🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 187 (from laksa020)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa187.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/pizza-guide\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/pizza-guide\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide","crawl_time":1775998506,"first_indexed_time":1645204040,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,foodandwine!www,\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide s443","src_root_hash":"14720943955733791187","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"The F&W Guide to Homemade Pizza","meta_descriptions":["A super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies. Food & Wine Test Kitchen pros share each step for making and shaping the best pizza dough, how to top a pizza properly, many options for customizing your pizza, and how to bake the final pie. Upgrade pizza night with the ultimate F&W guide."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"The F&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home\nA super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies.\nBy\nFood & Wine Editors\nThis is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link.\nUpdated on April 29, 2025\nCredit: Photo by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nA good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table.\nI'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach.\nEnter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens.\nSure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the\npizza dough\nthat resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home.\nSo go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America.\n—Hunter Lewis\n01\nof 15\nMake the dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nDespite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with.\nPoolish\nStir together 3\/4 cup \nunbleached bread flour\n (about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1\/2 cup \nwarm water \n(about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of \nactive dry yeast\n (about 1\/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl.\nCover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours.\nLevain\nStir together 1\/2 cup \nwarm water\n (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3\/4 ounce \nmature sourdough starter\n (about 1 1\/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3\/4 cup \nunbleached bread flour \n(about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter.\nCover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.\n02\nof 15\nGive it shape\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nThe only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the\nArtisan Pizza Dough\n.\n03\nof 15\nPunch down dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nPunch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface.\n04\nof 15\nCut dough into portions\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nCut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center.\n05\nof 15\nTransfer dough to work surface\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nTransfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls.\n06\nof 15\nArrange balls on oiled tray\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nArrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill.\n07\nof 15\nChill balls overnight\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nLet chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours.\n08\nof 15\nDock dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nTransfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border.\n09\nof 15\nForm a lip\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nForm a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1\/2-inch-wide lip.\n10\nof 15\nStretch dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nLift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape.\n11\nof 15\nForm a circle\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nContinue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring.\n12\nof 15\nShape on a floured surface\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nLay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle.\n13\nof 15\nAdd toppings\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nPizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle.\nOil it\nIf baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon\nextra-virgin olive oil\nor\nSmashed Garlic Oil\n, being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an\nindoor pizza oven,\nskip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon\nextra-virgin olive oil\nor\nSmashed Garlic Oil,\nleaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of\nsalt.\nSauce it\nUse a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1\/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1\/4 cup\nBasic Pizza Sauce\n(recipe below), 3 tablespoons\ncrème fraîche,\nor 3 tablespoons\npesto\nonto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1\/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza.\nTop it\nWhen it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange\ncheese\nand\ntoppings of choice\nevenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings.\nPreparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies.\nCheese\nLow-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies.\nFresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1\/2-inch pieces\nSoft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1\/2-inch pieces\nLow-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater\nGoat cheese, crumbled into large pieces\nRicotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful\nParmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated\nVegetables\nPrior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats.\nOnion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced\nRusset potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline\nMushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster\nZucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1\/4-inch cubes\nRoasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced\nCherry tomatoes, halved or chopped\nProteins\nPrecook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced.\nThinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto\nItalian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked\nBacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked\nAnchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking)\nHerbs and greens\nAdd tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking.\nFresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro\nScallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced\nArugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice\nOlives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking)\n14\nof 15\nBake the pizza\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nWe've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and\nSolo Stove\nthat rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it.\nBaking in a kitchen oven\nBroiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza.\nPreheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes.\nGently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour.\nUnload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly.\nBake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\nBaking in a backyard pizza oven\nPreheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.)\nReduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for \"Baking in a Kitchen Oven\" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.\nUsing peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\n15\nof 15\nAdd a fancy finish\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\nWhile we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty \"Parmesan,\" modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the \"bones.\"\nMake-ahead pizza for a crowd\nParbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method.\nKitchen oven parbaking\nShape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes.\nPizza oven parbaking\nBake pizza dough according to \"Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven\" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes.\nBetter leftover pizza\nWe had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.\nWas this page helpful?\nTell us why!","attrs_markdown":"\n\n[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide#main)\n\n[Food & Wine](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/)\n\n- Please fill out this field.\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide)\n- [Sweepstakes](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/sweepstakes)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide)\n- [My Saves](https:\/\/www.myrecipes.com\/)\n\nPlease fill out this field.\n\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/food-7499700)\n  Food\n  \n  - [Recipes](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes)\n  - [Ingredients](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/ingredients)\n  - [Cooking Techniques](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques)\n  - [World Cuisines](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/cuisine)\n  - [Holidays & Occasions](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/holidays-events)\n  - 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[Global Tastemakers](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/global-tastemakers-7496846)\n\n[About Us](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide)\n\n[Tired of losing recipes? Save your favorites on MyRecipes for free](https:\/\/www.myrecipes.com\/authentication\/login?regSource=494968&isMyrecipes=true&utm_source=foodandwine&utm_medium=sitewidebanner)\n\n# The F\\&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home\nA super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies.\n\nBy\n\n[Food & Wine Editors](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/author\/food-wine-editors)\n\n[Food & Wine Editors](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/author\/food-wine-editors)\n\nThis is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link.\n\n[Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913#toc-editorial-policies)\n\nUpdated on April 29, 2025\n\nClose\n\n![trio of homemade pizzas](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/Z6diauxVQGwOT95IBswHq12YyC8=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/guide-to-homemade-pizza-FT-MAG0322-5269d2b72b9b4d69aa3634c5d182b11b.jpg)\n\n![trio of homemade pizzas](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/Z6diauxVQGwOT95IBswHq12YyC8=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/guide-to-homemade-pizza-FT-MAG0322-5269d2b72b9b4d69aa3634c5d182b11b.jpg)\n\nCredit: Photo by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nA good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table.\n\nI'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach.\n\nEnter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens.\n\nSure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the [pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/artisan-pizza-dough) that resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home.\n\nSo go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America. *—Hunter Lewis*\n\n01 of 15\n\n## Make the dough\n![pulling pizza dough]()\n\n![pulling pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/9-fbleyGZwDyGC_yZMEUJ7bOjmg=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-cadd5f42b9114b7b89b9653008183282.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nDespite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with.\n\nPoolish\n\n- Stir together 3\/4 cup **unbleached bread flour** (about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1\/2 cup **warm water** (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of **active dry yeast** (about 1\/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl.\n- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours.\n\nLevain\n\n- Stir together 1\/2 cup **warm water** (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3\/4 ounce **mature sourdough starter** (about 1 1\/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3\/4 cup **unbleached bread flour** (about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter.\n- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.\n\n02 of 15\n\n## Give it shape\n![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface]()\n\n![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/S4Xys0wnd7Xu9D-41jDVn1b9Iqc=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/homemade-pizza-dough-FT-RECIPE0422-7d3aa2fbd4244e88afaff987753866d6.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nThe only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the [Artisan Pizza Dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/artisan-pizza-dough).\n\n03 of 15\n\n## Punch down dough\n![turning pizza dough out onto floured surface]()\n\n![turning pizza dough out onto floured surface](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/UW0NT_RLKyPg-MXhC7tvrr5HX0M=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03221-f04dc63eafb148b1b53b300e6878b779.