What’s not to love about a pizza starring homemade pizza dough? I’m taking the DIY deliciousness one step further by kicking the crispy crust to the curb in favor of the ultimate homemade focaccia bread.
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 Bread Pizza.
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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 13x9-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.
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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!