Focaccia Pizza
Or just plain ol’ focaccia if you please.
Focaccia is one of those things that I was never formally introduced to until my twenties. Little did I know that those Pizza Hut breadsticks I grew up demolishing were focaccia! Mind. Blown. Now we make focaccia bread often as a side dish for pastas and soups, but it also shines on its own as a sort of thick crust pizza. We typically love super crispy thin crust pizza, but put pizza toppings on focaccia bread? I’ll devour it.
This recipe will make a nice 12” cast iron skillet thick pizza, or you can split it into 2 smaller skillets around 6”-8”. We usually do it in the smaller skillets, so I’m writing the times to accommodate those. If you decide to do it as one large pizza, note that it’ll probably take longer. Adjust your baking times accordingly & don’t worry - it’s hard to truly mess this up!
Ingredients:
2c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1c warm water
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Step 01:
Combine salt, yeast and flour in a bowl & stir to combine.
Step 02:
Add the warm water to the dry ingredients and mix the dough just until it’s fully hydrated, no dry spots.
Step 03:
Toss a dish towel or bowl cozy over it and pop it in the oven with just the light on - NO HEAT. Or just put it in a warm location. You want to let it sit for at least 2 hours but up to 8 hours is fine.
Step 04:
Pour a tablespoon or so of your favorite olive oil into each of your cast iron skillets. Split the dough between the 2 skillets and flip it around in the olive oil a few times. Then, using your fingers, press the dough out so that it fills the entire bottom of the skillet. I like to drizzle a tad more olive oil on top at this point, plus salt and/or pepper.
Step 05:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and let the dough rest while the oven is preheating.
Step 06:
Bake the focaccia for 15-20 minutes or until it’s baked through. Then remove it from the oven, but leave the oven on.
NOTE: If you don’t want to make pizza, just the focaccia, go ahead and just bake your plain focaccia for a total of 20-30 minutes until it’s golden. If you’re doing this, make sure you add some yummy seasonings like rosemary or Italian seasoning & red pepper flakes on top.
Step 07:
Add your sauce, cheese and toppings.
Step 08:
Pop it back into the oven for 10-15 more minutes until your cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
Step 09:
Pull it back out of the oven, slice it up, and enjoy!
Do you have any questions?
As always, I encourage you to send me a message on my Instagram account (@calicocowacres) or email me if you have any recipe questions or need advice while making it. I want my recipes to be something you can adapt and make your own - and I’m happy to help you do it!