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nPunch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface.\n\n04 of 15\n\n## Cut dough into portions\n![cutting pizza dough into portions]()\n\n![cutting pizza dough into portions](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/W2SwVnn6OVPjM2R9r6qSXL8cdv4=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03222-4d12e292ae41429eae52da75090fc484.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nCut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center.\n\n05 of 15\n\n## Transfer dough to work surface\n![transferring pizza dough to unclouded work surface]()\n\n![transferring pizza dough to unclouded work surface](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/ZnIeoG8zEpcw-AXKp_Wux6zZbzA=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03223-53cd0d72e9534834a6c6de9b9a55ef95.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nTransfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls.\n\n06 of 15\n\n## Arrange balls on oiled tray\n![Pizza dough balls on plastic-lined, oiled sheet tray]()\n\n![Pizza dough balls on plastic-lined, oiled sheet tray](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/zrhHlSO5zvk68-UlvUJDTItJSjY=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03227-c3a16b1b52044d46aec01197cb0224ef.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nArrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill.\n\n07 of 15\n\n## Chill balls overnight\n![fingerprint in pizza dough]()\n\n![fingerprint in pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/pCh0M44b1IR7t7NX-ItIH4SpsH8=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03224-26226ce715884ed89f28cf9a0bf6c4c3.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLet chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours.\n\n08 of 15\n\n## Dock dough\n![fingers docking pizza dough]()\n\n![fingers docking pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/kbbivsD2-s_3m82CLNIFpP3eUVw=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03225-31f158dd4ed3461182e5e0f6ac397469.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nTransfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border.\n\n09 of 15\n\n## Form a lip\n![c-shape hand on dough]()\n\n![c-shape hand on dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/3sPeSmQxnwkqEnB-eohb5Qt22-o=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03228-78f811df85634bb79af43138b6e59af0.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nForm a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1\/2-inch-wide lip.\n\n10 of 15\n\n## Stretch dough\n![gently stretching pizza dough]()\n\n![gently stretching pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/EEZ3JO55uMSmdGJ9x5Snt40IpAs=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03229-12957f5d49014016968d726a4cf8c600.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape.\n\n11 of 15\n\n## Form a circle\n![stretching pizza dough]()\n\n![stretching pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/xw6jYBqXe49NR_7DcBD3hDSaV6c=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03226-48635f7aca894eeeb3bdef3b607de25c.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nContinue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring.\n\n12 of 15\n\n## Shape on a floured surface\n![Dough round on a lightly floured surface]()\n\n![Dough round on a lightly floured surface](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/-IwaN62ayEHAQgjwsOgydZQvOzM=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE032210-7473d0153ac0487b88ba9d75068ee204.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle.\n\n13 of 15\n\n## Add toppings\n![topping a pizza with ricotta, olives, sausage]()\n\n![topping a pizza with ricotta, olives, sausage](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/S_vyjjEOpj_H0NfhiLBlQ5KBqEs=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-2-2cb879216b154aa79870a10a8d422b3f.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nPizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle.\n\n### Oil it\nIf baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon **extra-virgin olive oil** or **Smashed Garlic Oil**, being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an [indoor pizza oven,](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/best-indoor-pizza-ovens-8646330) skip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon **extra-virgin olive oil** or **Smashed Garlic Oil,** leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of **salt.**\n\n### Sauce it\nUse a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1\/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1\/4 cup **Basic Pizza Sauce** (recipe below), 3 tablespoons **crème fraîche,** or 3 tablespoons **pesto** onto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1\/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza.\n\n### Top it\nWhen it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange **cheese** and **toppings of choice** evenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings.\n\nPreparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies.\n\n[27 Homemade Pizza Recipes to Perfect](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/homemade-pizza-6409848)\n\n### Cheese\n*Low-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies.*\n\n- Fresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1\/2-inch pieces\n- Soft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1\/2-inch pieces\n- Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater\n- Goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces\n- Ricotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful\n- Parmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated\n\n### Vegetables\n*Prior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats.*\n\n- Onion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced\n- Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline\n- Mushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster\n- Zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1\/4-inch cubes\n- Roasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced\n- Cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped\n\n### Proteins\n*Precook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced.*\n\n- Thinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto\n- Italian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked\n- Bacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked\n- Anchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking)\n\n### Herbs and greens\n*Add tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking.