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Have you tried focaccia-style pizza? It’s an irresistible combination of crispy and soft. This sourdough focaccia pizza is a delightful homage to the beloved Detroit-style pizza, which holds a special place in our family’s heart. Imagine a light and airy base, generously coated in olive oil, topped with homemade tomato sauce and loaded with three different types of cheese. It all comes together in melty perfection, creating a gooey and indulgent topping.
Detroit-style focaccia pizza holds cherished memories, like the pizza party we had the night before my wedding, where family and friends gathered to visit and enjoy this delicious style of pizza. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time. Pair it with a dessert-style mixed berry sourdough focaccia and get ready to fall in love with some seriously delicious pizza!
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Table of Contents
- Sample Sourdough Schedule for Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
- Ingredients in Sourdough Focaccia Style Pizza
- Focaccia Style Pizza Dough
- Making a Levain
- Mixing Dough for Detroit Style Pizza
- Coil Folding to Strengthen the Dough
- End Bulk Fermentation
- Shaping Detroit Style Pizza and Proofing the Dough
- Homemade Pizza Sauce for Detroit Style Pizza
- Top Pizza and Bake
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sourdough Focaccia Pizza Recipe
Sample Sourdough Schedule for Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
Pizza made with 100% natural yeast takes extra time. Because of this I like to start my sourdough recipes with a sample schedule to visualize what the timing looks like. This sample schedule assumes the dough temperature will be maintained at 78 degrees F throughout this process.
| Day 1 | |
| 9:00 PM – 9:00 AM | Mix Levain (1:10:10, overnight or about 12 hours) |
| Day 2 | |
| 9:00 AM | Begin Bulk Fermentation Fermentolyse: Mix Flour, Water and Levain |
| 9:30 AM | Add Salt and Mix. Let rest. |
| 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Coil Fold #1 Coil Fold #2 Coil Fold #3 Coil Fold #4 |
| 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Finish Bulk Fermentation |
| 1:00 PM | Shape Dough into Pizza Pan or optional Cold Ferment |
| 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Top Pizza and Bake |
Ingredients in Sourdough Focaccia Style Pizza
- Sourdough Starter: Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix the levain.
- Bread Flour: I almost always use bread flour for any bread that I am kneading. My bread flour is purchased from a local mill and is about 12.5% protein content. If you don’t have bread flour on hand, make sure to include some vital wheat gluten.
- Salt: Salt is added after a fermentolyse to help the gluten strands develop. It’s important to balance the flavors. Don’t leave it out.
- Pizza Sauce: A quick, stovetop pizza sauce enhances the flavor of this pizza (recipe included below). You can use a favorite jarred sauce if you prefer.
- Cheese: Wisconsin Brick Cheese is traditional in Detroit-style pizza. I can’t find that locally, so I used a combination of mozzarella, havarti and montery jack instead.
Focaccia Style Pizza Dough
Sourdough Focaccia is already one of my favorite sourdough recipes to make, so it’s no wonder that adding pizza toppings would make it taste even better. This pizza is made with a focaccia dough base. It took a few tries to get the right ratio of focaccia to sauce/cheese/toppings but I think it’s now the perfect balance. This dough is easy to work with, smooth and bakes up into bubbly delicious focaccia style pizza. If you’re after a loaf version with the same flavors, check out my Sourdough Pizza Bread.
Making a Levain
I use a levain method for making sourdough. You can read more about that here.
For this recipe I use an overnight levain (about 1:10:10 ratio), but you can choose what ratio works best for you. Mix together:
- 5 grams ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 45 grams all purpose or bread flour
- 45 grams water
Before mixing, take the temperature of the sourdough starter and flour. If it is colder than the 75-80 degree range, use warm water to mix the levain. If the ingredients are warmer than 75-80 degrees, use cooler water. The goal is for the levain to be in the 75-80 degree temperature range. After mixing, cover loosely and let sit for about 10-12 hours (at 75-80 degrees F). If you want to mix levain the same day you mix the pizza , mix a 1:1:1 levain with 35 grams ripe sourdough starter, 35 grams flour and 35 grams water. Let sit for 3-4 hours until bubbly, doubled in size and barely beginning to fall back down.
