How to Make Homemade Pizza like an Italian
Pizza is one of the world’s most beloved dishes, but what many people don’t realize is just how much it changes depending on where—and how—you make it. There isn’t just one “authentic” way to prepare pizza; there are countless variations, each with its own charm. From the thin and crispy Roman style to the fluffy Neapolitan dough, or even creative modern twists, pizza is a canvas for culinary imagination.
This recipe is easy and beginner-friendly. You don’t need to be an expert or spend hours kneading and waiting. It’s a simple approach designed for first-timers who want to make delicious homemade pizza without stress. You’ll still get that wonderful aroma, golden crust, and perfect bite—without complicated steps.
Season
Any
Ingredients
9
Serving
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients You'll Need
250 g Manitoba flour 🥣
250 g "0" flour 🥣
4 g/2 g Fresh yeast/dry yeast 🍞
400 g Water 💧
250 g Mozzarella 🧀
300 g Tomato sauce 🍅
To taste Extra virgin olive oil 🫒
To taste Salt and Black Pepper🧂
To taste Fresh basil leaves🌿
Ingredients Guide:
🥣 The flour needs to have a certain strength, which means a good amount of protein. Without enough protein, the dough won’t rise properly and will lack structure. Ideally, look for flour with around 12–13 g of protein per 100 g. Manitoba flour is an excellent choice because of its high protein content, but it creates a very elastic dough. For this reason, it’s often mixed with a standard “type 0” flour, which has slightly less protein, to achieve a balanced texture.
🍞Yeast can be either dry or fresh—the result will be the same. Fresh yeast should simply be dissolved in the water, while dry yeast needs to be activated first. To do this, place it in a glass with lukewarm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir well and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when small bubbles appear and the mixture becomes slightly foamy and thicker. This step is important because if the yeast isn’t activated properly, it won’t work and the dough won’t rise.
🧀 Mozzarella should be authentic, ideally produced in Italy, and sold in its liquid brine. Avoid the dry, pre-shredded versions—they won’t give you the same flavor or texture.
🍅 Tomato sauce should be plain and simple— with no “pizza sauce” mixes or anything loaded with additives and sugar.
1. How to make homemade pizza dough
- Place the flour in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the water, then gradually add the water to the flour while mixing. Once the dough starts to come together, knead it until smooth and elastic—it takes 20 minutes. This is a high-hydration dough, so it will feel very wet and sticky at first. Don’t worry—that’s normal and exactly how it should be.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. During this time, it will relax and become softer.
- After resting, knead the dough again and start making the folds (known as pieghe in Italian). To do this, gently stretch the dough into a rectangle, then fold it over itself like a letter. This process strengthens the gluten and gives your pizza a better structure.
- After 30 minutes, repeat the folds. Then cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it to rise in the oven (turned off) for about 18 hours. The timing doesn’t need to be exact—what matters is that this is a long fermentation process, so even though there isn’t much yeast, the dough will slowly develop and grow.
- Finally, divide the dough into individual portions (panetti) and let them rise for another 3 hours before shaping your pizzas. The size of each portion depends on the size of your baking tray, so just estimate it by eye.
2. Layering the toppings
- Prepare the tomato sauce and season it to taste. I kept it simple with just a pinch of salt and a little black pepper.
- Spread the tomato sauce first, then add the mozzarella cut into pieces. I recommend opening the mozzarella a bit earlier, squeezing out the excess liquid, and letting it dry slightly so it doesn’t make the pizza too watery.
- Finally, drizzle some olive oil over the pizza for extra flavor and finish with fresh basil.
✨ Get creative with your toppings! I went for one with salsiccia and kept another as a classic margherita.
5. Baking to Perfection
- Home ovens can’t quite reach the high temperatures of a real pizzeria (usually around 400–450°C / 750–850°F). I baked mine at the highest setting on my oven, which was 220°C / 430°F, and it took about 10 minutes in a static oven. If you want to hit authentic pizza-baking temperatures, there are special pizza and bread ovens
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