Cooking focaccia in a pizza oven produces a result that’s hard to achieve any other way – a golden, deeply blistered crust with an airy, open interior and a richly olive-oiled base. The high heat creates texture and flavour that a regular oven simply can’t match.
Ingredients
- 500g strong bread flour (or 00 flour)
- 375ml warm water
- 7g fast-action dried yeast
- 10g fine salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 6 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- Flaky sea salt for topping
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Make the Dough
Step 1: Mix
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave for 5 minutes until frothy. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix until a rough, wet dough forms – focaccia dough is significantly wetter and stickier than pizza dough. Don’t be alarmed by the consistency.
Step 2: Develop the Dough
Instead of traditional kneading, use the stretch-and-fold method. Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, wet your hand and stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat on all four sides. Do this 3-4 times in total. The dough will become smoother and more elastic with each fold.
Step 3: Cold Ferment (Recommended)
Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (12-24 hours). This slow ferment develops complex flavour and makes the focaccia significantly better. If you’re short on time, a 2-hour room-temperature rise works but the flavour won’t be as deep.
Prepare the Pan
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 30x20cm baking tray or cast iron pan. Tip the dough into the pan and gently stretch it to fill the pan as much as possible. Don’t force it – if it springs back, leave it for 15 minutes and try again. Cover and leave to proof at room temperature for 45-60 minutes until puffed and bubbly.
Dimple and Top
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the surface. With oiled fingers, press deep dimples all over the dough, pushing almost to the bottom of the pan. The oil will pool in the dimples – this is exactly right. Scatter rosemary sprigs into the dimples and finish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt.
Cooking in the Pizza Oven
Temperature
This is the key difference from cooking pizza. You don’t want the oven at full 500°C for focaccia. Let the pizza oven cool to around 280-320°C after preheating, or reduce the gas flame to a low-medium setting. Too hot and the top will char before the interior cooks through.
Cooking
Place the pan directly on the pizza stone. At 280-320°C, the focaccia will take 8-12 minutes. Check after 6 minutes – the top should be golden brown and starting to blister. If it’s colouring too fast, move it to a cooler spot in the oven or reduce the flame further.
Use an infrared thermometer on the stone to monitor temperature accurately. The focaccia is done when it’s deep golden brown on top, the sides have pulled slightly away from the pan, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Rest
Remove the focaccia from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. If it sits in the pan it will steam and the base will become soggy. The base should be crispy and golden from the olive oil and the hot stone.
Topping Variations
- Classic – rosemary and flaky salt (as above)
- Olive and sun-dried tomato – press olives and pieces of sun-dried tomato into the dimples before baking
- Caramelised onion – top with slowly cooked sweet onions and fresh thyme
- Grape and gorgonzola – halved grapes and crumbled gorgonzola pressed in before baking
- Cherry tomato – halved cherry tomatoes pressed in cut-side up, finished with basil after baking
Why the Pizza Oven Makes Better Focaccia
The radiant heat of a pizza oven cooks focaccia from all sides simultaneously – from the hot stone below, from the dome above, and from the ambient heat of the chamber. This produces the combination of a deeply crispy base, blistered crust and fully cooked, airy interior that’s difficult to achieve in a conventional oven.
The high ambient temperature also means the surface sets quickly, trapping air inside and producing a better, more open crumb structure. The result is noticeably lighter and crispier than oven-baked focaccia.
Once you’ve made focaccia in a pizza oven, it’s hard to go back to doing it any other way.
