The most common way of making pizza
To make the best pizza at home, focus on a long-ferment dough, simple quality ingredients like crushed plum tomatoes and low-moisture or torn fresh mozzarella, and maximum oven heat using a preheated baking steel or stone.
Making the Dough
Use high-protein flour:
Choose Italian "00" flour or bread flour with 11-13% protein.
Cold ferment:
Let your dough rest and rise in the refrigerator for 16 to 24 hours to build deep flavor and bubbles.
Shape by hand:
Gently press air from the center out toward the edge to form a crust border, letting gravity help stretch the dough instead of using a rolling pin.
Sauce and Toppings
Keep the sauce simple:
Blend or crush high-quality canned plum tomatoes with a pinch of salt—no extra cooking or heavy herbs needed.
Less is more:
Avoid a heavy layer of wet ingredients; use a light coating of sauce and spaced-out pieces of cheese so the crust stays crisp.
Choose your cheese:
Use low-moisture mozzarella for an even melt without sogginess, or tear fresh mozzarella and let it drain well first.
Baking
Max out the heat:
Turn your home oven as high as it will go (500°F–550°F / 260°C–290°C).
Use a baking steel:
Preheat a heavy pizza stone or baking steel in the oven for at least 45 minutes to transfer intense heat directly to the bottom of the crust.
If you'd like, let me know:
What type of oven you have (standard home oven, outdoor pizza oven, etc.)
Whether you prefer a thin New York style or a fluffy Neapolitan style crust.
Making the Dough
Use high-protein flour:
Choose Italian "00" flour or bread flour with 11-13% protein.
Cold ferment:
Let your dough rest and rise in the refrigerator for 16 to 24 hours to build deep flavor and bubbles.
Shape by hand:
Gently press air from the center out toward the edge to form a crust border, letting gravity help stretch the dough instead of using a rolling pin.
Sauce and Toppings
Keep the sauce simple:
Blend or crush high-quality canned plum tomatoes with a pinch of salt—no extra cooking or heavy herbs needed.
Less is more:
Avoid a heavy layer of wet ingredients; use a light coating of sauce and spaced-out pieces of cheese so the crust stays crisp.
Choose your cheese:
Use low-moisture mozzarella for an even melt without sogginess, or tear fresh mozzarella and let it drain well first.
Baking
Max out the heat:
Turn your home oven as high as it will go (500°F–550°F / 260°C–290°C).
Use a baking steel:
Preheat a heavy pizza stone or baking steel in the oven for at least 45 minutes to transfer intense heat directly to the bottom of the crust.
If you'd like, let me know:
What type of oven you have (standard home oven, outdoor pizza oven, etc.)
Whether you prefer a thin New York style or a fluffy Neapolitan style crust.
31-35, F
