Last updated: August 12, 2026
Last updated: August 2026. This post contains affiliate links — if you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
We cook focaccia in the pizza oven regularly and consider it one of the best things you can make that isn’t pizza. In our experience the high heat produces a crust you simply cannot replicate in a kitchen oven.
We bake focaccia in the pizza oven after the temperature drops from pizza sessions. The results are consistently better than anything we’ve made in a domestic oven.
We bake focaccia in the pizza oven after the temperature drops from pizza sessions. The results are better than anything we’ve made in a domestic oven.
Focaccia cooked in a pizza oven is one of the best things to make with one outside of actual pizza. The intense heat crisps the base and golden-browns the top in minutes, while the inside stays soft and open-crumbed. The key difference from pizza cooking is temperature – focaccia needs a cooler oven than Neapolitan pizza.
The Right Temperature
Pizza ovens for Neapolitan cooking run at 430-930°F. Focaccia needs 280-610°F – a much lower temperature. At full pizza heat the outside burns before the inside has cooked through. Let your oven preheat to full temperature, then turn the flame down to around 30-40% and wait 5-10 minutes for the stone to settle at a lower temperature before loading the focaccia. Use an infrared thermometer to check the stone surface is in the 280-610°F range.
Ingredients (Serves 4-6 as a side)
- 500g strong white bread flour or Italian 00 flour
- 375ml warm water (75% hydration)
- 10g fine sea salt
- 7g instant yeast
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and topping
- Flaky sea salt for topping
- Optional: fresh rosemary, sliced olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion
Method
1. Make the Dough
Combine flour, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains, then add salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix again. The dough will be very wet and sticky – this is correct for focaccia; don’t add more flour. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, performing a set of stretch-and-folds every 20 minutes (wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over – rotate and repeat four times per set).
2. Pan Proof
Generously oil a 25×35cm baking tray or a 30cm round cast iron pan. Pour in the dough and gently stretch it to the edges with oiled fingers. Don’t force it – if it springs back, leave it 10 minutes and try again. Dimple the surface firmly with your fingertips, drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the top, and leave to prove for 45-60 minutes until puffy and bubbly.
3. Add Toppings
Right before loading, add your toppings. Classic Ligurian focaccia uses only flaky salt and olive oil. Rosemary focaccia adds fresh rosemary needles pressed gently into the surface. For a richer version, press halved cherry tomatoes or sliced olives into the dimples. Avoid anything too wet or sugary – high sugar toppings will caramelise too fast at pizza oven temperatures.
4. Cook
Load the pan directly onto the pizza oven stone. At 570°F, focaccia in a 25×35cm metal tray takes around 8-12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes – the top should be deeply golden with the edges pulling away from the pan. Rotate the tray halfway through for even browning. The base should be golden and crisp when you lift the edge with a spatula. Remove and tip out onto a wire rack immediately – leaving it in the pan will steam the base and soften the crust.
Variations
Focaccia al formaggio: Split the cooked focaccia horizontally and fill with stracchino or crescenza cheese while hot – a speciality of Recco in Liguria. The cheese melts into the warm bread as you press the halves together.
Pizza bianca: Roll the dough thinner (2cm) before proving and cook at a slightly higher temperature (660°F) for a crisper, pizza-like result. Top with only olive oil, rosemary, and flaky salt. This is the focaccia sold by weight in Roman bakeries.
Overnight dough: For better flavor, mix the dough the night before and cold-ferment in the oiled tray in the fridge. Remove 2 hours before cooking and allow to come to room temperature before topping and cooking.
Tips
- A cast iron pan gives the crispest base – it holds heat better than aluminum baking trays
- Don’t under-oil – focaccia is supposed to be rich; the oil crisps the base and gives flavor
- The dimples must be deep and firm, pressed all the way to the bottom of the dough, to prevent them from filling in during the prove
- Focaccia is best eaten the day it’s made; reheat briefly in the oven to restore crispness
See also: Neapolitan pizza dough recipe | how long to preheat a pizza oven | best pizza oven accessories
Topping Combinations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the basic dimple-and-olive-oil focaccia, the toppings are where you can really experiment. The most traditional version is simple: coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary pressed into the surface just before baking. The rosemary crisps slightly at the edges and the salt gives occasional bursts of flavor that contrast with the fluffy interior.
For something more substantial, scatter halved cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, and thin rings of red onion across the top. The tomatoes burst and concentrate in the heat, the olives add umami depth, and the onion sweetens and chars at the edges. A drizzle of good olive oil over the top before serving ties everything together.
Sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and anchovies make a more intensely savoury version that works particularly well as a sharing starter. Caramelised onions and gorgonzola is a sweet-salty combination excellent alongside a glass of red wine. For something lighter, try sliced courgette and lemon zest with ricotta dotted on top after baking. The versatility of focaccia is part of what makes it one of the best things you can cook in a pizza oven – see our guide on what to cook in a pizza oven for more ideas.
Focaccia is just the start – see our full guide to what you can cook in a pizza oven for everything from steak and chicken to desserts.
Gear mentioned in this article (paid links)
About Ian Armstrong
I'm Ian Armstrong, a home cook and pizza oven obsessive based in the UK. Over the past four years I've owned and cooked on a Gozney Roccbox, Ooni Karu, Ooni Koda, and Gozney Arc — putting each one through real-world use in my back garden across all seasons, not just ideal summer conditions. I test dough hydration, preheat times, fuel efficiency, and how each oven handles everything from Neapolitan pizza to sourdough bread and Sunday roasts. Everything on Wood Fired Pizza Gear comes from hands-on experience. No sponsored placements, no guesswork — just honest assessments from someone who's burned a lot of dough getting it wrong so you don't have to.
