Making this Pizza Dough Focaccia Bread will change your mind about baking bread! So simple and easy, you can turn everyday pizza dough into a soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside baked treat.
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This Pizza Dough Focaccia Bread will change how you feel about baking bread. No longer does it need to be a lengthy process. Simply buy or make your own pizza dough, lather it in extra virgin olive oil and salt, and enjoy with a wealth of toppings.
Why make focaccia bread from pizza dough? Because it’s easy! Either use homemade or storebought dough, leave it to rest, decorate, and then bake!
Focaccia from pizza dough is still fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Besides, pizza crust and classic focaccia bread are already so similar! Each bite is delightfully simple, yet flavorful and perfect to slice in half for Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, to dip in Zuppa Toscana Soup, or to enjoy on its own.
What is focaccia bread?
Focaccia is a simple Italian bread very similar to pizza crust. It’s made with flour, yeast, olive oil, and salt before it’s baked in a cast iron pan or rimmed baking sheet. The end result is a flat piece of fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside sandwich or pizza bread.
Homemade focaccia ingredients
- Pizza dough – The secret to making this recipe extra quick is to either make your own pizza dough ahead of time (or always keep a batch in the freezer) or buy it from a store.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Use a high quality oil for the best results. It must be EVOO as it has a light flavor and complements the salt, vegetables, and herbs on top.
- Salt – Flaky or coarse sea salt is best.
How to make focaccia bread from pizza dough
- Start by resting the pizza dough in a warm place so it’s easily moldable.
- Coat your pan with extra virgin olive oil and shape the dough so it hits the edges of the pan.
- Pour more oil over the top of the dough. Use your fingertips to poke the dough all over and make dimples.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rest for about 45 minutes.
- Add toppings for decoration and flavor before baking until the focaccia is golden brown.
- Let the finished focaccia rest for 10 minutes before you slice and enjoy.
Focaccia pizza toppings
Think of focaccia dough as a canvas; the plain, dimpled dough is meant to be decorated! You can keep it simple with some flaky salt and fresh rosemary in the dimples and go all out with vegetables and herbs.
These are some of my favorite toppings:
- Sliced red onions or shallots
- Pitted olives
- Cherry tomatoes
- Artichokes
- Fresh or roasted garlic
- Different herbs and herb flowers
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Sliced sweet or spicy peppers
Pro tip: Use the pizza dough focaccia as a replacement for traditional pizza crust. Layer tomato sauce, mozzarella, and red chili flakes over top. When it’s done baking, finish the focaccia pizza with burrata, basil, and prosciutto for a savory party-ready meal.
Tips and tricks
- Bake the focaccia dough on a rimmed baking sheet. This keeps the oil from spilling into the oven.
- You can also bake focaccia on a pizza pan or in a cast iron skillet (this will make the edges extra crispy).
- If you’re having trouble stretching the dough to meet the edges of the pan, let it rest for 15 minutes. This gives the gluten time to relax and loosen up.
- Don’t skip the dimples! They keep the bread from rising too quickly in the oven.
Storing and freezing
Baked focaccia bread can be covered and kept at room temperature for 2 days.
To freeze, wrap it very well in plastic before freezing it for up to 2 months. Let it thaw at room temperature or speed it up by heating the bread in 15-second intervals in the microwave.
Focaccia is always best when it’s warm, so feel free to warm the thawed bread in a 350ºF oven for 8 minutes or in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Enjoy your easy focaccia with these dishes
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Italian Tomato Burrata Salad
- Spaghetti with Garlic Herb Breadcrumbs
- Grilled Skirt Steak
Did you try this Pizza Dough Focaccia Bread? Don’t forget to tell me what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
Pizza Dough Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough or use store-bought pizza dough
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided, use really good olive oil for best results
- 2 tsp flaky sea salt or coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Prep Dough: Make homemade pizza dough, using my recipe. If using store-bought pizza dough, let it rest for at least 30-45 minutes somewhere warm. Remove from the bag before adding to the pan.
- Mold dough to the Pan: Coat a 9×13 pan with 2 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Add the dough and gently stretch to the edges. If it is difficult to stretch, rest 10-15 minutes and try again then cover with a damp towel and rest for 45-60 minutes.
- Create the Dimples: Top dough with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, using your fingertips poke into the dough going straight down in a quick motion like playing the piano. Go over the dough a few times to create a lot of dimples.
- Topping Options: Add your favorite toppings. To keep it simple, add flaky salt and fresh rosemary in the dimples. For fun toppings try adding sliced red onions or shallots, pitted olives, cherry tomatoes, fresh or roasted garlic, different herbs, shredded parmesan cheese, sliced sweet or spicy peppers. Get creative with the design.
- Bake the Focaccia: Bake at 450˚F for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. I go for 25 minutes for a crisp crust. Immediately transfer bread to a wire rack and rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Kaylene
I’ve made this many times before but this time I did the wet paper towel on top of rising dough & that was an epic failure. It stuck & I lost dough & some of the rise. Won’t do it that way again.
They did out & smell wonderful. My sons family just adores focaccia bread anytime I make it.
lena
Sorry to hear that Kaylene, that’s why I have it in my directions to use a damp towel, sometimes I’ll use plastic wrap but make sure you have some oil on top, to prevent sticking.
Donna
Really easy, really fast, couldn’t have been happier with both the pizza dough recipe and the focaccia itself.
lena
So happy to hear that Donna, thank you for trying my recipe.
Donna K.
Excellent! I took it out of the cast iron pan a little early and put it directly on the oven rack to crisp up really nicely. I used flaky salt and put on a little too much. Ugh! I’m going to make again to get it just right. Will be nice w/ a big antipasto! T/Y.
lena
Ohh I am so happy you loved this recipe Donna. Yes, always best to start with less salt and add more if needed. Thank you for sharing your review.
Jelle
Delicious recipe!
My only suggestion would be to not use extra virgin olive oil (but virgin olive oil or regular) because heating extra virgin olive oil can be unhealthy.
lena
thank you for your suggestion
Michele
I’m so excited to try this!!!
lena
Can’t wait to hear what you think, it’s such a great recipe.
ciotebaldi
The biggest problem I had was removing the flattened pizza dough from the pan. I tried using parchement paper, but it slipped a lot when rolling to get it nice and flat. I’m working on it. Any ideas?
lena
The best tip is to let the dough rest enough, you should be using your fingers to spread it in the pan and not roll it out. And if you let it rest in between the dough will relax and be easier to handle. Hope that helps.