Pizza Pull-Apart Sourdough Focaccia
Sourdough focaccia meets classic pizza in the most pull-apart-able way possible
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Food processor or store bought fine grated parmesan
- Two Medium Bowls (one for pizza sauce dunking, one for Parmesan coating)
- Wooden Spoon
- Whisk (for mixing cornstarch into Parmesan)
- Box Grater (for shredding mozzarella from a block)
- Plastic Wrap/clean bag (for proofing)
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 500 g bread flour
- 400 g water
- 75 g active sourdough starter or see yeasted variation below
- 10 g salt
For the Pizza Sauce Dunk:
- 1 cup pizza sauce
For the Coating:
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese in chunks (will be processed) OR 1½ cups finely grated Parmesan from the store (16 oz container to be safe)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Topping:
- 1-2 cups low-moisture mozzarella freshly shredded from a block or store bought
For the Pan:
- 2 Tablespoons olive/avocado oil
- Parchment paper optional but recommended
Instructions
Night Before:
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine 500 g bread flour, 400 g water, 75 g active sourdough starter, and 10 g salt. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains and the dough is cohesive. Knead briefly (2-3 minutes) until smooth. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
- Stretch and fold: After the 1-hour rest, perform one set of stretch and folds by grabbing one edge of the dough, stretching it upward, and folding it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 3-4 times total until you’ve worked your way around the entire dough mass.
- Bulk ferment: Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let ferment at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours), until roughly doubled in size with visible bubbles.
Morning/Bake Day:
- Prepare Parmesan coating: Add Parmesan chunks to a food processor and process until fine and powdery, about 30-45 seconds. (Alternatively, use 1½ cups finely grated Parmesan from the store, buy a 16-ounce container to be safe.) Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in 2 tablespoons cornstarch until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Prepare the pan: Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (unless you have an exceptionally good nonstick pan). Pour about 2 Tablespoons olive/avocado oil into the bottom of the pan and spread it around to coat the entire surface.
- Pour pizza sauce into a bowl for dunking. You’ll be dunking each dough piece into this before coating.
- Shape and coat: Pull off 2-tablespoon-sized chunks of dough (roughly golf ball size, no need to measure precisely). Dunk each piece completely in the bowl of pizza sauce, coating all sides. Transfer immediately to the bowl of Parmesan-cornstarch mixture and roll until coated.
- Arrange in pan: Place each coated dough chunk in the prepared pan. They’ll expand during proofing and touch, but the coating prevents them from sealing completely together. Continue until all dough is shaped, dunked, coated, and arranged.
- Proof: Cover the pan and let proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until pieces look noticeably puffy and airy with visible signs of fermentation. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate overnight, then bring to room temperature and let proof for 1-2 hours before baking.
- Preheat oven: While dough is proofing, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- First bake: Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until the focaccia is golden brown and cooked through.
- Add mozzarella: Remove from oven and immediately top with 1-2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella, distributing evenly across the surface. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Optional broil: For browned cheese spots, turn on the broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes, watching very closely to prevent burning.
- Serve: Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm for maximum cheese pull. Provide extra marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
YEAST SUBSTITUTION: (see blog post for more detail)
Don’t have sourdough starter? Replace the 75g active sourdough starter with
37g (¼ cup) all purpose flour
37g (2½ tablespoons) water
7g (2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast OR 9g (2¾ teaspoons) active dry yeast.
USING INSTANT YEAST:
Mix the 37g flour, 37g water, and 7g instant yeast along with ALL the other recipe ingredients (500g bread flour, 400g water, 10g salt) right from the start. No activation needed. Follow the mixing, autolyse, and stretch and fold steps exactly as written. Let the dough rise for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until doubled, then proceed with dunking in pizza sauce, Parmesan coating, and baking as normal.
USING ACTIVE DRY YEAST:
Mix 37g warm water (100-110°F) with 9g active dry yeast and ¼ teaspoon sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add the foamy yeast mixture, 37g flour, and ALL other recipe ingredients. Follow mixing, autolyse, and stretch and fold steps. Let rise 2-3 hours until doubled, then proceed as normal.
WATER TEMPERATURE:
Use room temperature water for instant yeast. Use warm water (100-110°F) for active dry yeast.
BULK FERMENTATION TIME:
Yeast version takes 2-3 hours instead of 8-12 hours with sourdough starter. Everything else stays exactly the same.
WET DOUGH TIP:
If you’re new to baking and concerned about sticky dough, decrease the water to 360g (1½ cups). Experienced bakers can stick with the full 400g.
TIMELINE:
Sourdough version takes 10-14 hours total (mostly hands off). Yeast version takes 4-6 hours total. Both produce incredibly fluffy pizza focaccia with insane cheese pulls.
Storage: Best eaten fresh and warm. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat individual portions in a 350°F oven or air fryer until cheese is melted again.
Pan Size: A 9x13-inch pan is optimal. Smaller pans will crowd the pieces; larger pans will spread them too thin.
Cheese: Freshly shredded mozzarella from a block melts and stretches better than pre-shredded (which contains anti-caking agents). Pre-shredded works in a pinch but won’t give the same dramatic cheese pulls.
Scaling: This recipe can be halved for an 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan, or doubled for two 9x13-inch pans (great for feeding a crowd).
