I’m sharing this recipe, because I’m simply not impressed by the flood of pizza dough recipes that are out there. Many get the flour wrong. Some dare to add sugar. Others claim a miracle within a few hours. Somewhere out there is the perfect recipe. While I’m confident that mine isn’t it, I hope that you will give it a shot if you too are frustrated with the many mediocre (or let’s face it: disappointing) pizza dough recipes available online.

Because everyone may have their own preferences, I laid out 2 different versions of the same recipe. Version A is for those who like to use their dough straight out of the fridge and let gravity do the stretching as you move the pizza dough around on your knuckles. Version B is for those who like to let their dough sit at room temperature for a few hours and enjoy stretching the dough. In reality, the only difference is the amount of water used.

Feel free to add or remove water in different parts of the process for easier math. If you don’t have a scale, don’t worry. A little more or less flour or water won’t ruin your crust.

Tool requirements and where to get them:
1 A 0.1 gram accuracy scale (Ace Hardware) or measuring cups and spoons (most stores)
2 A thermometer (most stores)
2 A wooden pizza peel – World Market
3 A metal pizza peel – World Market
4 A scraper (metal or plastic) – Dollar Tree (metal)
5 A plastic dough box – must be flat and smooth on the bottom.
I got mine at Target: 6L Stacking Clear Bin with Lid – Brightroom™ : Target

Optional Tools:
1 Pizza oven that goes up to at least 700 degrees Fahrenheit. For indoors, I recommend either the easier to clean Cuisinart Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven Silver CPZ-120 – Best Buy or the higher heat Bella Pro Blaze bella PRO Blaze Oven+: Pizza, Broil, Bake & Roast Stainless Steel 90221 – Best Buy.
Honestly, just buy whichever one you can get on sale. Trust me, it is worth it. There’s a proper browning that only happens above 650 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 A laser thermometer for measuring the heat of your pizza stone. I recommend skipping this one, because it’s expensive and hard to find. However, if you happen to have one, it can be helpful to find out when you’re ready to bake (your oven is a liar) and where you may have gone wrong.
3 Stand mixer. You absolutely can mix the dough by hand. Fans of stand mixers do need to be aware of the fact that dough heats up when mixed in a stand mixer. Some kneading will still have to be done by hand.

Ingredients:
1) 500 grams of Flour – Caputo Nuvola or Caputo Nuvola Super is preferred, but only available online: Caputo Nuvola Tipo 0 Flour – for airy crust – BrickOvenBaker
Anna Napoletana Tipo “00” is available at grocery stores.
I’ve tried all kinds of flours from different brans: all-purpose, bread, Einkorn, 00. None quite rise like my preferred Caputo flours.
You may use the same flour for dusting, but you could also buy semola by Caputo or Paolo Mariani for a tested and true result.
2) 300 or 350 grams of Water
3 Yeast – Active Dry or fresh (baker’s yeast) is preferred. I go with Fleischmann’s jar and refrigerate it. Fresh is probably best, but since nobody locally sells it here, I have been unable to test it myself.
4 Toppings.
4a: Tomato sauce: I recommend San Marzano from a jar. Cento brand is what I typically use. Just add a little salt and blend it for smoothness.
4b: Mozzarella. I use fresh mozzarella by Fresh Market. Alternatively, I have used Galbani and Triumph of Cheese (Trionfo Di Formaggio). If your grocery store makes it fresh, it’s probably best.
4c: Basil – Always opt for fresh. If you’re buying the potted one, you can single out a single stem with its roots and put it in a separate pot with soil to start growing your own.
4d: Vegetables, fruit, and mushrooms. Cut them thinly to help with water evaporation. Alternatively, you can cook out some of the moisture and bring out flavor through caramelization. I personally don’t precook my toppings, resulting in my toppings being barely cooked. I recommend experimenting a bit to see what you like.

Dough Recipe – Day 1 – Preferment:
Start by making your preferment.
Version A:
Weigh out 50 grams (1/3 cup) of flour.
Add 35 grams (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) of water.
Version B:
Weigh out 50 grams (1/3 cup) of flour.
Add 25 grams (2 tablespoons) of water.
Both Versions:
Add about 0.125 grams of active dry yeast. That’s one third of a 1/8 teaspoon or one sixth of a 1/4 teaspoon. It’s hard to measure. A little more is no problem. 0.2 grams is still perfectly fine.
Personally, I only have a 1/4 teaspoon, so I double the recipe for easier measurement.
Briefly mix the ingredients, then refrigerate it in a sealed container for 18 to 24 hours.

Dough Recipe – Day 2 – Final Dough:
Mix 50 grams (1/4 cup) of water (between 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit) with 2.7 grams (3/4 teaspoon) of yeast.
Meanwhile, put 450 grams (3 cups) of flour in a large (stand mixer) bowl.
Optionally: If baking in a home oven, experts suggest adding 5 grams of honey or 10 grams of malt for browning.

