Thick & Crispy Focaccia Pizza Recipe
This Thick & Crispy Focaccia Pizza features a soft, airy focaccia-style crust topped with flavorful tomato sauce, melty mozzarella, spicy pepperoni, and a sprinkle of pecorino romano. The dough undergoes gentle folding and a long rest to develop texture, then bakes on a preheated baking steel for a perfectly crispy bottom and bubbly cheese topping. Fresh basil adds a bright finish to this hearty and satisfying pizza perfect for sharing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Focaccia Pizza Dough
- 450 grams all-purpose flour
- 11 grams sugar
- 8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
- 2 grams instant yeast (⅔ teaspoon)
- 364 grams warm water (75°F if your kitchen is hot, 90°F if your kitchen is cold)
- 40 grams extra virgin olive oil (or regular olive oil)
Pizza Sauce
- 6 ounces unsalted tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (use half as much of any other brand)
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 garlic clove (finely grated)
Pizza Toppings
- 6 ounces low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 22 slices pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons pecorino romano (Locatelli preferred, parmesan also works)
- 4 leaves fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Spray a 9×13″ high-sided baking pan with non-stick spray, including the sides. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the center and tilt the pan to spread the oil evenly.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour in warm water and olive oil. Use a dough whisk to mix until a sticky, cohesive dough forms. Gather the dough into a rough ball. Cover and rest for 5 minutes.
- First set of folds: With damp hands, grab a corner of the dough, stretch and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until all edges are folded over the dough center. Cover and rest 5 minutes.
- Second set of folds: Repeat the stretching and folding around the bowl with damp hands. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
- Third and final set of folds: Repeat the folding process all around the dough. The dough will become stronger and smoother. On the final fold, flip so the seam side is down and smooth side up.
- Transfer dough to pan and ferment: Slide the dough out of the bowl and into the oiled pan. Cover and rest at room temperature for 7 to 10 hours to allow full fermentation.
- Make the pizza sauce: In a bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and finely grated garlic until well combined.
- Prepare toppings: Grate mozzarella on the large holes of a box grater. Keep refrigerated if not using immediately.
- Preheat oven: 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450°F with a baking steel placed on the middle or lower third rack.
- Shape and sauce dough: When dough has filled the pan and appears bubbly and jiggly, use the back of a spoon to spread sauce evenly over dough to edges. Lightly oil fingers and dimple dough by poking straight down until touching pan bottom, repeating all over.
- Add cheese and toppings: Sprinkle grated mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Arrange pepperoni in alternating rows of 2 and 3 slices reaching edges. Finish with a dusting of pecorino romano. Let rest 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Bake: Place pan directly on preheated baking steel and bake 23-25 minutes until cheese is browned and crispy. Rotate pan after 17 minutes if browning unevenly.
- Garnish and cool: Immediately top with fresh basil ribbons. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove to a rack to avoid sogginess. Use scissors to slice and serve.
Notes
- Use diamond crystal kosher salt for best texture and consistent salinity; adjust if using other salts.
- Resting the dough for 7–10 hours at room temperature develops flavor and texture, similar to a slow ferment.
- Dimples in the dough help create the classic focaccia texture and prevent large bubbles.
- Preheating a baking steel ensures a crispy bottom crust.
- Cutting pizza with scissors makes slicing easier especially with thick focaccia crust.
- Store leftover pizza refrigerated and reheat in the oven for best texture.
Keywords: focaccia pizza, thick crust pizza, crispy pizza, homemade pizza dough, pepperoni pizza, Italian pizza, pizza sauce, pecorino romano, mozzarella pizza
