Home-style Traditional Pizza

 

Home-style Traditional Pizza 

Prep 20 min + rising, cook 10–12 min, serves 2 pizzas

Ingredients

500 g allpurpose flour

325 ml water (room temperature)

10 g fine salt

3 g dry yeast

15 ml extravirgin olive oil

300 g canned crushed tomatoes

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 g salt (for sauce)

200 g fresh mozzarella

Handful fresh basil leaves

Instructions

• Mix the dough: In a bowl, combine flour and yeast. Add water and olive oil. Mix until a rough dough forms and add the salt.
• Knead: Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If sticky, add a sprinkle of flour; if dry, a splash of water.
• First rise: Cover and let rise 1–1.5 hours at room temperature until doubled.
• Make the sauce: Mix crushed tomatoes with minced garlic and salt.
• Shape the dough: Divide dough into 2 balls. Rest 10 minutes. Stretch each ball gently into a 28–30 cm round pizza tray, pushing air toward the edges.
• Top the pizza: Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce, add torn mozzarella, and drizzle a little olive oil.
• Bake: Bake at the highest oven temperature (250–300°C) for 10–12 minutes, ideally on a preheated pizza stone or steel.
• Finish: Add fresh basil and a final drizzle of olive oil.

Beginner Tips 

• Hydration matters: If the dough feels too sticky, resist adding too much flour a slightly tacky dough makes a softer crust.
• Hot oven = good pizza: Preheat if you use your stone for 30 minutes. Home ovens need time to mimic a pizzeria floor.
• Don’t overload toppings: Less sauce and cheese give you a crisp, light pizza.
• Stretch, don’t roll: Rolling removes air. Use fingertips and gravity to stretch the dough.
• Use fresh mozzarella wisely: Dry with paper towel so your pizza doesn’t get watery.
• Rest the dough: Even 10 minutes of rest after dividing makes shaping easier and prevents tearing.