This sourdough focaccia muffins recipe uses sourdough starter to create perfectly risen, tender focaccia muffins baked in a muffin pan! Follow this detailed recipe so you can make sourdough rosemary focaccia muffins with crisp edges, airy centers, and an irresistible buttery salt finish.

WHY I MADE THESE SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA MUFFINS

You probably first met me through my Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Muffins recipe that I shared last holiday season, and those savory little bread muffins continue my most popular recipe ever! You may also know that I’ve really gotten into sourdough bread making recently, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that so many of you may be familiar with my Sourdough Focaccia Recipe, too.

Well, it’s a new day, a new holiday season, and I really wanted to combine the best of both worlds here and introduce you to my new Sourdough Focaccia Muffins recipe! I actually owe this idea to you guys, because so many of you asked if the original focaccia muffins could be made with sourdough instead of yeast, and I’m here to finally tell you that yes, they can be!

It was only a matter of time before I made these Rosemary Sourdough Focaccia Muffins, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Be sure to read through the entire recipe before starting it so that you can be prepared to make these for yourself, soon!

MY FOCACCIA MUFFINS RECIPE

If this is your first time making sourdough, buckle up… If you’ve made my focaccia muffins recipe before, then you should buckle up, too!

We’re going to combine the techniques used for both sourdough bread baking and focaccia for this recipe. It really is the best of both worlds, which comes with its pros and cons, of course.

The pros: These sourdough focaccia muffins are spectacular. They have a soft, chewy inside and that crispy, golden brown outside while also having that classic tangy taste that one can only get from sourdough. Few things in life are better than that!

The cons: This bread recipe takes a while to make. About two days, to be exact. The majority of that time, of course, is just the dough resting, but still. I get it. You want sourdough focaccia, and you want it now.

The biggest downside to making sourdough anything is that it requires patience. But the result will be worth it, trust me! The full recipe for this rosemary bread recipe is below, but here’s an overview of it.

Sourdough Focaccia Muffins: Day One

• Pour the sourdough starter into a large bowl. Add the water, and whisk until the starter is fully dissolved in the water.
• Add the flour and the salt to the bowl, and use a spoon to lightly mix everything together.
• After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough, stretch it up and away from the bowl, and fold it over to the other side. Repeat the stretch-and-fold about 10 more times.
• Rest the dough at room temperature for about 8 hours, or until doubled in size.
• After the dough has doubled in size, rest it in the fridge overnight, at least 8 hours.

Sourdough Focaccia Muffins: Day Two

• The next day, grease a muffin pan with olive oil.
• Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half, and then cut six pieces from each half for a total of twelve pieces of dough.
• Shape each dough piece into a ball, and place each dough ball inside a muffin tin.
• Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 2-4 hours.
• Oil your hands and poke deep holes all over the top of the dough. Don’t be shy–you want there to be lots of holes that touch the bottom of the pan!
• Drizzle the rosemary oil evenly over each of the muffins. You may not use all of the oil.
• Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA KEY INGREDIENTS

• Sourdough Starter: This is the natural leaven that we use for this recipe. Think of sourdough starter as nature’s active yeast! My sourdough starter has 100% hydration (which means I feed it with equal parts water and flour). Depending on the hydration of your starter, you may need more or less water for this recipe. That may require a bit of testing and learning on your own, but the below recipe will work great for 100% hydration sourdough starters.
• Water: Will serve as the hydration for this sourdough bread recipe.
• Bread flour: Is my preferred flour for both sourdough bread and focaccia. It has a great texture and chew, giving you more “bakery style” bread. You can certainly use all purpose flour, though. It’s what I use when I don’t have bread flour on hand, and the end result still tastes great!

HOW LONG DO THESE SOURDOUGH MUFFINS TAKE TO MAKE?

The full recipe is in the recipe card below, but here’s the gist of it:

• Prep time: 30 mins
• Bake time: 25 minutes
• Resting time: 20 hours

Yes, that’s right… actually preparing the dough and baking it takes very little time in the grand scheme of things. However, when working with sourdough bread, the bread needs time to rest. Lots and lots of time to rest. That’s because we’re using a natural yeast (sourdough starter).

The upside to this recipe, though, is that you only need to perform one set of stretch and folds. If you’re familiar with making sourdough bread, you may know that you generally need to stretch and fold the dough every 30 minutes for a couple of hours in order to create a strong gluten structure.

This focaccia sourdough muffins recipe, though, only needs one stretch and fold at the beginning. So there’s that!

HOW TO STORE THESE SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA MUFFINS?

The hard truth about homemade bread is that these muffins have the best taste and texture the same day they’re made. If you’re making these for an event or a party, I recommend preparing them early in the day so that they are freshest for your event.

They keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. For long term storage, you can freeze the (unbuttered) muffins for a few months. Then, bake them in the oven at 375 for about 10-20 minutes to reheat.

I don’t recommend refrigerating the rosemary sourdough muffins because they’ll dry out and get hard in the fridge.

SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA MUFFINS FAQ

1. Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes, you can! Bread flour has a higher protein content, which gives the muffins extra chew and structure, but all-purpose flour still makes delicious, fluffy focaccia muffins. I like both styles, honestly, so you can’t go wrong with either.

2. My dough didn’t double during the first rise—what should I do?

Rising time varies based on room temperature and starter strength. If your dough hasn’t doubled after 8 hours, simply give it more time. A cooler kitchen may need several more hours.

However, if there is zero activity after 8 hours, it may mean that there may have been something wrong with your sourdough starter. It may also mean that the dough was stored in an inappropriate environment (in an oven with the PROOF setting, for example). If this is the case, unfortunately you may been to start again with fresh starter.

3. Will it take exactly 8 hours for the dough to double in size?

No, it may take a longer or shorter amount of time depending on the temperature of the room where the dough is stored. Warm kitchens accelerate fermentation. If your dough doubles in less than 8 hours, go ahead and refrigerate it early to avoid over-proofing. If your kitchen is cold, it may take up to 12 hours for the dough to double in size.

4. Can I refrigerate the dough longer than overnight?

Yes, you can. The dough can rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours. A longer cold ferment adds flavor and makes the dough easier to handle.

5. Do I have to do the stretch and fold?

Yes—this step is essential. Stretch and folds strengthen the gluten, help the dough trap gas, and create the signature airy focaccia texture. If you skip this step, your muffins will be dense and sad.

6. Can I add toppings besides rosemary?

Definitely! Try incorporating cheese into the dough, like with my Cheesy Garlic Focaccia recipe. Or try sliced olives, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, caramelized onion… the list goes on. Just avoid overly wet toppings that could weigh down the dough (like fresh tomatoes).

7. How should I store the focaccia muffins?

They keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes to revive their crisp edges.

For longer storage, freeze them up to 2 months and reheat in the oven.

‍. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you love this recipe be sure to leave a review! And feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments via my Contact page. You’ll hear back from me soon!

Find even more of my homemade recipes on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube.

‍. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .