This Sourdough Focaccia Pizza recipe creates a thick, pan-style pizza with a soft, fluffy crust and deliciously crispy edges. Made with a simple sourdough focaccia dough, pizza sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese, it can be ready the same day or refrigerated overnight.
Pan pizza, also called "bar pizza" here in Massachusetts, is known for its thick crust and crispy, cheesy edges that give it tons of flavor and texture - truly one of my favorite pizza styles!
So, how do you make pan pizza even better? By making it with homemade sourdough focaccia, of course!
For this sourdough focaccia pizza recipe, I started with my sourdough discard focaccia as the base (you could also use my whole wheat sourdough focaccia). Then, I added classic pizza toppings like marinara sauce, pizza seasoning, and mozzarella cheese.
Once baked, the fluffy texture of the focaccia contrasts beautifully with its crispy edges. And the sourdough adds a slight tanginess that complements the rich pizza toppings perfectly.
It's honestly one of the easiest and most delicious pizzas I've ever made at home (and my fiancé agrees!).
I'm so excited for you to give it a try and let me know what you think.
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Tips for Success
- Use fresh sourdough starter. For the best rise, use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard that is less than one week old.
- Make ahead. Proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight to make this recipe work for your schedule. Just let it warm to room temperature for a few hours before topping and baking.
- Try an aluminum baking pan. For that classic pan pizza look and taste, use an aluminum baking pan. Aluminum ensures your sourdough focaccia pizza bakes evenly, creating a crispy, golden brown crust, and deliciously lacy cheese edges.
- Wet your hands. This helps prevent the dough from sticking and makes stretching and folding easier.
- Line the pan with parchment paper. Lining the bottom of the baking pan with parchment paper provides extra insurance against sticking.
- Cover to prevent burning. If your toppings are browning too quickly, loosely cover the pizza with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are some notes on key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Sourdough Starter- You can use either an active sourdough starter or fresh sourdough discard (less than one week old) in this recipe.
- Bread Flour- Bread flour creates light and airy focaccia with a chewy texture that supports heavier pizza toppings well. You can also use all-purpose flour, which will yield a slightly different texture.
- Water- This sourdough focaccia pizza is made using a 90% hydration dough to help us achieve big, beautiful bubbles in the focaccia crust.
- Kosher Salt- Enhances the flavor of the dough.
- Olive Oil- Olive oil adds flavor to sourdough focaccia crust and keeps it from sticking to the pan.
- Pizza Toppings- I kept it simple with homemade marinara sauce, pizza seasoning, and freshly grated mozzarella cheese. Feel free to add whatever pizza toppings you like!
Choosing the Size of Your Baking Pan
Choosing the size of your baking pan will depend on your preference for the thickness and texture of your sourdough focaccia pizza.
Here are a few options to help you decide:
- 9"x13" Baking Pan: Ideal for a thicker focaccia pizza with crispy edges and a soft, fluffy interior.
- Two 8" or 9" Square or Round Pans: Great for making thicker focaccia pizzas with various toppings.
- Half Sheet Pan (18"x13"): Produces a thinner focaccia pizza with a crispier crust.
How to Make Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Here is how to make focaccia pizza with sourdough.
Step 1: Mix the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, warm water, sourdough starter, and kosher salt until well mixed. The dough will have a batter-like consistency. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Stretch and folds. Wet your hand and grab one edge of the dough. Pull it up and over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat up to 16 times around the bowl. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Repeat this process 5 more times (6 sets total) every 15 minutes. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook for faster kneading.
Step 3: Bulk fermentation. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a clean bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, ensuring it's coated with oil and not sticking to the sides. Brush some oil on top of the dough. Cover and let it rise at room temperature until doubled, about 4 hours in a 75°F kitchen.
Step 4: Transfer dough to baking pan. Line the bottom of your baking pan(s) with parchment paper and oil it with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your fingers to gently spread it out. If it springs back, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again.
Step 5: Proof. Cover the dough and let it proof until noticeably puffy, about 2 hours.
Step 6: Poke the dough. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Lightly oil your hands and use your fingertips to poke the dough all over to redistribute air bubbles.
Step 7: Add toppings. Drizzle the top of the focaccia with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Top with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and toppings of your choice.
Step 7: Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. If the cheese starts browning too much before the focaccia is done baking, loosely cover the pan with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
Step 8: Cool and serve. Allow the focaccia pizza to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Cut into pieces and serve warm.
Storage
Store cooled sourdough focaccia pizza in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Place slices of sourdough focaccia pizza on a baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until hot.
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Let's Connect!
Be sure to leave a comment below if you have any questions. You can also connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or via email at [email protected].
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Equipment
- 9"x13" aluminum baking pan (or two 8" or 9" round or square baking pans; or a half sheet tray [for thinner pizza with a crispier crust])
- Parchment paper optional
Ingredients
- 500 grams (4 cups + 3 tablespoons) bread flour
- 450 grams (1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons) warm water 80-90℉
- 100 grams (½ cup) sourdough starter discard less than one week old (or active sourdough starter)
- 10 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of choice optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, warm water, sourdough starter, and kosher salt until well mixed. The dough will have a batter-like consistency. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.500 grams (4 cups + 3 tablespoons) bread flour, 450 grams (1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons) warm water, 100 grams (½ cup) sourdough starter discard, 10 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt
- Wet your hand and grab one edge of the dough. Pull it up and over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat up to 16 times around the bowl. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Repeat this process 5 more times (6 sets total) every 15 minutes. Alternatively, knead using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment on medium-low speed for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a clean bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, ensuring it's coated with oil and not sticking to the sides. Brush some oil on top of the dough. Cover and let it rise at room temperature until doubled, about 4 hours in a 75°F kitchen.
- Line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment paper and oil it with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your fingers to gently spread it out. If it springs back, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again.
- Cover the dough and let it proof until noticeably puffy, about 2 hours.
- About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Lightly oil your hands and use your fingertips to poke the dough all over to redistribute air bubbles.
- Drizzle the top of the focaccia with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Top with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and toppings of your choice.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup pizza sauce, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, Toppings of choice
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. If the cheese starts browning too much before the focaccia is done baking, loosely cover the pan with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
- Allow the focaccia pizza to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Cut into pieces and serve warm.
Notes
- Try sprinkling a little homemade pizza seasoning on top for extra flavor!
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Kate says
Oh man, I can’t wait to make this! At what point can it be refrigerated if you wanted to break up the process?
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Kate! You can let the dough do most of its bulk fermentation in the refrigerator (which will take about a day or two) or stick it in the refrigerator after stretching it out into the pan (after bulk fermentation). It's a very flexible recipe! As long as it doubles in size and gets nice and bubbly, it should be good to go. Hope this helps! 🙂
Alison S. says
Ph my goodness , this recipe turned out so delicious! I opted for a BBQ pizza and used BBQ sauce and pulled pork and I can’t begin to describe how yummy it was!
My dough was quite runny, so I did end up using more flour than the recipe called for, but perfect nonetheless! Thank you for sharing!!
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Alison! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Pulled pork and BBQ sauce on focaccia sounds delicious!! 🙂
Katie says
Can you substitute whole wheat flour?
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Katie! I haven't tested this specific recipe with whole wheat flour, but you can definitely experiment with substituting a portion of the flour with whole wheat. The more whole wheat flour you use, the tighter and more dense the crumb will be. I'd also recommend increasing the hydration a bit when using whole wheat flour. Hope this helps!
Kerry says
If I use the stand mixer for kneading, about how long should I go for each of the 6 rounds?
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hey Kerry! 🙂 You don't have to do rounds if you're using the stand mixer. You can just knead the dough for about 15-20 minutes on medium speed until it's more elastic, stretchy, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Abby says
I added way more flour then stated and it was still a wet sloppy mess!
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Abby! This dough is designed to be high hydration — around 90% — so it will feel very wet and slack at first, which is totally normal. It needs to be developed either through a series of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation or mixed in a stand mixer until the gluten is well-developed and the dough becomes smoother and more elastic. Adding a significant amount of extra flour can throw off the hydration and final texture, so if you give it another go, I’d recommend working with the dough as-is and focusing on building strength through proper mixing or folding. I’m happy to help troubleshoot more if you try it again!
Jan Wheeler says
Hi, I made this last week using my active starter, and it was wonderful. Now wanting to make this tomorrow using discard when I make my discard bagels , as I have sooo much discard. 2 questions, I'm used to high hydration dough and long bulk fermentation, but if my starter is discard, should I add a few grams of yeast? Also, I want to add my roasted garlic I make and the roasted red peppers and caramelized onions to it as I do with other pizza dough recipes, ( not in all the dough. I normally do just half, but gives an incredible taste to the crust). When in this dough process can I add them? Thank you
Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN says
Hi Jan! So glad you enjoyed it - thank you! 😊 If your discard is only a few days old and has been stored in the fridge, you can absolutely try using it without added yeast - it might just take a little longer to rise. But if you’re unsure how strong it is, adding a few grams of yeast definitely won’t hurt and can help move things along.
As for the roasted garlic, red peppers, and caramelized onions (yum!), you could mix them in during the stretch and fold phase to help distribute everything evenly. I haven’t tried mix-ins with this dough yet, so I can’t say for sure how it’ll turn out—but I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!