*\n\n- Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro\n- Scallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced\n- Arugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice\n- Olives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking)\n\n14 of 15\n\n## Bake the pizza\n![Classic cheese pizza in pizza stove]()\n\n![Classic cheese pizza in pizza stove](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/VOF6Tcd4AxJv7AVtkc17Ym_rdmw=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-3-c3e056e89fc64078b1444c5c04049b99.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nWe've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and [Solo Stove](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/solo-stove-pi-prime-review-first-glance-7643708) that rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it.\n\n### Baking in a kitchen oven\nBroiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza.\n\n1. Preheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes.\n2. Gently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour.\n3. Unload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly.\n4. Bake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\n\n### Baking in a backyard pizza oven\n1. Preheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.)\n2. Reduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for \"Baking in a Kitchen Oven\" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.\n3. Using peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\n\n[The Ooni Karu 16 Is the Ultimate Pizza Oven – Here’s Why](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/ooni-karu-16-pizza-oven-review-7503342)\n\n15 of 15\n\n## Add a fancy finish\n![Homemade Ranch dressing, garlic confit, hot honey, and smashed garlic oil]()\n\n![Homemade Ranch dressing, garlic confit, hot honey, and smashed garlic oil](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/9WjJi28nWzEiC0d_PXlm-wCQijE=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/pizza-finish-ideas-FT-RECIPE0422-2-1e208cf058a947aa8f8c7f2f28b9346d.jpg)\n\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nWhile we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty \"Parmesan,\" modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the \"bones.\"\n\n[Finish Your Pizza with a Little Bling](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-finishers)\n\n### Make-ahead pizza for a crowd\nParbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method.\n\n**Kitchen oven parbaking**\n\nShape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes.\n\n**Pizza oven parbaking**\n\nBake pizza dough according to \"Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven\" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes.\n\n**Better leftover pizza**\n\nWe had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.\n\nExplore more:\n\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/food-7499700)\n- [Cooking Techniques](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques)\n\nWas this page helpful?\n\nThanks for your feedback\\!\n\nTell us why\\!\n\nOther\n\n## Related Articles\n[![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface]() ![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/XaiWhddLY4cMVhR9GMKp2zp8bTE=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/homemade-pizza-dough-FT-RECIPE0422-7d3aa2fbd4244e88afaff987753866d6.jpg) Artisan Pizza Dough 14 hrs 45 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/artisan-pizza-dough)\n\n[![Meat-Lovers Sheet Pan Pizza]() ![Meat-Lovers Sheet Pan 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Pizza](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/_QjecGSEQ8KoZ8XCCbio3S2MWfI=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/hawaiian-in-nyc-pizza-FT-RECIPE0721-0557e8d54b8c4349b1686232ec8f7b66.jpg) Gear Up for the 6 Essential Steps to Elevate Homemade Pizza](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/pizza-making-11723979)\n\n[![Chris Bianco's pizza dough with a bowl of sauce and shredded cheese. ]() ![Chris Bianco's pizza dough with a bowl of sauce and shredded cheese. ](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/ljPz3PXQHvlSTBLfcf3tp0hXXOY=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Chris-Biancos-Pizza-Dough-FT-RECIPE0424-01-cbd09d9f697044c8b50377c7af22ab7a.jpg) Chris Bianco's Pizza Dough 3 hrs 30 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/bianco-pizza-dough-6418483)\n\n[![Pizza Dough for Grilling]() ![Pizza Dough for Grilling](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/h1ozUV7lNuNRHfinDxEaKlp2L7U=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Pizza-Dough-for-Grilling-FT-MAG-RECIPE-0724-bb3d68fb98934dc6a1879f09f7886a01.jpg) Grilled Pizza Dough 2 hrs 25 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/pizza-dough-for-grilling-8669794)\n\n[![Spice-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Two Sauces]() ![Spice-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Two Sauces](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/D3n6szffmRcpM6xMQtlyoWiyzQ0=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/HD-201301-r-spice-rubbed-roast-chicken-with-two-sauces-bbca0c1f7eb44f259429157762fa0d5e.jpg) Spice-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Two Sauces 2 hrs 25 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/spice-rubbed-roast-chicken-two-sauces)\n\n[![Hawaiian New York Pizza]() ![Hawaiian New York Pizza](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/_QjecGSEQ8KoZ8XCCbio3S2MWfI=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/hawaiian-in-nyc-pizza-FT-RECIPE0721-0557e8d54b8c4349b1686232ec8f7b66.jpg) Hawaiian Pizza with Pineapple and Salami 12 hrs](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/hawaiian-pizza-with-pineapple-and-salami)\n\n[![Margherita Pizza with Arugula]() ![Margherita Pizza with Arugula](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/BAPQNJo098poU7Kwq7ReCUEjqNw=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/margherita-pizza-with-argula-and-prosciutto-FT-RECIPE0721-04368ec288a84d2e997573aca0001d98.jpg) Margherita Pizza 12 hrs](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/margherita-pizza)\n\n[![Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch]() ![Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/meeJ3VDR24UWqzSK19nDbFyYCVQ=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/wild-mushroom-pizza-with-homemade-ranch-FT-RECIPE0422-dc540d4b5d5d40129c43651b5ea79002.jpg) Wild Mushroom