Equipment
Sheet Pans and Baking Pans for Focaccia (Sizes and Metals)
From a 9x13 metal pan to a half-sheet, the pan you own sets the thickness, the crust, and the batch size. Here is how to match metal, color, and size to your focaccia.
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-11
Quick answer
For focaccia, a sturdy metal pan with at least a one-inch rim is the right tool, and the two most useful sizes are a 9x13 (about 23x33 cm) for a typical home batch and a half-sheet (about 33x45 cm) for larger ones. Light aluminum browns gently and forgivingly; dark metal browns faster and crisper, so lower the heat slightly if yours runs hot.
The sizes that matter: quarter, half, and 9x13
Three formats cover almost all home focaccia. A 9x13 metal baking pan (about 23x33 cm) with tall sides is the everyday workhorse and suits a batch built on roughly 400 to 500 grams of flour, giving a good, tall slab. A quarter-sheet pan is a similar footprint with a lower rim and does the same job for slightly thinner focaccia.
A half-sheet pan (about 33x45 cm) is the step up for entertaining or meal-prep quantities and needs a larger batch — think 600 to 800 grams of flour — or the dough spreads too thin and bakes dry. A quarter-sheet (about 23x33 cm) is the compact option and pairs neatly with smaller batches or splitting a recipe across two pans.
The rule that ties it together is dough-per-area: thickness is dough weight divided by pan area. Aim for roughly 0.4 to 0.5 grams of dough per square centimeter for a tall, pillowy focaccia, and 0.3 to 0.35 for a thinner, crisper one. Multiply the pan’s length by width in centimeters, then by your target, and you know how much dough the pan wants.
Rim height and why depth helps
A rim of at least one inch (2.5 cm) does two useful things. It contains high-hydration dough as it rises and spreads, and it gives the edges something to bake against, which builds tall, defined sides instead of a slab that runs flat to a thin lip. A completely flat cookie sheet with no rim is the wrong tool — oil and dough migrate off the edge.
Deeper pans (around 2 inches / 5 cm) suit thick, airy styles and hold more oil for a richer, fried base and sides. If you like soft, tender edges rather than crackly ones, tall straight walls shelter the perimeter as it bakes. Shallower rimmed sheets are fine for thinner focaccia where you want more crisp surface relative to crumb.
Whatever the depth, a flat, un-warped bottom is non-negotiable. A pan that has bowed from thermal shock creates hot spots, pools oil unevenly, and bakes a lopsided crumb. Heavier-gauge pans resist warping; very thin, flimsy ones are the usual culprits behind uneven browning.
Light versus dark metal
Color and finish change the crust as much as anything. Light, shiny aluminum reflects some radiant heat and browns the bottom gently and evenly. It is the most forgiving choice and genuinely hard to burn, which makes it a great default and the safer pick for beginners or fan-forced ovens that run hot.
Dark, anodized, or dark-coated metal absorbs more heat and browns the bottom faster and deeper, rewarding you with an aggressive crisp — but the window before scorching is narrower. If your pan is dark, consider dropping the oven temperature by about 10°C (15 to 25°F) or checking the bottom earlier, especially on a lower rack.
Nonstick coatings, usually dark, make release easy but share the fast-browning behaviour and can be scratched by metal tools, so treat them gently. For focaccia, a good coat of oil in the pan does most of the non-stick work regardless of surface, so you are not forced toward coated metal for release alone.
Aluminum versus steel (and coated versions)
Aluminum is the mainstream focaccia metal for good reason: it conducts heat quickly and evenly, is light to handle, and comes in the forgiving light finish. A heavier-gauge aluminized-steel commercial sheet pan combines aluminum’s conduction with steel’s stiffness, resisting warping better than thin pure-aluminum sheets — a durable, sensible choice.
Plain carbon steel and blued steel pans conduct well and, once seasoned, release nicely and build a deep crust, but they can rust if left wet and need a little care. Stainless steel alone is a poorer conductor and tends to brown unevenly, so it is not a first choice for focaccia bottoms, though clad or aluminum-cored versions behave better.
The honest summary: a sturdy light aluminum or aluminized-steel pan of at least medium gauge covers the vast majority of focaccia beautifully. Reach for darker or seasoned steel only if you specifically want faster, deeper browning and are willing to watch the bake more closely.
Sizing to your batch and splitting recipes
Rather than buying a pan to fit a recipe, size the dough to the pan you own. Work out the pan area in square centimeters, choose a dough-per-area target, and scale the recipe’s flour up or down to hit that dough weight. Because baker’s percentages are proportional, you keep the same hydration, salt, and oil and only change the flour.
Two smaller pans are a fine stand-in for one large pan of the same total area, and they often bake more evenly in a home oven than one big pan crowding the walls. If you are torn between sizes, a 9x13 metal pan and a half-sheet together handle almost everything from a weeknight slab to a party quantity.
A quick sanity check saves a bad bake: too much dough in a small pan bakes thick and gummy in the center, while too little in a big pan spreads thin, dries out, and bakes toward a cracker. Two minutes with the area math is cheaper than a failed slab.
Frequently asked
- What size pan should I use for focaccia?
- Match dough to area. A 9x13 metal pan (about 23x33 cm) suits a 400 to 500 gram flour batch; a half-sheet (about 33x45 cm) needs 600 to 800 grams. Aim for roughly 0.4 to 0.5 grams of dough per square centimeter for a tall slab.
- Light or dark metal for focaccia?
- Light aluminum browns gently and is hard to burn, making it the forgiving default. Dark or anodized metal browns faster and crisper but scorches sooner, so lower the oven by about 10°C and check the bottom early.
- Aluminum or steel?
- Aluminum or aluminized steel is the mainstream choice: fast, even conduction and light to handle, with aluminized steel resisting warping best. Seasoned carbon steel browns deeply but needs care; plain stainless conducts unevenly and is a weaker pick.
- Do I need a rim on the pan?
- Yes. A rim of at least one inch (2.5 cm) contains high-hydration dough and oil and gives the edges something to bake against for tall, defined sides. A flat, rimless cookie sheet lets oil and dough run off.
- Can I split one recipe across two pans?
- Yes. Two smaller pans equal one larger pan of the same total area and often bake more evenly in a home oven. Just divide the dough by weight so each pan gets its intended thickness.