comes to room temperature. Can be reheated in 350 degree oven for a few minutes if desired.

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lady holding lemon blueberry sourdough focaccia

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Supplies You May Need

Favorite Sourdough Recipes:

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia

Mix Ingredients

In a large bowl, add water, active sourdough starter, and flour. Mix until it comes together into a shaggy dough. You can add the salt now, or when you do the first stretch and fold. It doesn’t really matter for focaccia. Leave it for 15-30 minutes to “autolyse”. This just means you’re giving the flour a chance to absorb the water and the starter.

Do one or two sets of stretch and folds or coil folds just to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.

Bulk Fermentation

Cover bowl with a loose fitting lid like a plate and leave it in the bowl at room temperature for 3-8 hours to bulk ferment. It doesn’t matter if it over ferments, in fact that’s really what you want for focaccia.

Make The Filling

Combine blueberries, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once they boiling, mix the cornstarch into a ¼ cup of water and add to the boiling fruit. Stir until thick and bubbly. Chill.

Spread out the dough in a greased pan like a 12” cast iron skillet or a 9” x 13” pan.

Cover the focaccia dough with half of the filling mixture. Fold one side towards the center, and the other side towards the center, fully enclosing the filling. Gently spread the dough back out.

folding dough over sourdough focaccia filling

Allow to rise for an hour or two in a warm spot, or in the refrigerator overnight.

Spread the remainder of the filling over the top of the dough. Dimple the surface of the dough with your fingers (see video). This will allow the rest of the blueberry goodness to be fully incorporated into the dough.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Crumble Topping

Combine flour, sugar and melted butter to make the crumble topping. Sprinkle over the focaccia dough.

Bake

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and has a crispy crust.

Glaze

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to make a glaze and drizzle over the top of the baked focaccia.

Slice and Enjoy

For best results, wait until the focaccia is cool to slice. Sometimes I can’t wait that long, and slice it sooner. You’ll never eat anything more delicious!

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you make this recipe, be sure to come back and give a 5-star rating so others will know to try it too. Happy baking friends!