Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Think of sourdough focaccia pizza as a variation of the iconic Detroit-style pizza. Where the crust is thick and airy and coated in olive or avocado oil. It’s topped with a delicious blend of shredded cheese and toppings of your choice. The flavor combination mixed with the texture keeps this recipe on repeat in our house. P.S. If you make the focaccia bread ahead of time, you can just add toppings at lunch for a quick and easy meal!
This pizza has so many opportunities to be different meals. You could do a traditional cheese or pepperoni pizza or chipotle pineapple chicken pizza with barbecue sauce. You could even top it with a garlic sauce and cheese, then slice it into bread sticks when it comes out of the oven.
If you do this, I highly recommend serving the sticks with a marinara dipping sauce. Oh my gosh, now my stomach is rumbling and I’m starving haha!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Focaccia Crust
- all-purpose flour
- avocado oil or olive oil
- fed sourdough starter (feed it a 2:1 flour to water ratio, 4-12 hours before using it)
- raw honey
- water
- salt
- garlic powder
- additional avocado oil or olive oil for drizzling the top
For the Pizza Toppings
- Shredded mild cheddar
- Uncured pepperonis
- Or any toppings you desire!
- Marinara as a sauce if desired
Helpful Kitchen Tools For This Recipe
- This section contains affiliate links of products I know and love
- 9×13″ stainless steel baking pan
- large mixing bowl
- bread whisk
- stainless steel baking sheet pan
Choosing Toppings & Sauce
Like I said above, you can use any toppings or sauce you desire. I love doing a simple cheddar cheese and pepperoni focaccia pizza, but there are so many options. Here’s a few that sound delicious to me:
- mozzarella, cheddar, pepperoni, bell peppers, marinara sauce
- mozzarella, red grapes cut in half, olive oil base
- cheddar, bacon, green bell peppers, marinara sauce
- chipotle pineapple chicken and bbq sauce
- garlic butter sauce, mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce for dipping
How to Make Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Make the dough
Mix avocado or olive oil, fed sourdough starter, honey, water, salt, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl until combined.
Add flour and stir to combine (use your hands to bring it together into a dough ball if needed).
Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes on the counter.
Stretch & fold
Do a stretch and fold method all the way around the dough by pulling a section upward, folding it into the center, and pressing it down. Repeat this around the dough for 1-2 complete circles.
Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
Repeat stretch and fold then cover with a damp towel, wrap, or loosely with a lid.
Bulk ferment
Let the dough bulk ferment on the counter until it doubles (6-8 hours). If it’s colder than 70 degrees in your house you’ll need to let the dough ferment for 8-10 hours.
Shape focaccia
After the bulk fermentation, preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a metal 9” x 13” baking pan with avocado oil (don’t use olive oil) or line with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough from the bowl to the baking pan.
Grease your hands with avocado or olive oil and use them to push and pull the dough the fill the entire space. You’ll want to make sure the dough is evenly settled across the pan.
Re-coat your fingers with oil and use them to dimple the dough all over the top surface so there are finger imprints all over.
Add Pizza Toppings & Bake
Lightly drizzle the dough with additional avocado oil or olive oil and add your toppings and sauce of choice.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. (If you don’t like a really soft interior on your pizza crust pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes before adding the toppings on).
Then let focaccia pizza cool in the pan 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or your plate. Enjoy!
Quick Version – Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
To make this recipe faster you can make the focaccia bread ahead of time and store it in the pantry (up to 3 days), fridge (up to 5 days), or freezer (up to 1 month). Then when you’re ready to make focaccia pizza here’s all you’ll have to do:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place baked focaccia bread (thawed overnight in fridge if it was frozen) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This can be the full bread or you can put as many slices on as you’d like on the sheet pan. If you’re using slices, make sure they’re close together and touching on the pan.
- Add toppings of your choice and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!
Sample Schedules for Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Weeknight (Monday – Friday)
- 8 pm – mix up the dough
- 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm – stretch and fold
- 9:30 pm – 5 am – bulk ferment
- Place dough in the fridge covered for the day
- 5pm – shape focaccia and add toppings
- 5:10pm – bake focaccia
- 5:30 pm – enjoy!
Weekend (Saturday and Sunday)
- 11 am – mix up the dough
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – stretch and fold
- 12:30 pm – 6 pm – bulk ferment
- 6pm – shape focaccia and add toppings
- 6:10pm – bake focaccia
- 6:30 pm – enjoy!
FAQ
How do you store leftover pizza?
Store leftover pizza in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.
How do you reheat leftover pizza for the best flavor?
The ONLY way I reheat leftover pizza is in the oven on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and heat for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. It makes it taste like a fresh pizza.
Should I pre-bake the crust before adding on the toppings?
You don’t have to, but if you don’t prefer a very soft interior of the crust, I suggest pre-baking it for 5 minutes before adding on the toppings.
Do I need a special pan for this recipe?
You do not need a special pan for this recipe. If you’re making the focaccia bread, use a 9×13″ pan, or if you’re using already baked focaccia, use a sheet pan.
More Sourdough Recipes To Try
- Garlic Sourdough Focaccia Bread
- Sourdough Hot Dog Buns (small batch)
- Homemade Sourdough Garlic Bread
- Strawberry Sourdough Sweet Rolls
Recipe: Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Ingredients
Bread
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 cup fed sourdough starter feed it a 2:1 flour to water ratio, 4-12 hours before using it
- 2 tsp raw honey
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Topping (or anything you desire)
- Generous amount of shredded cheddar cheese
- Uncured Pepperoni
Bread
- additional olive oil or avocado oil for drizzling
Instructions
Mix Focaccia Dough
- Mix avocado or olive oil, fed sourdough starter, honey, water, salt, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Add flour and stir to combine (use your hands to bring it together into a dough ball if needed).
- Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes on the counter.
- Do a stretch and fold method all the way around the dough by pulling a section upward, folding it into the center, and pressing it down. Repeat this around the dough for 1-2 complete circles.
- Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
Stretch & Fold + Bulk Ferment Dough
- Repeat stretch and fold then cover with a damp towel, wrap, or loosely with a lid. Let the dough bulk ferment on the counter until it doubles (6-8 hours). If it's colder than 70 degrees in your house you'll need to let the dough ferment for 8-10 hours.
Assemble the Pizza & Bake
- After the bulk fermentation, preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a metal 9” x 13” baking pan with avocado oil (don't use olive oil) or line with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough from the bowl to the baking pan.
- Grease your hands with avocado or olive oil and use them to push and pull the dough the fill the entire space. You'll want to make sure the dough is evenly settled across the pan.
- Re-coat your fingers with oil and use them to dimple the dough all over the top surface so there are finger imprints all over.
- Lightly drizzle the dough with additional avocado oil or olive oil and add your toppings and sauce of choice.
- Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. (If you don't like a really soft interior on your pizza crust pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes before adding the toppings on).
- Then let focaccia pizza cool in the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or your plate. Enjoy!
Notes
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place baked focaccia bread (thawed overnight in fridge if it was frozen) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This can be the full bread or you can put as many slices on as you'd like on the sheet pan. If you're using slices, make sure they're close together and touching on the pan.
- Add toppings of your choice and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!