Pizzas Recipe

Activate yeast

In a small bowl, combine lukewarm water (325 ml) and sugar/honey (5 g) if using. Sprinkle the active dry yeast (7 g) over the surface, stir briefly, and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy. If mixture doesn’t foam, yeast may be inactive — start again.

Mix and knead

Place flour (500 g) in a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Add salt (10 g) to one side of the bowl and the foamy yeast mixture and olive oil (15 ml) to the other. Using a wooden spoon or dough hook on low, combine until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes, or use a stand mixer with dough hook for 6–8 minutes, until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.

Bulk rise

Lightly coat a clean bowl with olive oil, place dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled — about 1.5–2 hours depending on temperature. For better flavor, refrigerate for 8–24 hours (slow cold fermentation). If refrigerating, bring dough back to room temperature (60–90 minutes) before shaping.

Portion and rest

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 small (about 220–250 g each) or 2 medium (about 450 g each) portions. Shape each portion into a tight ball. Place balls on a floured tray, cover with plastic or a damp towel, and rest 30–60 minutes until slightly puffy and easy to stretch.

Make sauce while dough proofs: pour canned tomatoes (400 g) into a bowl and crush by hand or pulse briefly in a blender for a slightly chunky texture. Stir in olive oil (15 ml), minced garlic (1 clove), salt (3 g), dried oregano (1 tsp), and black pepper (1 tsp). Taste and adjust salt. No cooking required for a fresh pizza sauce — set aside at room temperature until assembly.

Preheat stone-fired oven

If you have a stone-fired oven, heat it to a high temperature appropriate for pizza — typically 430–480°C (800–900°F) for a Neapolitan-style stone oven. If using a home oven with a pizza stone, preheat the oven to its maximum (250–300°C / 480–570°F) for at least 45 minutes with the stone in place. If using a grill or outdoor stone oven, get the stone surface very hot and stable before baking.

Shape the pizza

On a lightly floured surface or a peel dusted with cornmeal/semolina (2 tbs), flatten a rested dough ball with your fingers, pressing from the center outward to form a 10–12 inch (25–30 cm) disc for each medium, leaving a slightly thicker rim. Do not use a rolling pin if you want a puffy edge — use hands to preserve gases. Keep the center slightly thinner than the rim.

Sauce and cheese

Spread a thin even layer of the prepared tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 1–1.5 cm border. Tear and scatter fresh mozzarella (250 g total, divided among pizzas) in small pieces so they melt evenly. Sprinkle a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (30 g) if desired, and a drizzle of olive oil (finish) (5–10 ml).

Bake

Transfer the pizza to the hot stone in the oven using a peel. In a stone-fired oven at very high temperatures, pizzas bake in 60–120 seconds (watch closely), rotating once for even charring; in a home oven at 250–300°C, bake 5–8 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling. Adjust time to your oven and stone temperature. For best results, rotate pizza halfway through cooking.

Finish

When pizza is out of the oven, immediately scatter fresh basil leaves (20 g) on top and drizzle remaining olive oil (5–10 ml). If using prosciutto (100 g) and arugula (50 g), add them after baking so prosciutto warms but stays delicate and arugula remains fresh. Sprinkle chili flakes (1 tsp) and additional grated cheese if desired.

Serve

Slice and serve hot. Yield: 4 small or 2 medium pizzas. Enjoy with additional olive oil or chili flakes to taste.