Pizza with Homemade Ranch 1 hr 40 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/wild-mushroom-pizza-with-homemade-ranch)\n\n[![Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing]() ![Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/TyPO8y34Vbft4aeQrfxFgmWPfsY=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/200711-xl-roasted-turkey-with-italian-sausage-stuffing-2000-6ad2662fb47b4fe48acbbb8c0841b7f0.jpg) Roasted Turkey with Italian Sausage Stuffing 4 hrs 15 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/roasted-turkey-italian-sausage-stuffing)\n\n[![Classic Cheese Pizza]() ![Classic Cheese Pizza](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/w_THmT9bFCbG7iU_31GygEFzvUM=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/classic-cheese-pizza-FT-RECIPE0422-31a2c938fc2546c9a07b7011658cfd05.jpg) Classic Cheese Pizza 1 hr 40 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/classic-cheese-pizza-6421445)\n\n[![Pepperoni Rolls with Garlic Anchovy Marinara]() ![Pepperoni Rolls with Garlic Anchovy Marinara](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/LbpMgJze65c_SfbVDDptF3q6ScQ=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Pepperoni-Rolls-with-Garlic-Anchovy-Marinara-FT-RECIPE0622-2000-46007dc4e30e4d30b14536fb9942e4da.jpg) Pepperoni Rolls with Garlic-Anchovy Marinara 4 hrs 50 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/pepperoni-rolls-with-garlic-anchovy-marinara)\n\n[![Grilled Pizza with Rosemary Potato Chips]() ![Grilled Pizza with Rosemary Potato Chips](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/thmb\/F-gn6CcRmJFrxz-pb-u5h2jLdrg=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Grilled-Pizza-with-Rosemary-Potato-Chips-FT-MAG-RECIPE-0724-9576b6e8f9fe42aa9c057780f6a46a63.jpg) Grilled Pizza with Rosemary Potato Chips 30 mins](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/grilled-pizza-with-potato-chips-8669862)\n\nCollection Saved\\!\n\n[Food & Wine](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/)\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/cooking-techniques\/pizza-guide)\n\nFollow Us\n\n- [Food](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/food-7499700)\n- [Drink](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/drinks)\n- [Restaurants](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/travel\/restaurants)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/travel)\n- [News](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/news)\n- [What to Buy](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/what-to-buy)\n\n- [About Us](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913)\n- [Editorial Guidelines](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913#toc-editorial-policies)\n- [Product Vetting](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913#toc-product-reviews)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/brands-privacy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/brands-termsofservice)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/advertising)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/careers)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/contact)\n- [Manage Your Magazine Subscription](https:\/\/w1.buysub.com\/servlet\/CSGateway?cds_mag_code=FAW)\n- [Magazine Subscription Help](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/about-us-6373913#toc-contact-us)\n\nFood & Wine is part of the [People Inc.](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/) publishing family.\n\nPlease review our updated [Terms of Service](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/brands-termsofservice).\n\nNewsletter Sign Up\n\nNewsletter Sign Up","attrs_readable_markdown":"## The F\\&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home\nA super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies.\n\nBy\n\n[Food & Wine Editors](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/author\/food-wine-editors)\n\nThis is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link.\n\nUpdated on April 29, 2025\n\nCredit: Photo by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nA good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table.\n\nI'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach.\n\nEnter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens.\n\nSure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the [pizza dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/artisan-pizza-dough) that resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home.\n\nSo go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America. *—Hunter Lewis*\n\n01 of 15\n\n## Make the dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nDespite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with.\n\nPoolish\n\n- Stir together 3\/4 cup **unbleached bread flour** (about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1\/2 cup **warm water** (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of **active dry yeast** (about 1\/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl.\n- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours.\n\nLevain\n\n- Stir together 1\/2 cup **warm water** (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3\/4 ounce **mature sourdough starter** (about 1 1\/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3\/4 cup **unbleached bread flour** (about 3 1\/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter.\n- Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1\/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.\n\n02 of 15\n\n## Give it shape\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nThe only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the [Artisan Pizza Dough](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/recipes\/artisan-pizza-dough).\n\n03 of 15\n\n## Punch down dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nPunch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface.\n\n04 of 15\n\n## Cut dough into portions\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nCut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center.\n\n05 of 15\n\n## Transfer dough to work surface\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nTransfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls.\n\n06 of 15\n\n## Arrange balls on oiled tray\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nArrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill.\n\n07 of 15\n\n## Chill balls overnight\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLet chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours.\n\n08 of 15\n\n## Dock dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nTransfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border.\n\n09 of 15\n\n## Form a lip\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nForm a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1\/2-inch-wide lip.\n\n10 of 15\n\n## Stretch dough\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape.\n\n11 of 15\n\n## Form a circle\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nContinue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring.\n\n12 of 15\n\n## Shape on a floured surface\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nLay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle.\n\n13 of 15\n\n## Add toppings\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nPizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle.\n\n### Oil it\nIf baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon **extra-virgin olive oil** or **Smashed Garlic Oil**, being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an [indoor pizza oven,](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/best-indoor-pizza-ovens-8646330) skip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon **extra-virgin olive oil** or **Smashed Garlic Oil,** leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of **salt.**\n\n### Sauce it\nUse a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1\/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1\/4 cup **Basic Pizza Sauce** (recipe below), 3 tablespoons **crème fraîche,** or 3 tablespoons **pesto** onto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1\/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza.\n\n### Top it\nWhen it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange **cheese** and **toppings of choice** evenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings.\n\nPreparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies.\n\n### Cheese\n*Low-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies.*\n\n- Fresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1\/2-inch pieces\n- Soft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1\/2-inch pieces\n- Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater\n- Goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces\n- Ricotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful\n- Parmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated\n\n### Vegetables\n*Prior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats.*\n\n- Onion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced\n- Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline\n- Mushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster\n- Zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1\/4-inch cubes\n- Roasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced\n- Cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped\n\n### Proteins\n*Precook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced.*\n\n- Thinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto\n- Italian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked\n- Bacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked\n- Anchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking)\n\n### Herbs and greens\n*Add tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking.*\n\n- Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro\n- Scallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced\n- Arugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice\n- Olives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking)\n\n14 of 15\n\n## Bake the pizza\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nWe've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and [Solo Stove](https:\/\/www.foodandwine.com\/solo-stove-pi-prime-review-first-glance-7643708) that rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it.\n\n### Baking in a kitchen oven\nBroiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza.\n\n1. Preheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes.\n2. Gently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour.\n3. Unload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly.\n4. Bake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\n\n### Baking in a backyard pizza oven\n1. Preheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.)\n2. Reduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for \"Baking in a Kitchen Oven\" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.\n3. Using peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza.\n\n15 of 15\n\n## Add a fancy finish\nPhoto by Christopher Testani \/ Food Styling by Torie Cox \/ Prop Styling by Audrey Davis\n\nWhile we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty \"Parmesan,\" modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the \"bones.\"\n\n### Make-ahead pizza for a crowd\nParbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method.\n\n**Kitchen oven parbaking**\n\nShape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes.\n\n**Pizza oven parbaking**\n\nBake pizza dough according to \"Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven\" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes.\n\n**Better leftover pizza**\n\nWe had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes.\n\nWas this page helpful?\n\nTell us why\\!","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Description	A super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies. Food & Wine Test Kitchen pros share each step for making and shaping the best pizza dough, how to top a pizza properly, many options for customizing your pizza, and how to bake the final pie. Upgrade pizza night with the ultimate F&W guide.
