How to Make Focaccia from Store-Bought Pizza Dough

Why it works

Pizza dough and focaccia dough are close cousins — both are lean, yeasted, olive-oil-friendly wheat doughs. The differences are mostly hydration, oil, and how they are shaped and baked. That means a ball of pizza dough from the supermarket, the pizzeria, or your own leftovers can become genuinely good focaccia with a few adjustments, no mixing required.

The focaccia character — a crisp, oil-fried base, a dimpled top, and an open, tender crumb — comes largely from the pan, the oil, the dimpling, and a full proof. You add those to the dough you already have.

Choosing the dough

Fresh (refrigerated) pizza dough works best — a plain ball from the deli case, a pizzeria, or your own batch. Aim for enough to fill your pan: roughly 250–300 g of dough for a small quarter-sheet or 9-inch pan, 450–500 g for a standard 9×13. Two balls fill a half-sheet for a thinner focaccia.

Frozen dough is fine once fully thawed in the fridge. Avoid pre-shaped or par-baked crusts — you want a raw, relaxed ball you can stretch and proof.

The method, step by step

Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit, covered, at room temperature for 1–2 hours. Cold dough is tight and will fight you; warm dough stretches easily and rises. This rest is the single most important step.

Generously oil your pan — a few tablespoons of olive oil coating the whole base — then set the dough in and turn it to coat. Gently press and stretch it toward the edges. If it springs back, stop, cover it, and rest 15–20 minutes before stretching again; two or three gentle rounds fill the pan without tearing.

Let the panned dough proof, covered, until visibly puffy and pillowy — usually 45–90 minutes depending on warmth. Then oil your fingertips and press dimples all over, right down toward the pan. Drizzle with more oil, add toppings and flaky salt, and bake in a hot oven, about 220°C (425°F), for 20–25 minutes until deep golden. Lift it onto a rack so the base stays crisp.

How it differs from scratch focaccia

Store pizza dough is usually a bit lower in hydration and oil than a dedicated focaccia dough, so the crumb may be slightly tighter and less wildly open than a high-hydration scratch focaccia. It is still tender and delicious — just a touch more bread-like.

You can nudge it closer to classic focaccia by being generous with the pan and surface oil and by not rushing the proof. What you give up in maximum airiness you gain in speed: this is focaccia in about an hour of mostly hands-off time, with none of the mixing and folding.

Toppings and timing

Treat toppings exactly as you would for any focaccia: rosemary and flaky salt for a classic; halved cherry tomatoes, thin onion, olives, or garlic oil for more. Press toppings into the dimples so they anchor, and pre-cook or thin any wet or dense toppings so they do not weep or stay raw.

If your dough was very cold or the kitchen is cool, give the proof more time — judge by the puffy, pillowy look, not the clock. Under-proofed pizza dough bakes dense; a patient proof is what gives it focaccia lift.