Focaccia Pizza
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Mar 23, 2023 |
As if focaccia bread wasn’t good enough, now you can level it up with your favorite pizza toppings! Focaccia pizza is cheesy and flavorful, all on top of the most soft and dreamy crust!
Switch up pizza night with this focaccia pizza and a few of my other favorite recipes: bubble pizza, pizza quesadillas, and Thai chicken flatbread pizza! They’re all super easy to make and SO delicious!
Focaccia Pizza Recipe
If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy pizza, try using focaccia bread as the base! It is SO amazing! The bread is soft and fluffy, but with a crispy crust that packs a punch of flavor. It’s perfect for all of your favorite toppings and sure to leave your family wanting more!
Not only does focaccia pizza taste amazing, but it’s also super easy to throw together. Focaccia dough requires fewer ingredients and doesn’t require as much time to rise. Plus, you can make the dough in advance and freeze it to use later! So if you’re in the mood for a delicious and easy-to-make pizza, try using focaccia bread as the base. Your taste buds will thank you! The flavor and soft, pillowy texture is out of this world.
Ingredients Needed
Focaccia bread can be topped with all kinds of toppings. Anything from classic tomato sauce and mozzarella (this is what I made!) to creative combinations like feta crumbles, figs, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. So why settle for plain old pizza when you can indulge in the flavorful goodness of focaccia? Trust me, once you get a bite of the soft and fluffy crust, you won’t want pizza any other way! Note: all measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Focaccia Bread
- Warm Water: Activates the yeast and helps the flour to absorb all the flavor and moisture it needs.
- Active Dry Yeast: The yeast that brings the dough to life! Without it, we wouldn’t have that fluffy, perfect texture that makes focaccia bread so irresistible.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a pinch of sugar makes everything nice, especially for the yeast. It gives the yeast something to feed on and helps it grow, giving the focaccia its perfect rise.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Gives focaccia its signature crispy crust, and also keeps it moist and flavorful.
- Salt: Just a couple of tablespoons to keep your bread from tasting bland.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives focaccia its structure.
- Italian Seasoning: When life gives you basil, oregano, and thyme, make Italian seasoning! This blend of herbs adds a delicious flavor to the dough, making it taste like it was made in the heart of Italy.
- Garlic Powder: For an extra pop of savory flavor.
Pizza
- Pizza Sauce of Choice: I used regular red sauce, but alfredo sauce or pesto would also work great!
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: Shred your own for best results! I used low-moisture mozzarella cheese.
- Fresh Mozzarella Rounds: To add extra cheesy goodness to the focaccia pizza.
- Parmesan Cheese: Again, if you want the best possible flavor, grate your own parmesan!
- Salt and Pepper: Add to taste.
- Basil Leaves: For garnish. They add amazing aromatics and give the pizza a pop of extra flavor.
How to Make Focaccia Pizza
Making homemade focaccia pizza is a lot easier than you’d think! It takes a little bit of patience and effort, but the end result is a delicious and satisfying labor of love that’s sure to impress. It’s hard to go back to normal pizza dough once you’ve tried making pizza on soft, chewy goodness.
For the Focaccia:
- Activate Yeast: In a small bowl mix warm water, yeast, and sugar. Then let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes
- Flour Mixture: In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle, mix your yeast mixture, ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of your flour.
- Add More Flour as Needed: Begin mixing and stir in additional flour (½ a cup at a time), and knead on low speed until all flour is incorporated. Add just enough flour so that you have a soft but not too sticky dough (I used 3.5 cups)
- Develop Gluten: Once your dough has come together mix for an additional 2 minutes on medium speed to help develop the gluten
- Add to Bowl: Remove dough from mixer and place in a bowl oiled with some olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel dampened with warm water.
- Proof: Let the dough sit until it has doubled in size, about an hour.
- Shape: Remove dough from bowl and place on an oiled sheet pan, be sure to degas and stretch the dough as far as it will go on the pan without tearing.
- Let Dough Rest: Cover and let the dough sit until it has relaxed enough to stretch to cover the pan entirely, about 20-30 minutes.
- Shape Again: Use your fingers to create dimples in the dough, being sure to even the dough out on the pan as you do so.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Preparing Your Pizza:
- Add Pizza Sauce: At this point you are going to assemble your pizza. Spread your sauce of choice evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving some space for a crust if you would like.
- Layer With Toppings: In a small bowl mix together your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and spread them evenly over the sauced dough. If you want additional toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced bell pepper, onions, onions, etc. Now is the time to put them on.
- Bake: Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top of it all and place the assembled pizza into your preheated oven, bake for 35-45 minutes.
- Enjoy and Serve: Remove from oven when the crust is cooked and all the cheese has melted. Enjoy fresh after allowing the focaccia pizza to cool for a few minutes.
Tips and Variations
You probably have a pretty good idea of the kind of pizza you want to make, but just in case you want to switch things up, here are a few extra ideas! I have also included a few tips on how to make the best focaccia bread possible. Focaccia pizza is so delicious, I know you’re going to love it as much as I do!
- Activate Yeast With Warm Water: Make sure to use warm water to activate the yeast. The water should be around 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit (43-46°C) to help activate the yeast and make sure it rises properly.
- Be Generous With Olive Oil: Don’t skimp on the olive oil. Focaccia bread is known for its crispy and flavorful crust, which is achieved by generously coating the dough with olive oil before baking.
- Different Toppings: To keep this recipe simple I only made a cheese pizza, but you can add any number of toppings you would like! For proteins, try pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon crumbles or grilled chicken! You really can’t go wrong with the veggies you add. Try adding chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, spinach, arugula, corn, you name it!
- Different Sauces: Try using alfredo sauce, BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, walnut pesto, or even peanut sauce for a Thai-inspired pizza! Also try drizzling some hot honey on top. It’s the best!
How Long Does Focaccia Pizza Last?
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It will have the best flavor 1-2 days after making it. To reheat your focaccia pizza, you can either pop it in the microwave or in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Focaccia
In a small bowl mix warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle, mix your yeast mixture, ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of your flour.
Begin mixing and add additional flour (½ a cup at a time), and knead on low speed until all flour is incorporated. Add just enough flour so that you have a soft but not too sticky dough (I used 3.5 cups)
Once your dough has come together mix for an additional 2 minutes on medium speed to help develop the gluten
Remove dough from mixer and place in a bowl oiled with some olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel dampened with warm water.
Let the dough sit until it has doubled in size, about an hour.
Remove dough from bowl and place on an oiled sheet pan, be sure to degas and stretch the dough as far as it will go on the pan without tearing.
Cover and let the dough sit until it has relaxed enough to stretch to cover the pan entirely, about 20-30 minutes.
Use your fingers to create dimples in the dough, being sure to even the dough out on the pan as you do so.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Pizza
At this point you are going to assemble your pizza. Spread your sauce of choice evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving some space for a crust if you would like.
In a small bowl mix together your mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and spread them evenly over the sauced dough. If you want additional toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced bell pepper, onions, olives, ect. Now is the time to put them on.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top of it all and place the assembled pizza into your preheated oven, bake for 35-45 minutes.
Remove from oven when the crust is cooked and all the cheese has melted. Enjoy fresh after allowing the pizza to cool for a few minutes.
Calories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 847mgPotassium: 156mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 222IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.