How to cook pizza at home in the oven – Step by step guide

Pizza is loved by many: there are at least 2,000 types of such baked goods in the world. It is easy to prepare and without any conventions – just the way you want it. We tell you what you need to prepare the perfect homemade pizza.

Features of Italian pizza

Residents of Italy are more often guided by local products. And they also follow the recipes of their great-grandmothers. That is why the same dishes differ so much depending on the area. For example, since time immemorial, residents of the right bank of the river made risotto thin, like porridge, and those of the left bank made it thick, like pilaf. And each housewife is convinced that only her recipe is correct.

The Italians have the same attitude towards pizza. The classic recipe does not include milk, butter or eggs, but these ingredients are often used. There is no agreement on the dough: in addition to the classic yeast dough, pizza is prepared with yeast-free or puff pastry.

The evolution of pizza was heavily influenced by Italian immigrants. In the early 20th century, a puffy version with non-traditional sauces and toppings appeared in the United States, such as the Hawaiian with pineapple. 

There are standards that Italian pizzaiolos, masters of pizza making, follow. Keep them in mind when making pizza at home:

• thin dough is a classic, it reveals the taste of each ingredient more vividly. Do not forget about the fluffy pizza, which is prepared on yeast dough; 
• choose high-quality flour made from durum wheat;
• Prepare the base with your hands, without gloves or a food processor. If you follow tradition, immediately after kneading, let the dough “rest” for about half an hour. When the dough rises, knead it, divide it into balls-blanks, and leave it to rest for another 6-8 hours. It is believed that such dough turns out airy and is better absorbed;
• Brush the edges of the pizza with olive oil before serving – it will soften them and give the dish a piquant aroma. Remember: unrefined olive oil will burn and smoke at high temperatures, so apply it to the already prepared dish;
• The standard pizza is “Margherita”, it is used to determine the quality of the pizzaiolo’s work. In an unfamiliar place, Italians first order this simple pizza, which consists of dough, tomato sauce, tomatoes, mozzarella, herbs, and olive oil. 

What’s so good about homemade pizza

Home baking is good because, firstly, you control its composition, and you can pay attention to the quality of ingredients. Secondly, you get fresh, hot pizza.

Homemade pizza is cheaper than restaurant pizza, it takes about 40 minutes to prepare, and no more than 20 minutes to bake if you use store-bought dough. Homemade pizza takes a little more time, but to speed it up, you can involve the whole family in cooking. 

Pizza is usually baked in a semicircular oven, which is called a Pompeian oven. This oven is heated to a high temperature of 350-400 degrees, so it cooks in one and a half to two minutes. 

There is no such oven at home, but it’s not scary: even Italians bake pizza in the oven or cook it in a frying pan on the stove without any embarrassment. 

What you need to make homemade pizza

You will need bowls for kneading the dough and a space to roll it out in. You will also need a rolling pin, flour, ingredients for the filling and sauce, Italian herbs, and olive oil.

Dough

Traditional pizza is made with a yeast dough base. It is best to use a starter with natural or dry yeast. You can make yeast-free dough. The latter will most likely give you a thin base.

You can buy ready-made dough in the supermarket. If you want, you can make it with rice flour or knead another version of the dough that you like better.

The dough can be rolled out to the thickness specified by the recipe. Pizza “Neapolitan” or “New York” will turn out great on a fluffy one, “Margherita” or “Roman” – on a thin one. 

Depending on the recipe, you can change the shape of the pizza – from round to oval and rectangular.

Sauce

They grease the dough with it before laying out the filling. Sauces are divided into red and white. Traditionally, preference is given to the red one – tomato. Sometimes Italians only need paste with salt and spices for it. Often it is supplemented with a mass of tomato pulp and fried with onions, garlic, and spices. 

White sauce is usually made with butter, milk, or cream, with garlic and herbs added. You can also find versions of sauces with classic pesto.

Filling

Here are some tips for creating delicious combinations. What goes well with red sauce:

• fresh and pickled mushrooms;
• olives and olives;
• bell peppers, tomatoes;
• onions;
• spinach, basil;
• ham, pepperoni, other types of salami, and smoked meats;
• mozzarella, grana padano, parmesan;
• seafood.

What goes well with white sauce:

• any meat filling;
• bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs;
• mozzarella, gorgonzola, blue cheeses, parmesan, grana padano;
• canned pineapples;
• fish and seafood.

How to Bake Pizza at Home in the Oven

To cook pizza in the oven, it is important to observe the temperature and the order in which the ingredients are laid out. Only then will the dough and filling be baked simultaneously and well.

Step 1: Preheat the oven

First, preheat the oven. The optimal temperature is 230–250 degrees, this is how you can achieve even baking and a crispy crust.

Step 2: Dry the base

The process is divided into two parts: drying the dough and baking the pizza. Heat the dough in the oven at the same temperature for three to seven minutes. This will allow it to dry out and the yeast dough to rise. This will prevent the base from getting soggy under the weight of the sauce and toppings.

Bake the dough on a baking sheet, in a form, or on a thick layer of foil on a rack. Do not forget to grease the surface with vegetable oil.

Step 3: Add cheese and filling

Take the dough out of the oven and turn it over. Grease it with sauce. Then put the filling in – quickly, don’t let the dough cool down. You can close the oven door during this time so as not to lower its temperature.

An important point is cheese. It is often used as the top tier or “cap”. However, according to Italian tradition, cheese should be laid out or sprinkled on the sauce before the filling is laid out. 

Step 4: Bake

Pizza is baked in the oven at a temperature of 230–250 degrees. Depending on the recipe and filling, this can take from five to ten minutes, less often – up to 12 minutes. 

Bake while monitoring the process to avoid burning the dish. Sometimes it is better to turn off the oven half a minute earlier and keep the pizza in the oven for a couple of minutes in the residual heat.

Step 5: Prepare to serve

Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for five to seven minutes. The cheese will be set slightly at room temperature, but the dish will remain hot.

Before serving, drizzle the pizza with olive oil or gently brush the edges with it. You can decorate it with your favorite herbs and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. 

What can be done? 

Serve pizza with wine or beer – the foamy drink is considered an excellent addition to the dish in Italy. But sweet sodas, cocktails, and juices do not go well with pizza.