Meatlovers’ Deep Pan Pizza

A slice of deep pan pizza with meatballs and ham on top infront of the baking dish on wooden board. Tomato sauce in a small bowl behind it.

Soft and fluffy homemade Focaccia base is surprisingly easy to make. Top with several tasty items for a truly satisfying homemade pizza dinner.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 30

Bench time 1 20

Total Time 2 15

Course Dinner, Lunch, Snacks

Cuisine Italian, New Zealand

Ingredients

Focaccia Base

1 ⅓ cup warm water
2 tsp honey
2 ¼ tsp active-dry yeast
3 ½ cups standard flour
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
2 tsp flaky sea salt

Pizza Toppings

1 packet Angel Bay Gourmet Beef Meatballs
125 g Farmland Thin Sliced Streaky Bacon chopped
100 g sliced salami
⅓ cup Leggo’s Squeezy Pizza Sauce
1 cup grated Perfect Italiano Perfect Pizza Cheese
Fresh basil leaves
½ cup Perfect Italiano ricotta

Instructions

Focaccia Base: Add the warm water and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough attachment and stir to combine. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and stir gently, then let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
Set the mixer to low speed, and add gradually flour, olive oil and salt. Increase the speed to medium-low, and continue kneading the dough for 5 minutes.
Remove dough from the mixing bowl, and shape it into a ball. Spray the mixing bowl with Dot’s cooking spray, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel. Place in a warm location and let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out into a large circle or rectangle until the dough is about 1.5cm thick. Cover the dough again with the damp towel, and let the dough continue to rise for another 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200° C. Press the dough into an oiled baking dish, about 23x30cm. Poke deep dents into the surface of the dough with your fingers and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil evenly all over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden and cooked through.
Make the pizza: While the focaccia is baking, cook the meatballs according to the packet instructions.
When the focaccia is cooked, remove it from the oven and spread with the pizza sauce. Sprinkle the grated pizza cheese over the top. Scatter the meatballs, bacon, and salami over the surface and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven, spoon dollops of ricotta over the top, and scatter with fresh basil. Serve immediately.