Focaccia-base sheet pizza
Margherita Focaccia Pizza
Sweet San Marzano-style tomato, milky torn fresh mozzarella, and basil over a tall, olive-oil-crisped focaccia base — the red-white-green classic, sheet-pan style.
- Total
- 4 hr
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hydration
- 70%
- Skill
- beginner
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Proof a 70% hydration focaccia dough in an oiled sheet pan, top with lightly salted raw crushed tomatoes, and bake at 250°C/480°F for about 15 minutes. Add drained, torn fresh mozzarella for the last few minutes and finish with basil and olive oil after it comes out.
Why this works
A 70% hydration base is sturdy enough to carry wet toppings while staying airy. Draining the fresh mozzarella and adding it partway through baking stops it from releasing a puddle of whey; finishing basil off-heat keeps it green and fragrant instead of blackened.
The schedule
~35m hands-on of 4h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 35m
- Bulk ferment · 2h
- Proof · 1h
- Bake · 16m
- Cool · 8m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Mix
Whisk flour and yeast; add water and 15 g oil, then salt. Mix to a shaggy, sticky dough with no dry flour.
Look for: Wetter and stickier than a hand-kneaded pizza dough, but firmer than plain focaccia.
- 2
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 2–3 stretch-and-folds over the first 90 minutes, then let rise until nearly doubled.
Look for: The dough looks bubbly and feels airy and extensible.
- 3
Pan and proof
Oil a 30×40 cm sheet pan well. Stretch the dough to the edges (rest and repeat if it fights back). Proof until puffy, about 1 hour.
Look for: It relaxes to fill the pan and jiggles when nudged.
Avoid: Don’t tear the dough forcing it into corners — rest it and let gravity help.
- 4
Sauce
Season the crushed tomatoes with a pinch of salt and a little oil. Dimple the dough lightly and spread the raw sauce in a thin, even layer, leaving a small border.
Look for: You should still see the dough color faintly through the sauce — thin is right.
- 5
Bake, then add cheese
Bake at 250°C/480°F for about 10 minutes, then scatter the drained, torn mozzarella and bake 4–6 minutes more until it melts and the base is crisp.
Look for: The cheese should be molten with the odd golden freckle; lift a corner and the underside is firm and browned.
- 6
Finish
Slide onto a rack, drizzle with olive oil, and tuck fresh basil over the top. Cool a few minutes before slicing.
Look for: Basil wilts slightly from the residual heat and smells sweet and peppery.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Airy and open, lighter than a thin-crust pizza.
- Crust: Crisp fried base; tender, tall edge.
- Height: About 2–3 cm tall.
- Color: Deep gold base with creamy white cheese pools and bright red sauce.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Watery, pale top | Fresh mozzarella added too early or not drained | Drain the mozzarella on paper towels and add it only for the final few minutes. |
| Blackened basil | Basil baked instead of finished | Always add basil after the pizza leaves the oven. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best fresh. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days.
Reheating: Re-crisp in a 220°C/425°F oven 4–6 minutes; skip the microwave.
Contains wheat/gluten and dairy.
Tools & ingredients for this focaccia
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Core pantry
- Bread flour (opens Amazon) ↗ — High-protein bread flour or Italian “00” both work.
- Fine sea salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fine sea salt for the dough.
- Instant yeast (opens Amazon) ↗ — Instant (or active dry) yeast keeps for months.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (opens Amazon) ↗ — Use a good EVOO you like the taste of.
- Passata / crushed tomatoes (opens Amazon) ↗ — Good canned tomatoes beat mediocre fresh.
Required pan & tools
- Half-sheet pan (33×46 cm / 13×18 in) (opens Amazon) ↗ — The workhorse for thinner focaccia and focaccia pizza, with room for a crisp, wide base.
- Baking steel (opens Amazon) ↗ — Stores and transfers intense heat for a crisper base — most useful for focaccia pizza.
- Pizza wheel / rocker (opens Amazon) ↗ — Clean, fast cuts through a topped focaccia pizza without dragging the cheese.
Fresh — buy local
- Cheese (opens Amazon) ↗ — Buy fresh from a good cheese counter or deli.
- Fresh herbs (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fresh is best; a windowsill pot works well.
You don’t need to buy everything here — many items are already in most kitchens. Fresh produce, cheese and herbs are best bought local and in season.
Frequently asked
- Is this a real Neapolitan Margherita?
- No — it is a home adaptation that borrows the Margherita’s tomato-mozzarella-basil flavor and puts it on a focaccia pan base, not a wood-fired Neapolitan crust.
- Can I use buffalo mozzarella?
- Yes, but it is wetter; drain it longer and add it near the very end of baking to avoid a soggy top.
Keep baking
In these collections
Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/margherita-focaccia-pizza · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.