If you’ve been baking sourdough for any length of time, you probably already know one thing for certain: sourdough does not always go according to plan.
You can follow the same routine you’ve followed a hundred times, use the same starter, the same recipe, and the same timing, and somehow wake up to a bowl of dough that has completely lost its mind.
That’s exactly what happened to me recently.
I was in the middle of making a regular loaf of sourdough bread and had left my dough to proof overnight, just like I normally do. Usually, this works perfectly fine in our house.
Except this particular night, we lost power.
Without power, our house got much warmer than usual overnight. Apparently, my sourdough dough was absolutely thrilled with the change in temperature because when I woke up early the next morning, it had overproofed so much that it was practically flowing out of the bowl.
Not exactly the beautiful loaf of sourdough I had envisioned.
Before you toss an overproofed bowl of sourdough into the trash, hear me out: you might not have ruined it at all.
What Happens When Sourdough Overproofs?
Overproofing simply means your dough has fermented for too long. Warm temperatures can speed up fermentation considerably, which is exactly what happened to mine when our house warmed up overnight.
Overproofed sourdough can become very loose, sticky, and difficult to shape. It may spread instead of holding that nice round shape you want for a traditional sourdough loaf.
At that point, trying to wrestle it into a beautiful artisan loaf didn’t sound like much fun.
So I didn’t.
Instead, I made focaccia.
Then, because plain focaccia apparently wasn’t enough, I turned it into sourdough focaccia pizza.
Sometimes the backup plan is better than the original plan.
Turning My Overproofed Sourdough Into Focaccia
There was nothing fancy about rescuing this dough.
I grabbed a 9×13-inch baking pan, generously coated it with olive oil, and dumped the entire bowl of overproofed sourdough right into the pan.
No reshaping. No trying to make it pretty. No fighting with sticky dough all over the counter.
I simply spread it into the pan as best I could and let it sit for another few hours.
This is one of the reasons I love turning overproofed sourdough into focaccia. Focaccia doesn’t need to hold a beautiful boule shape. In fact, that soft, bubbly dough that was causing problems for your loaf can work wonderfully spread out in a baking pan.
From Sourdough Mistake to Pizza Lunch
When it was time to bake, I decided to take my sourdough rescue one step further and make pizza.
I preheated my oven to 450°F and started piling on the toppings.
For the sauce, I used some of our homemade pizza sauce that I freeze-dried last year. I rehydrated it and spread it over the dough, which made this accidental lunch feel even more like a homestead pantry win.
Then came the important part: cheese.
I added mozzarella and parmesan because, really, can you ever have too much cheese?
Then I topped everything with pepperoni and a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning and poked my fingertips into it so all that goodness would be baked into the bread.
What I Used
- 1 batch overproofed sourdough dough
- Olive Oil for coating the pan
- Homemade pizza sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Pepperoni
- Italian seasoning
You could easily change the toppings depending on what you have available. Sausage, peppers, onions, olives, fresh herbs, leftover vegetables, or even just cheese and sauce would all work.
This is a rescue recipe, after all. Use what you have!
How I Baked My Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Once everything was loaded onto the dough, I put the pan into my 450°F oven and baked it for about 30 minutes.
Did the cheese get a little more browned on top than I planned?
Yep.
Did anyone complain?
Nope.
I’m calling it crispy cheese. And who doesn’t love a little crunch?
The focaccia underneath was hearty and delicious, the pizza toppings made it an easy lunch, and my kids were thrilled when they realized my sourdough mishap meant they were getting pizza.
Suddenly, the overproofed dough didn’t seem like much of a failure.
What Else Can You Do With Overproofed Sourdough?
If you wake up and discover that your sourdough has gone a little too far, don’t immediately assume it belongs in the trash.
Depending on just how far it has fermented, you may be able to turn it into something that doesn’t require the same structure as a traditional loaf.
Focaccia is one of my favorite options because it’s incredibly forgiving. You can keep it simple with olive oil, salt, and herbs, or turn it into a full meal as I did.
You could also experiment with using your dough for things like flatbread or other rustic baked creations where a perfectly shaped loaf isn’t the goal.
The important thing is to look at that bowl of dough as an opportunity to improvise rather than an automatic failure.
A Few Tips for Overproofed Sourdough Focaccia
If you find yourself staring at an overflowing bowl of sourdough one morning, here are a few things that worked well for me:
- Oil your pan generously. This helps prevent sticking and gives focaccia that deliciously crisp bottom.
- Don’t worry about making it perfect. You’re rescuing dough, not entering a bread beauty contest.
- Give it time to settle into the pan. I let mine rest for a few more hours before baking.
- Use whatever toppings you have. Pizza sauce and pepperoni worked for us, but this is a great way to use leftovers from the refrigerator.
- Watch your toppings toward the end. Especially if you’re using plenty of cheese like I did. Or just embrace the crispy cheese!
Sometimes Sourdough Has Other Plans
I think one of the best parts about cooking from scratch is learning that not everything has to turn out exactly the way you planned.
I started the night thinking I was making a loaf of sourdough bread.
I woke up to dough overflowing from the bowl.
And by lunchtime, my kids were happily eating sourdough focaccia pizza.
I’d call that a win.
So consider this your reminder the next time you think you’ve completely messed up your sourdough: don’t throw it away just yet.
Dump it into an oiled pan, add something delicious, and see what happens.
Sometimes your sourdough isn’t ruined.
Sometimes it just decided it wanted to be pizza.
From my kitchen to yours,
Eliza