Focaccia Pizza
Focaccia pizza

Is there such thing as bad pizza? I’m sure there is, but even bad pizza is better than none? I think that’s probably true but that’s neither here nor there because this focaccia pizza is fantastic. If you like pizza? It’s for you. If you like focaccia? It’s for you. Who needs pizza and breadsticks when you can have them together. Just saying, I’m making life easier for you.

I took my Overnight Focaccia pizza dough, and essentially topped it like a pizza. It’s the same process as making either pizza or focaccia, just different dough or more toppings. My Pesto Caprese Focaccia is similar as well so if you’re looking for different toppings I’d start there. The result is sort of like an uber thick Sicilian style pizza. It’s got crispy edges from being baked in the pan but the interior is super soft and squishy. Or don’t sleep on sweet/dessert focaccia like my Cinnamon Apple Focaccia.

Making focaccia, especially overnight version is so, so easy. You put all the bread ingredients in a bowl, stir, cover, and put it in the fridge for 18-24 hours. You don’t have to knead or fold or do anything. Just let it have a little chilly rest and the flavor and structure are taken care of. For toppings you honestly can use whatever you’d like. I used salami (because my kid likes it more than pepperoni), cheese, onion and roasted pepper. Plus pizza sauce, from a jar. If you want to make it yourself you could but I say keep it simple. But toppings are really whatever your heart desires.

Baking Tips

In a 9×13 pan this makes a THICK focaccia pizza. Cut into about 12 pieces, one slice might feel rather filling. If you’d like it a little thinner, I’d probably make this in a jelly roll pan which is about 10×15. It could be made in a half sheet pan, but I don’t know how well the bread would hold up to a lot of toppings as at that point your dough is getting much thinner. If you want to just make a smaller pizza, I’d use my Same Day Small Batch Focaccia measurements, but follow these directions otherwise. That is a scaled down version of the overnight dough, made in a smaller pan. The pizza would still be thick, it’s just going to be less than half of the amount of dough.

I know using pre-shredded cheese makes things easier, but I highly recommend using cheese from a block and shredding it yourself. Low-moisture mozzarella is going to be the best option, sometimes I add a little fresh mozzarella as well too though. This article on Serious Eats goes over the best mozzarellas for pizza.

Focaccia Pizza Key Ingredients

  • Bread Flour – Lots of people make focaccia with all purpose, and generally you can. Could you make this recipe with it, yes. But would I recommend it? Probably not. Bread flour gives the bread stronger structure and more chew. Because we are topping this bread with lots of stuff, we want to give it a stronger base.
  • Olive Oil – Olive oil, and a lot of it is what gives focaccia that lovely crust. While we don’t need as much on top, it’s still important for flavor in the dough and helping crisp up the bottom of the dough.
  • Instant Yeast – I really only ever use instant yeast these days but I also buy very large quantities of yeast so it would be silly to buy another kind. Active dry yeast is fine, but you will need to activate it, which is one of the advantages of instant (it doesn’t require that step).
Focaccia Pizza

Focaccia Pizza

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Prep: 5 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Proofing: 18 hours

Ingredients

  • 600 g Bread Flour 5 cups
  • 7 g Instant or Active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
  • 1 tbsp Morton kosher salt
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 560 g Water 2⅓ cups, lukewarm (~95-100F)
  • 85-150 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil 6-10 tbsp, divided
  • 14 g Unsalted butter 1 tbsp, optional

Toppings

  • 240 g Pizza Sauce 1 cup
  • 225 g Mozzarella cheese, shredded 8 oz
  • Pepperoni
  • Roasted Red Peppers
  • Onion

Instructions

  • If you are using active dry yeast, combine the yeast, sugar and water in bowl. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, water and yeast into a bowl and mix until combined. The dough will be very loose and shaggy.
  • Drizzle another 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over the top and make sure the dough is well coated. Cover the bowl tightly and place in the refrigerator for 18-48 hours. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.
  • Prepare your pan. For thicker bread, use a 9×13" cake or sheet pan, for thinner use up to a 13×18" pan. If your pan is not nonstick, greasing it with the tbsp of butter can help the center and corners not stick. If it is non-stick feel free to skip butter, then add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil into the center of the pan.
  • Take your dough and stretch and fold up the edges like you are closing a box. Bringing each side into the center, creating more of a ball shape, and gently deflating the dough.
  • Transfer your dough into the sheet pan and dump any oil from the dough bowl into the pan as well. Cover the pan with cling wrap that has been greased and leave in a warm place to double in size. This could take 2-4 hours depending on the air temperature and how cold your dough is. Placing it in the oven with the oven OFF, and the light on can help create a warmer space if your kitchen is cold. The dough is ready when it no longer instantly springs back when poked, and it will have grown and be reaching the edges of the pan if not already completely filling (depending on the size of your pan).
  • Preheat oven to 425°F
  • Drizzle 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over dough then Oil your hands and use your fingers to both gently push dough to the edges of the pan where it has not reached. Then, the most fun part of making focaccia, dimpling the dough. Use your fingers to press down into the dough, leaving dimples over the entire surface. Do not afraid to press down deeply into the dough.
  • After dough is dimpled spread pizza sauce over your dough. I personally like a lighter sauced pizza so I maybe used ⅓ cup, but use an amount you like without going too heavy.
  • Sprinkle your shredded cheese over the dough leaving a small edge for crust. Leave about a handful off the pizza.
  • Spread the rest of your preferred toppings over the pizza then use the last part of the cheese.
  • Bake your pizza on the center rack of the oven for about 25 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing into your pizza. Cut and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I found it best to reheat in an air fryer for about 5 minutes at 350. Enjoy!

Notes

  • If you are using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or another brand you may want to google an equivalence. Even though they are the same type of salt the size varies greatly and can create a bread that is not salty enough or way too salty. 
CategoriesBREAD SAVORY
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