Mixing Dough for Detroit Style Pizza
Sourdough focaccia pizza dough is easily mixed by hand. You can also use a stand mixer for part of the process, but I find it just as easy to mix with your hands. I also like using a dough whisk at the beginning for the very sticky parts.
Fermentolyse: Mix together the ripe levain, bread flour and water. Let rest for 30 minutes to allow the gluten strands to begin forming. This is an easy, hands-off way to strengthen the dough.
After 30 minutes, add the salt and pinch together the dough with your fingers, completely incorporating the salt into the dough. Transfer the dough to a shallow container (a glass baking dish works well) and cover. Wait another 30 minutes for the dough to rest and then perform your first set of coil folds. You will perform 3-4 sets of coil folds total over 1.5-2 hours.
Coil Folding to Strengthen the Dough
The coil fold is a technique of picking up the dough from the middle and letting the dough fall down onto and under itself, resulting in a coil. Once the dough is initially mixed, it will be very sticky. Place the dough in a rectangular container or glass pan. Cover it and let it sit. After half an hour, open the container and perform 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky for this first set of coil folds but will strengthen over time. Wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. Don’t worry if the dough is super sticky for the first one or two coil folds. It will transform into beautiful dough throughout this process. You can watch a coil fold here.
End Bulk Fermentation
Total bulk fermentation time is calculated from the time the levain is mixed with the flour until the dough is ready to be shaped or moved to the pizza pan. Typically this takes about 4-5 hours if the dough is kept at 78 degrees F. If the dough is cooler, it will take a little longer. If the dough is warmer it will go faster. Look for these signs that the dough is ready to end the bulk fermentation stage:
- Dough will be puffed up and you may notice a 20% rise
- Dough will start to round and pull away from the edges just a bit
- Dough will be aerated, smooth and strong
- Bubbles will be scattered around the edges and maybe a few in the middle of the dough
Cold Bulk Ferment: At this point you can stick the dough in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours if you prefer to bake this pizza later. Add a couple hours to the rise time to account for the cold before you top and bake the pizza.
Shaping Detroit Style Pizza and Proofing the Dough
Generously oil a 12 inch round or 9 by 13 baking pan (on the darker side–no glass pans). Oil should cover the entire bottom of the pan. Place the dough on top of the oil and gently stretch it. Cover the dough and come back to it about 10 minutes later to stretch it out some more. The goal is to get the dough to loosely fill the pan. If the dough starts to tear, stop stretching, let it rest and come back to it a few minutes later. Let the dough rise about 2-3 hours until light, airy and bubbly.
A note about the pan: Detroit-style pizza is traditionally made in a square baking pan. and slices are cut into squares. I am a big fan of using what you have available to you, so my pizza is baked in a circular 12-inch pan, which works just as well. Whatever pan you you use, just make sure it’s on the darker side for that crispy crust–no glass pans for this pizza! And if your dough is tricky getting out of the pan – add some parchment paper before you add your olive oil and dough.
Homemade Pizza Sauce for Detroit Style Pizza
This homemade pizza sauce is incredible, but if you have a favorite jarred sauce, you can use that too. While the dough is rising, prepare the pizza sauce. To a saucepan, add olive oil, garlic, oregano and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and sauté about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining ingredients (salt and sugar to taste). Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring as needed. Let cool before using. The sauce can be refrigerated for 3-5 days.
Top Pizza and Bake
Dimple the risen dough with your fingers and spread the cooled sauce over the dough, letting it fall into the nooks and crannies of the bubbly dough. Detroit-style focaccia pizza is known for the Wisconsin brick cheese that tops the focaccia crust. I can’t find that cheese locally, so I’ve found a mix of cheeses that makes a great pizza. Shred good quality mozzarella, havarti and monterey jack cheese. Sprinkle them on top of the sauce and then top with your desired toppings–I love a pineapple/pepperoni combination. Bake the pizza in a preheated 450 degree F oven for about 30 minutes until bubbly and baked through. Let the pizza cool just a minute before removing from the pan. Slice and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store any leftover pizza in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
If you don’t like a very soft interior crust, you can pre-bake the focaccia pizza base for 5 minutes, then quickly pull the pizza out of the oven and top with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake for 25 more minutes.
