This pepperoni and cheese pizza focaccia is everything you love about classic pizza—golden crust, melty cheese, and rich tomato sauce—baked into a pillowy homemade focaccia.
It’s a fun, flavour-packed twist that’s perfect for sharing, and a great option if you’re looking for easy homemade pizza recipes or a simple focaccia recipe with toppings.
Finished with a garlicky, oregano homemade pizza sauce, it’s ideal for weeknight dinners, casual gatherings, or weekend baking.
Ingredients You'll Need to Make this Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza Focaccia
Focaccia
- High-grade flour: also referred to as bread or strong flour. It provides the structure and texture for the focaccia, creating a soft, airy crumb.
- Instant yeast: helps the dough rise and develop its characteristic fluffy texture. Note: You can also use active dried yeast, just make sure to dissolved it first. To do so, whisk the yeast into the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy. Then, you can go ahead and mix it into the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt: enhances the flavour of the dough and helps balance the richness of the toppings.
- Warm water: activates the yeast, ensuring a good rise. The ideal temperature is between 37°C to 43°C.
- Olive oil: gives the focaccia its tender crumb and rich flavour, as well as a golden, crispy crust. It also helps ensure it doesn’t stick to your hands when your dimpling the dough.
Pizza Sauce
- Diced tomatoes: the base of the sauce, providing a rich, tangy flavour. As it reduces with the other ingredients, it deepens in taste and complexity.
- Dried oregano: gives the sauce a fragrant, earthy flavour. You could also used fresh herbs or dried mixed herbs.
- Garlic: adds a savoury depth to the sauce.
- Salt and pepper: enhance the flavours and balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Toppings
- Sliced salami: adds a savoury, slightly spicy kick to the focaccia, with crispy edges when baked. I’ve gone with a chorizo salami for this one.
- Cheese: provides the melt-in-your-mouth creamy texture. Feel free to use your favourite cheese, from mozzarella and cheddar to Edam, or even a blend of your favourites.
- Rocket: also known as arugula adds a peppery, fresh contrast to the richness of the cheese and salami. It is optional but highly recommended!
How to Make this Pizza Focaccia
Making this pizza focaccia is a fun and rewarding process that combines the soft, airy texture of focaccia with the delicious flavours of pizza. Here’s an overview of the steps, along with a few extra tips to ensure success:
Focaccia
1. Prepare the Dough
- Start by mixing flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment.
- Add the water slowly while the mixer is on low speed, kneading until the dough comes together.
- Turn up the mixer to medium speed and knead until the dough is soft and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Drizzle in the olive oil and continue kneading until fully incorporated.
2. Let the Dough Rise
- Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
Tip: This step is crucial for getting that light, airy texture.
3. Shape and Rest
- Once risen, form the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled baking tray. Let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the dough.
- Then, gently press it into the tray and cover it to rest for another hour until it doubles in size again.
Tip: While the dough is resting, go ahead and prepare the pizza sauce.
Note: I used a medium-large baking tray with sides for this focaccia, which results in a fluffy bread with a great balance of topping to bread.
Pizza Sauce
1. Make the Pizza Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine diced tomatoes, oregano, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes.
Tip: This will allow the sauce to thicken and the flavours to deepen.
2. Preheat your Oven
- As the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 200°C (Fan Bake).
- Place a small baking tray at the bottom to heat up.
Note: later you’ll add water to this tray, which will create steam to help the focaccia rise and become extra fluffy while baking.
3. Prepare the Dough for Baking
- Once the dough has doubled in size, drizzle over olive oil and rub it evenly across the surface.
- Gently press your fingertips into the dough, creating deep and even dimples across the entire surface
Tip: dimpling creates those signature indentations of a focaccia and helps the dough bake perfectly.
4. Bake the Focaccia
- Add a cup of water to the preheated tray in the oven to create steam, then place the focaccia tray on the rack directly above it.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the focaccia is lightly golden.
Toppings
1. Top with Pizza Ingredients
- Once baked, remove the focaccia from the oven and spread the pizza sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle with cheese and top with pepperoni, then return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
2. Finish and Serve
- Allow the pizza focaccia to cool slightly in the tray for about 10 minutes before removing.
- Garnish with fresh rocket, cut into 16 pieces (or as desired), and enjoy!
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Watch this Pizza Focaccia in Action
If you give this Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza Focaccia a go, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter on Instagram so that I can see all your wonderful creations!
Until next time, stay curious!
Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza Focaccia with Homemade Pizza Sauce
A soft, golden focaccia topped with pepperoni, melted cheese, and a rich homemade pizza sauce. Easy to make and perfect for sharing. It’s a fun twist on classic pizza that’s great for lunch, dinner, or weekend baking.
Ingredients
Focaccia
- 260g high-grade flour
- 16g instant yeast
- 8g salt
- 250ml water warmed
- 45ml + 30ml olive oil
Pizza Sauce
- 400g can diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
Toppings
- 75g salami
- 1 cup grated cheese
- rocket optional
Instructions
Focaccia
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the hook attachment, mix flour, yeast and salt.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the water and knead until well combined.
- Turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead until the dough is soft and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Stream in the oil, with the mixer on low and knead until the oil is just incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Bring the dough together into a ball and place in a large, well-oiled baking tray. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Press the dough into the tray, cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. While the dough is resting, make the pizza sauce.
Pizza Sauce
- Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, and garlic to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to Fan Bake 200℃ and place a small baking tray on the bottom rack of your oven to heat up.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, drizzle with olive oil and rub over the surface. Dimple the dough with your fingertips, pressing firmly to create deep, even indentations across the dough.
- Add 1 cup of water to the warmed baking tray in the oven. Then, place the focaccia on the rack directly above it. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden.
Topping
- Once the focaccia is lightly golden, carefully remove it from the oven and spread the pizza sauce all over the top.
- Sprinkle over cheese, then top with pepperoni.
- Bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until golden and the cheese has melted.
- Set aside to cool in the tray for 10 minutes. Then, remove from the tray, garnish with rocket and cut into 16 pieces or as desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
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