Version A: To the flour, add 265 grams (1 ¼ cups + 1 tablespoon)  of cold water (ice water is ideal for a stand mixer). Mix gradually until the water is absorbed (up to 20 seconds on lowest speed in stand mixer), then add your preferment.
Version B. To the flour, add 250 grams (1 ¼ cups)  of cold water (ice water is ideal for a stand mixer). Mix gradually until the water is absorbed (up to 20 seconds on lowest speed in stand mixer), then add your preferment.
Both versions: Scrape the bowl if necessary, then continue kneading 3 minutes by hand or mix 1 minute in the stand mixer on the lowest speed.
Add 10 grams (2 teaspoons) of kosher or sea salt, then knead another 3 minutes by hand or mix 1 minute in the stand mixer on the lowest speed.
Then, knead the dough by hand directly on your counter for another 3 minutes. You won’t need a dusting of flour, but if it works better for you, feel free to dust your dough slightly to prevent it from sticking too much. For Version A, I do recommend looking up the “Bertinet” or “slap and fold” method for kneading high hydration doughs.

If you’re busy, now you can refrigerate the dough for a few hours until later in the day when you do have time. Alternatively, continue on.
Then, let the dough sit covered with a damp towel at room temperature for 20 to 40 minutes. Now it is time to divide your dough into 3 or 4 pieces. Each dough ball should weigh between 200 and 250 grams. I find 210 – 225 ideal.
If you have a scale, this is the time to do some math to see what works for you. If you don’t, try dividing by 3 or 4 by eye and see what size you’re happiest with.

Finally, put your dough balls in your dough box and refrigerate them again for anywhere between 36 to 48 hours.

Day 4 – The pizza:
Your dough balls may look a little flat, but that’s perfectly fine. You will have to let them sit at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours if you went with Version B; otherwise, your dough will be too tough to stretch.
If you went with Version A, feel free to either use the dough straight from the fridge or to let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

When ready, pre-heat your oven to the highest temperature (750 – 900 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal). Lightly dust your dough ball with flour or semola as well as the area around it. You will need your scraper, which you may dust too. If your dough balls are touching, press down with your scraper where they connect. Also loosen the edges of the dough ball from the walls of your dough box if necessary. Then, wiggle your scraper underneath the dough ball from any angle until you’re partially underneath. From that point, you may quickly slide the scraper all the way underneath. This whole process can be a little tricky and you may have to play around to see what technique works best for you.

Now, dust your wooden pizza peel with flour or semola and transport your dough ball onto it. Press down the dough around the middle to form a small hill in the middle and a border at the edge. Feel free to flip your dough or to lift it up and put it back down if you feel it starts being difficult to work with. Now you may press down the center (hill) of the dough. Gradually press the middle outwards until it’s big enough to fit the palm of your hand under.

For Version A, now it’s time to lift up the dough and to let gravity do its magic. Turn around the dough as if it’s a steering wheel. When big enough, start turning the dough around your knuckles and keep turning until the dough stretches out towards the edge of your wooden pizza peel. If you’re unhappy with the shape, you may have some thicker parts that you can pull in any desired direction, or you may pull at the edge towards a side you want to stretch out a little.

For Version B, I recommend looking up “pizza dough slap technique” online. The idea is to put your right hand next to the right edge of the pizza dough border. You then use your left hand to tuck at the left border from the inside. Then you lift your right hand up, turn it palm side up, and with your left hand flip the dough onto the palm of your right hand. Finally, you flip your right hand over and “slap” the dough back onto your kitchen counter. Ideally, you give your dough a quarter turn during this “slapping” motion and catch the other edge of the dough with your left hand so that it doesn’t touch the counter.
Alternatively, you can put your knuckles at the inner edges of the dough, stretch, then turn and repeat.
Use either technique until your dough borders reach the edge of the wooden pizza peel.

Now that your pizza is starting to take shape, make sure you can shake it back and forth on the peel. If it doesn’t, carefully lift up the dough and dust flour or semola underneath. If your pizza peel is too wet, try transporting your dough to another flat dusted area. Rub as much flour/semola onto your pizza peel as necessary until it is completely dry. Then transport your dough back onto the peel. Use extra flour/semola for dusting if necessary. You may have to do the same thing if you spill any wet ingredients onto your pizza peel.

Add your sauce (if any). I recommend no more than 2 spoonfuls. If using tomato sauce, opt for San Marzano to which you can add a little bit of salt. Italian seasoning is unnecessary, but optional (make sure your purist Italian friends aren’t watching).

Fresh mozzarella is a must. Don’t use the grated stuff.

If adding meat, I recommend slicing your own salami. Some pre-sliced pepperoni and salami will burn quickly. Keep that in mind and cover it with sauce or cheese if it’s one you like to use. Some meats will also add a lot of grease, which won’t be kind to your dough, so stay away from those if you can.

