Sourdough focaccia pizza
Sourdough focaccia pizza is a delicious Detroit-style pizza with a soft, fluffy focaccia crust. It is topped with homemade tomato sauce and your favorite toppings, making this pan pizza the perfect choice for lunch!
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Why you will love this easy focaccia pizza recipe
- Sourdough focaccia pizza feeds a crowd!
- You can bake it in a pan or as a sheet pizza.
- Kids love to help bake pizza! Let them add their favorite toppings and cheese.
- It's got those crispy edges that we all love, and the center is super soft and fluffy.
- Making sourdough focaccia pizza is also a great way to save over-proofed dough!
Ingredient notes
Sourdough starter: To make the dough, you need an active starter. I recommend feeding your sourdough starter a few hours before you begin. If you want to have your pizza for dinner, feed your starter the night before, before going to bed.
Flour: You can use all-purpose flour to make this recipe, but for a softer, fluffier focaccia pizza, it is better to use bread flour.
Pizza sauce: You can use store-bought pizza sauce or make your own from scratch for sourdough focaccia pizza. My favorite pizza sauce recipe is included below.
Cheese: I love a combination of mozzarella and Gouda cheese on top of my pizza.
How to make sourdough focaccia pizza
Day one: Make your pizza sauce and feed your starter
The night before you want to make your pizza, you feed your starter. This will give it enough strength to create your focaccia dough.
I like to make my pizza sauce the night before I want to make my sourdough focaccia pizza. You can do this on day two, but making the sauce ahead gives it a much better flavor!
Day two: Make your sourdough focaccia pizza & add toppings
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and mix in your starter, water, and olive oil. Let it sit for half an hour before you stretch and fold the dough and cover it with olive oil. Now it’s time to cover your bowl and let it rise for 3-12 hours.
If you want to serve your pizza for lunch, you should do this step on day one.
After the bulk rise, you want to line a baking dish with parchment paper and transfer your dough into the dish. Make sure to press down your dough and let it rise for another 2-3 hours.
Drizzle more olive oil on top and make dimples by pressing your fingers into the dough.
Next, you spread the sauce over your dough and add your favorite toppings.
Place your sourdough focaccia in your hot oven and bake until the cheese has melted, and the crust is nice and golden.
Toppings
- Pepperoni
- olives
- cheese
- ham
- red onions, tomato, and pesto
Our tips for the best sourdough focaccia pizza
- Feed your starter a few hours before starting. This ensures your starter is active and ready to make focaccia pizza! We have included this step in the baker’s schedule.
- Make your pizza sauce the day before you make the pizza. This will save you a lot of time and give the sauce time to develop the best flavors.
Frequently asked questions
It is super soft and has more moisture than regular pizza dough, and that is what makes it perfect for pan-bakes Detroit-style pizzas like this sourdough focaccia pizza.
Absolutely! After bulk fermenting the dough, you can pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to make your pizzas! The second rise may take a little more time, so I recommend taking your dough out of the fridge and letting it come to temperature before you begin.
Storage & reheating
Sourdough focaccia pizza says fresh for up to four days, so it is perfect for meal prep! You can also freeze your pizza to have an easy lunch ready for busy days. Frozen, it will last about six months.
To reheat your pizza, let it thaw on your counter and place it in a preheated oven until warm.
More easy sourdough recipes to try next
Sourdough focaccia pizza
Equipment
- 1 9×9-inch baking pan
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter fed & active
- 1 1/4 cups water 250 ml
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups flour 500 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the pizza sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 8 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Toppings
- Cheese grated
- Olives cut into rings
- Mozarella shredded
Instructions
How to make the pizza sauce
- Add the olive oil to your pan and cook the onions until soft.
- Let them sauté for 7-8 minutes to slightly caramelize them. This will give your sauce extra flavor!
- After 7 minutes you add the garlic, seasoning, and sugar and cook them for another minute.
- Stir in your crushed tomatoes and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until your sauce is thick enough.
- Season with salt and pepper before storing it in a heatproof container.
How to make the focaccia pizza crust
- Feed your starter a few hours before you want to make your sourdough focaccia pizza to make sure it is active.
- Add your starter, olive oil and water to a large bowl and mix them until combined.
- Once the water and sourdough starter are completely combined, you add the flour and salt and mix until all the dry bits are gone.
- Let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes before kneading it into a rough dough.
- Grab one end of the dough with well oiled fingers and fold it over itself.
- Rotate your bowl and fold over all the other sides as well.
- Cover your bowl with olive oil and transfer your dough into the bowl.
- Drizzle more olive oil on top, cover your bowl, and let it bulk rise for 8-12 hours. How long the bulk rise takes depends on the temperature of your kitchen, so keep an eye on your dough.
- Once your dough has almost doubled in size, transfer it to your greased baking pan and press it down.
- Cover the pan and let it proof for another 2-3 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (180C).
- Uncover your dough and make dimples with your fingers.
- Cover the focaccia pizza crust with pizza sauce and add your toppings.
- Add the cheese and place your sourdough focaccia pizza in the center of your oven.
- Bake the pizza for 25-30 minutes until the sides are golden and the cheese has melted.
A Detroit-style pizza is so good! This recipe comes out amazing and the best part is getting the kids involved. They love to help especially when it comes to making pizza. Thank you!
This was my first time working with sourdough and it turned out incredible! Thank you!
Great recipe with easy to follow instructions! Thank you!