This Focaccia Pizza is made with homemade focaccia bread dough, giving it a delicious texture and flavor. Making your own pizza dough from scratch will quickly become a pastime at your home after your first bite of this easy delicious pizza.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
- Homemade dough is always better than store-bought!
- The focaccia bread gives the pizza a unique and delicious flavor.
- It's easy to customize with your favorite pizza toppings.
Who doesn't love pizza? It's a weekly staple in our house. And, the fluffy crust and homemade pizza sauce will make your homemade pizza night a success every time.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are in the recipe card below.
- all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- instant yeast or active dry yeast
- lukewarm water
- extra-virgin olive oil divided
- canned whole tomatoes
- garlic cloves
- red wine vinegar
- Red pepper flakes
- full-fat mozzarella cheese shredded
- whole-milk ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Mix the dough and let it chill for 2 hours tightly covered with plastic wrap.
- Pour olive oil onto your baking sheet, and spread it. Then flatten the dough on the bottom of the pan until it is about 1-inch thick. Cover loosely lightweight clean towel or with plastic wrap when you are allowing the dough to rest.
- Meanwhile, drain the juice from the canned tomatoes in a fine mesh strainer.
- Add the tomatoes to the bowl and crush them. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients until well combined.
- Spread the sauce over the bread, then top with shredded mozzarella, then dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta cheese on the pizza. Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the focaccia pizza in a preheated oven until the pizza crust is golden brown around the edges and the cheese has melted. This could take 17-20 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil and red pepper flakes if desired.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Plastic wrap
- 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet
- Chef's Knife
- Microplane or grater (optional)
- Pizza Cutter
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making Focaccia Pizza.
The difference between traditional pizza crust and focaccia is the amount of yeast that is used. Focaccia has more yeast which makes bubble up a little more.
Focaccia is not the traditional pizza crust however it would well as a pizza crust for this Margherita pizza
It is sometimes called pizza genovese because it is closely linked to the Italian city of Genoa.
No, Sicilian pizza is not the same as focaccia. Sicilian pizza has a thick and dense dough that must be baked in a square pan while focaccia is made with more yeast and a light and airy texture.
The main difference between focaccia and Detroit-style pizza is that Detroit-style pizza is made with a thick, crispy crust while focaccia has a lighter, more airy texture.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- When you are working with yeast you want to use warm water and not hot water. Hot water will kill off the yeast.
- The most accurate way to measure the flour for your focaccia bread recipe is to use the spoon method. This means using a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup rather than dipping the cup directly in the bag of flour.
- Since we are using instant yeast for this dough recipe, you don't have to worry about taking the time to proof the yeast before you make the dough.
- All purpose white flour is the best flour to use to make this recipe.
- Don't skimp on the dough rest time. This time allows the yeast to develop and gives the fluffy texture that you are looking for.
- I store the dough in an oiled bowl so that the dough doesn't stick to the bowl and is removed easily.
- For a crispier crust, add a couple of minutes extra to the baking time.
- When you are stretching the dough after the second rise, if the dough springs back give it a few extra minutes of rise time and try again.
📚 Variations
- If you don't want to take the time to make the homemade marinara sauce then you can use your favorite sauce instead. But, give the homemade sauce a try it's really delicious.
- Not a fan of focaccia bread? You can use your favorite homemade pizza dough instead to make this delicious recipe.
- Feel free to get creative and use your favorite toppings to add more flavor to this easy recipe.
- You can sprinkle the top of the pizza with Italian seasoning and a mixture of romano and parmesan cheeses for more flare.
🥫 Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container or storage bag in the fridge for up to three days. I've found the best way to reheat this pizza is by using the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
📗 Related Recipes
- If you are looking for another delicious pizza recipe to make your family pizza nights. Give this BBQ Chicken Pizza a try next time. It's a delicious twist on a classic recipe.
