Serving suggestion. Nutrition is approximate.
Equipment
- Scale
- bowl
- peel
- rated stone or steel
- oven
Before you begin
US cup = 240 ml; tablespoon = 15 ml; teaspoon = 5 ml. Use listed gram weights for consistency; weights are raw or dry unless described as cooked or drained.
- Use drained low-moisture mozzarella if fresh cheese is too wet; add basil after baking.
Make it work
- If no stone is available, preheat a heavy metal tray and expect a different base texture. Check equipment temperature limits.
Prep 45 min · Cook 48 min · Waiting 180 min
Makes four pizzas. Cooking allows 48 minutes for four pizzas baked one at a time, at 8-12 minutes each; reheating the stone between batches may add time. The three-hour rise is included in total time.
Ingredients
- 500 g / 17.6 oz Strong white bread flour
- 325 ml / 11.0 US fl oz Water, lukewarm
- 3 g / about 1 tsp Instant yeast
- 10 g / about 1 5/8 tsp Fine salt for dough
- 15 ml / about 1 Tbsp Olive oil for dough
- 30 g / 1.1 oz Flour or fine semolina for dusting
- 240 g / 8.5 oz Tomato passata
- 240 g / 8.5 oz Fresh mozzarella, drained and torn
- 12 g / 0.4 oz Basil
- 20 ml / about 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil for topping
- 2 g / about 3/8 tsp Salt for tomato
Step-by-step method
- Mix and knead
Mix flour with instant yeast, add 325 ml water and stir until no dry patches remain. Add dough salt and oil; knead 8-10 minutes until elastic. The dough will be slightly tacky, not dry. - Let the dough rise
Cover in a lightly oiled bowl and stand about 2 hours at 22-25 C / 72-77 F until roughly doubled. Divide into four equal balls, cover and proof 1 hour until relaxed; cooler kitchens need longer. - Preheat and prepare topping
Heat oven to its safe maximum, commonly 250-275 C / 480-525 F, with a rated pizza stone or steel for at least 45 minutes. Mix passata with topping salt. Drain mozzarella in a sieve in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and pat dry; wet cheese floods the center. - Shape without flattening the rim
Work with one ball at a time on a lightly dusted board. Press the center outward, leaving the outer rim thicker; stretch to about 26 cm / 10 in. Avoid a rolling pin if you want an airy border. - Top and transfer
Spread a quarter of the tomato and topping oil on each base, leaving a 2 cm / 3/4 in border. Add a quarter of the dry mozzarella; add basil after baking. Transfer to a dusted peel or parchment rated for the oven temperature; do not use low-temperature parchment above its limit. Slide onto the hot surface. - Bake, finish and repeat
Bake 8-12 minutes until the underside is browned, rim expanded and center cooked; time varies by oven. Bake remaining pizzas one at a time, allowing the stone to recover between them. Add one quarter of the fresh basil to each baked pizza. Serve one pizza per portion.
Cook’s notes
If no stone is available, preheat a heavy metal tray and expect a different base texture. Check equipment temperature limits.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate leftover pizza promptly for up to 2 days. Unbaked dough may be refrigerated up to 24 hours in a covered container; allow to relax before shaping.
Allergens
Contains: wheat, milk. Check packaged ingredients.
Approximate nutrition
Per serving: 737 kcal · Protein 30 g · Carbohydrates 99 g · Fat 24 g.
Approximate per serving of the complete recipe. Brands, substitutions, cooking losses and portion sizes affect the figures.