Any arugula or fresh basil should be added after your pizza comes out.

As for all other toppings, just remember that moisture is your enemy. Try not to overload your pizza with ingredients that may lose moisture during cooking. Pre-slicing things like bell-peppers and mushrooms and letting them airdry in the fridge is one option. Another one is to cook them in the pan a bit first and to caramelize them.

Once you have all your toppings (except for arugula and/or basil) on your dough, make sure you try to wiggle it around on the pizza peel one more time. If it doesn’t move, there might be a slight tear in your dough (worst case scenario) or something wet fell onto your peel. Flour/semola is your friend.

Hopefully, your oven will have been at temperature (700 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit for a pizza oven or 500-55- for a home oven) for at least 10 minutes at this point. If not, wait until it has. Then slide your raw pizza onto your pizza stone. For higher temperatures, turn your pizza around about 30 to 90 seconds in using a metal pizza peel. For lower temperatures, turn your pizza around 4 to 6 minutes in. Then cook until the pizza crust is nicely browned. Turn more often if necessary. Every oven is different.

Day 5, 6, and 7:
If you haven’t used all your dough balls, you can use them 2 to 3 more days without having to fear for a flat and chewy dough. If you baked a pizza that you didn’t eat, reheat it using a regular oven or an air fryer (my choice). 2 to 3 minutes in an air fryer will suffice.

Final thoughts:
There are 3 factors that make a huge impact on whether or not your pizza is a success:
1 Flour. I have tried all kinds of flours, all with different hydration (water) levels and fermentation (amount of yeast and time used to let the dough rise). If you want to experiment, I highly encourage you to. Just beware that some doughs -like Einkorn and rye- feel wet and result in a denser, more bread-like crust. Others, like all-purpose and bread flour, will be easier to knead and can usually hold onto more water, but end up giving you a dense bready texture.
Not all flours can handle the same amount of water.
My favorites are Caputo Nuvola and Caputo Nuvola Super, but those have to be bought online. For that, I go to brickovenbaker.com. If you opt for a grocery store option, steer clear from King Arthur’s ’00 pizza flour. Despite its name, it’s disappointing, overpriced, and an absolute last resort for those desperate enough without any other pizza flour alternatives available.
Anna Napoletana seems to be a fair enough option, and likely your grocery store’s best one.
2 Fermentation. Some will claim that you can make a great pizza dough and use it the same day within a few hours, simply by using more yeast and by letting it rise at room temperature for a few hours. They are wrong. They lie. They prey on your brain’s natural craving for near-instant gratification. You may not get a terrible pizza, but it will be significantly denser and harder to digest. Make your preferment (water and flour), wait 18 to 24 hours, make your dough and then wait at least another 36-48 hours. Preferably, wait a total of 3 days (72 hours) from the time that you made your preferment before using your pizza dough.
This improved texture also extends beyond pizza dough. If you have a bread recipe, try making a pre-ferment (10% of flour and water from the recipe) and make the dough afterwards (with the remaining 90% flour, 90% water and other ingredients) with a total wait time of 72 hours, I guarantee that you will end up with a fluffier and tastier bread!
3 Temperature. There is a scientific reason why you should invest in a pizza oven. Although I personally frown upon every single pizza dough recipe that insists on adding sugar or honey, there is a good reason for it… if you’re not using a pizza heaven. See, above 650 degrees Fahrenheit (343.33 Celsius), you will get browning you wouldn’t otherwise achieve at lower temperatures. You’ll simply get a better crust in a pizza oven than your home oven.
I bought my pizza oven on sale. If it’s out of your budget, just don’t skimp on good ingredients. You may want to add some diastatic malt powder or some honey if you’re baking pizza in your regular oven. That said, I have only tried baking in my pizza oven, but I’ll trust the experts for the browning on this one: opt for diastatic malt powder if your grocery store carries it.

For the curious minds who are willing to experiment:
Adding different amounts of water to your dough at different stages will yield different results. For example, if you add more water in your preferment, your dough will be softer even with the same amount of water in the end.
This is where baker’s hydration levels come into play.
Say your final dough has 75% water, that could be 1kg of flour with 750 grams of water.
You can make that with a preferment consisting of 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of flour. That leaves you to add 900 grams of flour and 650 grams of water.
Alternatively, use that same 75% total hydration, but make a preferment consisting of 100 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. You now have to add 900 grams of flour and 700 grams of water.
However, that first dough is going to be “droopier”.
As far as pizza dough is concerned, I recommend a total hydration between 65% and 75%. That said, you should definitely try some different amounts of water in your preferment as well as your final dough to see what works best for you. That is, if my Version A and Version B of the recipe both weren’t to your liking, there might yet be a perfect alternative that works best for you. The best part: all the other measurements stay exactly the same.