Focaccia is the best for making a unique, comforting pizza: it’s fluffy, packed with flavor and really easy to make with a no-knead recipe.
I use the Bon Appetit Mag Recipe for no-knead focaccia, then add sauce, cheese and my favorite toppings for a super tasty pizza. It will be hard to resist waiting for this one to cool when it’s fresh out of the oven!
Why this Recipe Works
Focaccia works as a pizza base because it's just the right amount of soft dough and a crispy exterior. Plus, it holds its shape when you add a lot of toppings.
Unlike regular pizza dough, focaccia has more yeast. Also, the honey helps activate the yeast, making it wonderfully fluffy. The fluffy base of focaccia makes a wonderful pizza experinece.
You can make this recipe in a 9x13 baking dish for a thicker focaccia pizza, or a ½ baking sheet for a thinner focaccia pizza. Choose your own preference. We tend to switch back and forth.
This recipe uses the Bon Appetit Magazine No-Knead Focaccia recipe which has been made successfully thousands of times. It's a great recipe, and all we are doing here is converting it into a pizza.
How to Make this Recipe
Focaccia
Mix together the 1 ¼ oz. yeast, 2 teaspoons honey, and 2 ½ cups of lukewarm water. You can whisk them or use your hands to mix them. Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If it isn't foamy, check the expiration of your yeast and start over.
Add the 625 grams flour and 1 tablespoon sea salt. Mix until no dry streaks remain. Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a large or container bowl that you can fit in your refrigerator. Transfer the dough to this bowl and toss with your hands or a rubber spatula to cover in the olive oil. Let it rise for 3-4 hours until doubled in size.
Take the dough and fold the outsides into the center four times. You can use two forks, one in each hand. Watch the recipe with video here.
Butter your baking dish or baking sheet. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in the center. Then, pour the dough into the center of the pan. Let it rise 1.5 to 4 hours, until doubled in size.
Focaccia Pizza
With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 450F.
Oil your hands and dimple the dough all over with the tips of your fingers. See photos below.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkle with sea salt, and bake until puffed and golden brown, 18-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, add the pizza sauce, toppings, and mozzarella. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown.
Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Focaccia Pizza FAQs
Yes. However, it will not be as fluffy as regular focaccia because pizza dough uses less yeast.
Focaccia dough uses more yeast and yields a fluffier bread than pizza dough.
Favorite Topping Combinations
Choose your favorite toppings for this recipe or take some inspiration from one of these pizzas:
Read all about the 72-hour pizza dough I love to make. Or check out all the pizza recipes on Proportional Plate.
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Focaccia Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ oz. active dry yeast 2 ¼ tsp
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 625 g all-purpose flour 5 cups
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter plus more to grease the pan
- 15 oz. pizza sauce
- 12-16 oz. mozarella depends on if you choose a 9x13 or half baking sheet.
- other toppings like jalapeño, mushrooms, basil, garlic, etc.
Instructions
Focaccia
- Mix together the 1 ¼ oz. yeast, 2 teaspoons honey, and 2 ½ cups of lukewarm water. You can whisk them or use your hands to mix them. Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If it isn't foamy, check the expiration of your yeast and start over.
- Add the 625 grams flour and 1 tablespoon sea salt. Mix until no dry streaks remain.
- Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a large or container bowl that you can fit in your refrigerator. Transfer the dough to this bowl and toss with your hands or a rubber spatula to cover in the olive oil. Let it rise for 3-4 hours until doubled in size.
- Take the dough and fold the outsides into the center four times. You can use two forks, one in each hand.
- Butter your baking dish or baking sheet. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in the center. Then, pour the dough into the center of the pan. Let it rise 1.5 to 4 hours, until doubled in size.
Focaccia Pizza
- With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 450F.
- Oil your hands and dimple the dough all over with the tips of your fingers. See photos in post.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil sprinkle with sea salt, and bake until puffed and golden brown, 18-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, add the pizza sauce, toppings, and mozzarella. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
MB
I love both focaccia bread and pizza and appreciate the way they're combined so uniquely in this recipe. Was super tasty!
Candice
I'm so glad you liked it, MB!
Elaine
This recipe reminded me how bad I love a homemade pizza... Really can't wait for the next weekend now to make this again! 🙂
Candice
That makes me so happy to hear, Elaine! It's a regular over here, too 🙂
Marisa F. Stewart
I've never met a pizza I didn't love but yours goes beyond the pale. I've never made my dough using focaccia because we like our pizza on the thin and crispy side. Friday night, our pizza night, I decided to make your version and it was a huge success. One grandson begged for the left overs -- there was one piece left. Anyway, we will be making this again soon.
Candice
This makes me so, so happy to hear, Marisa.. thank you for sharing! I love that you found a family favorite... enjoy!
Jacqueline
Looks at that cheese! I'm drooling! I'd never made focaccia as a pizza but don't want it any other way now!
Candice
That makes me so happy to hear, Jacqueline.. thank you for sharing!
Helen
I love focaccia but have not had it since I got married in Italy 3 years ago. I've never thought of using it for a pizza base, but my husband and I were long overdue a pizza night. Will make again.
Candice
How romantic, Helen! Sounds wonderful. And I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
D
Focaccia makes a wonderful pizza base! Who knew?! I'm absolutely drooling over that first cheese pull photo and all I want is to make it again and have a giant slice right now.
Candice
I'm so glad you liked it!
Gloria
OMG the pizza lover in me wants to grab this right off the screen or even just make it again right now. Look at that cheese!!! Give me a glass of wine and call this dinner any night.
Candice
I'm so glad you liked it, Gloria... now I want to make it again tonight, too!