Get ready to elevate your pizza game with this easy Focaccia Pizza recipe starring a pillowy-soft, flavorful crust and all your favorite pizza toppings. With just 1 hour of proofing, the easy focaccia bread base will be ready to bake to golden perfection.
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What’s not to love about homemade pizza? I’m taking this comfort food favorite one step further by kicking the crispy crust to the curb in favor of the ultimate homemade focaccia bread. If you love thick pizza dough, this recipe is for you!
The star of the show here really is the base of this easy, cheesy pizza. The fuss-free focaccia comes together in minutes and provides the perfect blank canvas for all of your favorite pizza toppings.
The thicker focaccia crust can handle a whole lot-o-toppings. So either keep it simple with homemade marinara sauce and tons of fresh mozzarella or pile on the pepperoni, fresh veggies and extra cheese.
Ready to spruce up your slice? Skip the thin crust in favor of thick and pillowy homemade focaccia pizza. Let’s dive into the details!
This recipe uses a similar ingredient lineup to my Parmesan black pepper focaccia recipe but with a few adjustments. For this focaccia pizza dough, we add a bit more flour and a little less liquid to make it sturdy enough to hold up well to pizza toppings.
- Warm water: The key to activating the yeast is using warm water, ideally between 105°F and 115°F. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast; too cold, and it won’t activate properly.
- Olive oil: Helps create that signature focaccia crust.
- Salt: Beyond adding flavor, salt plays a crucial role in bread making. It slows yeast activity to prevent overproofing and strengthens the dough for a better texture.
- All-purpose flour: Just good ol’ all-purpose flour is all you’ll need. Bread flour works too if you prefer a chewier texture.
- Instant (rapid rise) yeast: Speeds up the proofing process, which is perfect for a quick focaccia dough. Tip: If you only have active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite store brand or make your own homemade marinara (it takes just 10 minutes!). No-cook tomato sauce would work great, too! Tip: If you have leftover sauce, freeze it in ice cube trays for easy portioning later.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Cheese that you grate by hand is the best for pizza. It melts better, and the flavor is richer and fresher than pre-shredded varieties. But let’s be honest, pre-shredded cheese is way more convenient, so opt for a whole milk variety.
- Your favorite pizza toppings!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
This is the easiest focaccia dough to whip up. We’re talking an easy yeast bread that doesn’t require any kneading and is ready in under 2 hours. Yes, please! Let’s make this easy focaccia pizza:
- Prepare the dough.
- Grease a 13×9-inch metal baking pan with 1.5 tablespoons olive oil.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, flour and yeast. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute just until combined.
- Scoop the batter (it will be very sticky) into the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour until it has puffed.
- Bake the dough before adding your toppings.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Poke the dough all over with your fingers then drizzle the top of it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes still in the pan.
- Add your toppings and bake just until the cheese is melted.
- Transfer the focaccia bread from the pan onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top the focaccia with the marinara sauce, cheese and pizza toppings. Return the focaccia to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Slice and serve immediately.
- Be sure to generously oil your baking pan to prevent sticking and to help achieve a crispy crust.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place. The warmer the environment, the faster the dough will rise. My favorite place to proof dough… my dryer!
- Want to make this using whole wheat flour? Swap in 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour for 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour.
- For a cheese-stuffed focaccia base, add 1 cup of your favorite cheese, diced or crumbled, to the dough once it’s been kneaded and before it rises. Crumbled feta, diced cheddar or mozzarella, and shredded Parmesan are all good choices.
To store leftovers, let your focaccia pizza cool completely. Then, place slices in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat pizza, you can either place it in a preheated oven at 350°F until it’s warmed through, or you can use a skillet over medium heat for a crispy crust. This is my favorite way to reheat pizza. Here’s how to do it: Make sure the pan is hot enough that water droplets sizzle when you flick them into the pan. Then, add your pizza slice and a few water droplets, and cover the pan tightly with a lid. The water will turn into steam, gently heating the toppings without drying them out. In just a minute or two, the cheese will melt, the crust will crisp up and your pizza will be as good as new.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional for greasing pan)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon instant (rapid rise) yeast
- 3/4 cup store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Assorted pizza toppings, such as pepperoni, mushrooms and olives
Instructions
- Grease a 13×9-inch metal baking pan with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, flour and yeast. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute just until combined.
- Scoop the batter (it will be very sticky) into the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour until it has puffed.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Poke the dough all over with your fingers then drizzle the top of it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes still in the pan.
- Transfer the focaccia bread from the pan onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top the focaccia with the marinara sauce, cheese and pizza toppings. Return the focaccia to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Slice and serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- Be sure to generously oil your baking pan to prevent sticking and to help achieve a crispy crust.
- Want to make this using whole wheat flour? Swap in 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour for 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour.
- For a cheese-stuffed focaccia base, add 1 cup of your favorite cheese, diced or crumbled, to the dough once it’s been kneaded and before it rises. Crumbled feta, diced cheddar or mozzarella, and shredded Parmesan are all good choices.
- To store leftovers, let your focaccia pizza cool completely. Then, place slices in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Focaccia dough recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
I have made this about 3 times. It always comes out great for me. My husband loves it. I will save the recipe and make again for sure.
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Stacy!
I made this recipe 3 times in a row on the same day. It would seem the water to dry ingredient ratio is off. Followed the recipe twice verbatim and my dough was dry and crumbly. One the first attempt I thought I must have measured something wrong. In the bin it went. Second attempt was exactly the same. in the bin it went. 3rd attempt I added 1/2 cup more water. It finally looked like the picture and description said it should.
Hi Michael – I’m sorry you experienced this issue. We haven’t had this problem but we’ll test the recipe again.
This looks delish! I personally love thick, fluffy pizza bases so this is ultra tempting.
Zia
Made this for dinner tonight, delicious! Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lesley!
Kelly, have you ever tried this with whole spelt or whole wheat flour?
Thanks!
Hi Julie! I have not tried this recipe with either of those flour varieties so I’m not sure how the focaccia would turn out. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Is it possible to use this recipe but cook the focaccia in a 10″ cast iron skillet?
Hi Kendra – I’ve never tried making the focaccia in a cast iron skillet so I can’t say with certainty if that would work. Let me know if you try it!
I JUST got over my fear of baking with yeast, and focaccia has been on my to try list. Then you turned it into pizza and totally blew my taste buds! Pinning!
Definitely need to try this! I love the puffy dough!
Focaccia crust pizza sounds delicious! Perfect for Pizza Friday here…
This looks sensational!
Wow, such a gorgeous, pretty pizza, Kelly! Pinned :)
Homemade pizza dough rocks! Love this focaccia, Kelly! Pinned!
This sounds lovely, Kelly!!
This looks great. I’m so excited to try a long list of your recipes after finding your webpage. For this bread, can you add mix ins to the dough like rosemary or garlic and serve without pizza toppings? Thank you.
Thanks so much, Ali! Absolutely. You can mix in whatever herbs and cheeses you prefer directly into the bread and then bake as directed. Enjoy!