Detroit-style pizza is usually baked in a square or rectangular pan, but I love using my 12-inch non-stick USA pan for my sourdough focaccia and deep dish pizzas. With that said, I am a big proponent of using what you have. Just make sure you use a dark pan so you get those crispy edges! If your pan often has sticking issues – add some parchment paper to the pan before adding the olive oil and focaccia dough.
Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
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Equipment
Ingredients
Levain (about 1:10:10, 10-12 hours/overnight at 78-80ºF)
- 5 grams sourdough starter, about 1 teaspoon
- 45 grams all purpose flour, 1/3 cup
- 45 grams water, about 3 Tablespoons
Focaccia Pizza Dough
- 80 grams levain, about 1/3 cup
- 320 grams water, about 1 1/3 cup
- 400 grams bread flour, 12.5%-13% protein content, about 3 cups
- 12 grams salt, about 2 teaspoons
Pizza Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 Tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar, to taste
- salt to taste, see recipe note
Pizza Toppings
- 114 grams mozzarella cheese, shredded, about 4 oz
- 114 grams monterey jack cheese, shredded, about 4 oz
- 114 grams havarti cheese, shredded or sliced, about 4 oz
- pepperoni or other desired toppings
Instructions
Levain (1:10:10, about 10-12 hours at 78-80ºF until ripe, bubbly and active)
- Mix together 5 grams ripe sourdough starter with 45 grams water and 45 grams flour. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature until bubbly and doubled in size.
Detroit Style Sourdough Focaccia Pizza
- Fermentolyse: To a bowl, mix together ripe levain, water and bread flour until combined. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Note: I sometimes skip this step and just mix the salt in with the dough, skipping the fermentolyse step if I'm short on time.
- Add Salt: After 30 minutes, add the salt. Use your fingers to pinch together the dough and mix with your hands until completely incorporated.
- Coil Folds: Get your hands wet and transfer the dough to a shallow container. A shallow container makes it easier to coil fold the dough, but you can also leave it in your mixing bowl if you want one less dish to wash. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold #1: Open the container and perform 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky for this first set of coil folds but will strengthen over time. Wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. I find it very helpful to watch this process before attempting it. You can watch a video of the coil fold here. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold # 2: Wet your hands. You will notice the dough is stronger than your first set of coil folds. Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold # 3: Wet your hands. Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Notice the dough is getting stronger and the coil folds are easier to perform. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold # 4: Repeat the coil fold 4-6 times. Cover and rest for 1 – 1.5 hours.
- End Bulk Fermentation: Look for the signs of the dough to end bulk fermentation. The dough will be puffed up, domed a little and scattered bubbles around the edges. This tells you the dough is ready for the next phase. Cold Ferment Option: At this point you can refrigerate the dough for 24-48 hours if desired. When you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you'll want to add an extra hour or two to the rise time to account for the cold dough.
- Prepare a Pan: Prepare a 12 inch baking pan with 1/4-1/3 cup good quality oil. Pour the oil in the pan and tip the pan around to cover the entire bottom.Note: If your pan is not non-stick or dough tends to stick to it – cut a layer of parchment paper to fit the pan and add it first. Then add the oil and focaccia dough.
- Proof: Place the dough into the oiled pan. Gently stretch the dough from the middle out, but don't worry if it doesn't fill the pan yet. Cover the dough. Wait about 10 minutes for the dough to relax and stretch it again. Do your best to fill the pan with the dough. Repeat after another 10 minute rest if needed. Let the dough rise for about 2-3 hours at 78 degrees F until light, airy and bubbly.
- Prepare Sauce: Prepare the pizza sauce while the dough is rising. To a saucepan, add the olive oil, garlic, oregano and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and sauté about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining ingredients (salt and sugar to taste). Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring as needed. Let cool before using. The sauce can be refrigerated for 3-5 days.
- Prepare Toppings: Grate the cheeses and prepare the pepperoni and any other toppings.
- Preheat Oven: About fifteen minutes before the dough is ready to top, preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Dimple and Top: Add a small drizzle of olive oil to the top of the dough. Dimple it by pressing your fingers into the dough, until it's dimpled all over and bubbly. Add about 1/3-1/2 of the pizza sauce over the top of the dough depending on your preference. Top with a combination of mozzarella, havarti and monterey jack cheeses and any other pizza toppings.