- These Easy Pizza Pinwheels are sure to be a hit at your next party. They are quick and easy to make, full of flavor, and everyone will love them!
- Bubble Up Pizza Bread is one of my go-to meals to make when I want something filling yet easy. You can't go wrong with this delicious recipe.
🍽 Serve with
- There is just something special about Soft Baked Breadsticks they are light, fluffy, and taste amazing!
- I don't know about you but I think that Antipasto Caprese Salad is the perfect side dish to serve with homemade pizza.
- If you are in the mood for a simple yet healthy appetizer to serve with a hearty meal like pizza these Cucumbers Appetizers are just what you need.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Did you know that in Italy if you want to order pizza by the slice you would want to order pizza al taglio. But, don't worry because making this homemade focaccia pizza at home means you can eat as many slices as you want!
If you want to try making a flatbread with sourdough, be sure to check out our Homemade Sourdough Focaccia made with rosemary and grapes.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
Soft fluffy focaccia crust, topped with homemade marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, and creamy ricotta cheese. It makes for a tasty recipe that your entire family will love. So, don't delay, add this delicious pizza to your meal plan this week. You won't regret taking the time to make it.
I your family can't get enough of pizza flavor, make it a pizza party with a crispy tator tot pizza casserole. It pleases everyone especially the meat-lovers with its sausage, ground beef, bacon, and pepperoni.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
How to Make the Best-Ever Focaccia Pizza
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 14 oz can whole tomatoes or use ½ can (28-ounce)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Red pepper flakes to your liking
- 8 ounces full-fat mozzarella cheese shredded (about 2 cups)— Low-moisture if you can’t find full fat.
- 8 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese about 1 cup
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese finely grated (about ½ firmly packed cup grated on a Microplane or ⅓ cup store-bought)
- 6 large fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Mix the dough and let it rise:
- Place 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons of the kosher salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine.
- Add 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and 3 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil and stir until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead in the bowl a few times, sprinkling with a little more flour if needed, until a rough, sticky ball of dough forms.
- Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Chill the dough in the fridge. After 2 hours, the dough will have puffed and doubled in size. Refrigerate the bowl of dough at least 8 hours and up to 24.
Forming the focaccia on baking sheet:
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil onto a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet.
- Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and use your hands to transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet (save the plastic wrap to use again to cover stretched dough and wash the bowl to use for making the sauce).
- Turn to coat in the oil, then gently press and flatten the dough until about 1-inch thick. (The dough will not reach the edges of the baking sheet.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the tomatoes.
Strain the tomatoes:
- Pour 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, or ½ (28-ounce) can with their juices into a fine mesh strainer set over the now-clean large bowl to drain the thin tomato water.
Stretching and shaping the focaccia:
- Uncover the dough and use your fingertips to stretch the dough to the edges of the baking sheet. If it starts to shrink back, let it rest for a few minutes, then try again.
- Cover again and let rest until puffed and slightly risen, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven and make the sauce.
- Heat the oven. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 475°F.
Make the sauce:
- Discard the tomato water that has accumulated in the bowl and pour the strained tomatoes in their sauce into the bowl. Carefully crush the tomatoes with your hands into bite-sized pieces. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Grate or mince 2 garlic cloves and add it to the bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
Assemble the focaccia pizza:
- Shred 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups).
- Spoon the tomato sauce over the cheese and gently spread it the best you can with the back of the spoon (some spots without sauce are fine).
- Use your fingertips to gently dimple the surface of the dough. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella evenly over the dough, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges.
- Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Dollop 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese in small spoonfuls over the top.
Bake the focaccia pizza:
- Bake until the focaccia pizza is golden-brown around the edges and the cheese has melted, 17 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely grate 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (about ½ packed cup) and tear 4 large fresh basil leaves.
Let cool, garnish, slice, and serve:
- Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle all over with the Parmesan. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the basil and more red pepper flakes, if desired. Cut into 12 squares and serve.
Nutrition
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