- Bake: Bake pizza for 30 minutes at 450ºF until bubbly and baked through. Wait 5-10 minutes before taking the pizza out of the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I plan on trying the recipe this weekend, but had a question. I am making things from scratch a lot these days and do extra and then freeze. Would this be a good recipe where I could make multiple batches and freeze, similar to a frozen pizza?
I would freeze this after baking, as 100% sourdough recipes like this shouldn’t be frozen for longer than a week or the sourdough will be killed off. With frozen pizza, the dough is par-baked, so it doesn’t have quite the same issue. I think this would be great to bake and freeze though!
This was delicious and well worth the time! We made ours with goat and vegan cheeses, bell peppers and green olives plus shallots in sauce. Can’t wait to play with more! O and using a big cast iron gave the crust the perfect golden edge!
Yum! That sounds delicious. Thanks for the review.
Why are you only using 1/3-1/2 of the sauce you made? Are you doing something different with the rest? Did I miss something? If not, why wouldn’t you just make a smaller batch of sauce? Thanks!
The sauce recipe uses one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, so it is easier to just make the full sauce recipe and save some for another pizza or another use. You can make a half batch of the tomato sauce if you prefer.
This recipe is a 10/10!! My family loves it so much and I recently took it to a girls night and everyone there loved as well. The texture! The flavor! Love it love it love it 👌🏻
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it worked out well!
Hi Amy – the dough came out beautiful but when I cooked it the cheese was way over-browned. Was I suppose to cover the pan for a portion of the baking time? I only cooked it for 25 mins. Very disappointing. I’d like to try it again because the dough was amazing. What would you recommend?
You can try loosely covering the pan with foil partway through baking to keep the cheese from over-browning. Every oven runs a little differently, so yours may just be baking hotter on top.
I don’t know why but every time I have tried to make this recipe the pizza ends up doughy. I cook longer and it doesn’t change anything.
I have used a different recipe with
Success – I wish I could figure out what I am
Doing wrong.
That’s so frustrating—especially when you’ve had success with other recipes, which means you’re definitely doing a lot right. When focaccia pizza turns out doughy even with longer baking, it’s usually not about time—it’s about heat and structure. A few common culprits: the dough may be underproofed (so it bakes up dense), the oven or pan may not be hot enough to set the bottom quickly, or the dough might be a bit too thick for the bake time. Focaccia dough is high hydration, so it needs strong heat to fully cook through.
Amy , sadly I have tried so hard to do your recipe and failed miserably, your grams to cups are way off ! I Point this out for as I was new at this I did the cup measurement. and now that I am doing sourdough on a more regular basis and have a lot more knowledge I thought I’d come back and revisit your recipe to find that is why I didn’t do well because your cups are off.😬 I share this anybody else is going to do this recipe for the cups. Please realize until Amy changes it they’re wrong.
Sorry about the difficulty! We always recommend using grams for the most accurate measurements. Cup measurements are tricky with sourdough because there is a high degree of variability with cup measurements.
Hi Amy! When you mention covering the dough during the coil folding process, should I be covering the container with a cloth/towel or should I be using a container that has a lid for a firm seal? Thank you!
A firm seal isn’t necessary. During the coil fold process I usually use a cloth or towel.
I make this often and love it. I’m needing to utilize the cold ferment for the first time. so, I let it rise the 1 to 1.5 hrs after the last coil fold, then refrigerate. Then when I remove it I immediately put it on the pan and shape with oil, but just give extra time to rise?
Yep! That is right.
This was super fast but in my humble opinion this was way too much dough for one pizza. I will definitely make again but I will divide into 2 pizzas. Ciao!
Sorry you thought it was too much dough. What size pan did you use? I recommend a 9 by 13 or 12 inch round. I have actually reduced the amount of dough in this recipe from my typical focaccia to make it not quite as thick for this pizza – maybe you like a little thinner crust? Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Amy! Do I do the cold ferment after the dough is place in my 9×13 pan? Your other focaccia recipe calls for that but this one sounds like you put the bowl in the fridge for cold ferment then the dough is poured into the pan. Thank you, I love your recipes!
The cold ferment in this recipe is optional, and it is before shaping and putting in the pan. Happy baking!