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Boilerpipe Text	The F&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home A super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies. By Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Updated on April 29, 2025 Credit: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis A good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table. I'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach. Enter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens. Sure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the pizza dough that resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home. So go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America. —Hunter Lewis 01 of 15 Make the dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Despite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with. Poolish Stir together 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of active dry yeast (about 1/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours. Levain Stir together 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3/4 ounce mature sourdough starter (about 1 1/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours. 02 of 15 Give it shape Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis The only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the Artisan Pizza Dough . 03 of 15 Punch down dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Punch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. 04 of 15 Cut dough into portions Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Cut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center. 05 of 15 Transfer dough to work surface Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls. 06 of 15 Arrange balls on oiled tray Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Arrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill. 07 of 15 Chill balls overnight Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Let chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours. 08 of 15 Dock dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border. 09 of 15 Form a lip Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Form a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1/2-inch-wide lip. 10 of 15 Stretch dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape. 11 of 15 Form a circle Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Continue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring. 12 of 15 Shape on a floured surface Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle. 13 of 15 Add toppings Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Pizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle. Oil it If baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil , being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an indoor pizza oven, skip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauce it Use a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1/4 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (recipe below), 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, or 3 tablespoons pesto onto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza. Top it When it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange cheese and toppings of choice evenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings. Preparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies. Cheese Low-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies. Fresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1/2-inch pieces Soft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1/2-inch pieces Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater Goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces Ricotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful Parmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated Vegetables Prior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats. Onion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline Mushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster Zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1/4-inch cubes Roasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced Cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped Proteins Precook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced. Thinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto Italian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked Bacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked Anchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking) Herbs and greens Add tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking. Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro Scallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced Arugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice Olives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking) 14 of 15 Bake the pizza Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis We've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and Solo Stove that rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it. Baking in a kitchen oven Broiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza. Preheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes. Gently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour. Unload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly. Bake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. Baking in a backyard pizza oven Preheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.) Reduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for "Baking in a Kitchen Oven" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Using peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. 15 of 15 Add a fancy finish Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis While we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty "Parmesan," modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the "bones." Make-ahead pizza for a crowd Parbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method. Kitchen oven parbaking Shape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Pizza oven parbaking Bake pizza dough according to "Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes. Better leftover pizza We had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Was this page helpful? Tell us why!
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Save your favorites on MyRecipes for free](https://www.myrecipes.com/authentication/login?regSource=494968&isMyrecipes=true&utm_source=foodandwine&utm_medium=sitewidebanner) # The F\&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home A super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies. By [Food & Wine Editors](https://www.foodandwine.com/author/food-wine-editors) [Food & Wine Editors](https://www.foodandwine.com/author/food-wine-editors) This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. [Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines](https://www.foodandwine.com/about-us-6373913#toc-editorial-policies) Updated on April 29, 2025 Close ![trio of homemade pizzas](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/Z6diauxVQGwOT95IBswHq12YyC8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/guide-to-homemade-pizza-FT-MAG0322-5269d2b72b9b4d69aa3634c5d182b11b.jpg) ![trio of homemade pizzas](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/Z6diauxVQGwOT95IBswHq12YyC8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/guide-to-homemade-pizza-FT-MAG0322-5269d2b72b9b4d69aa3634c5d182b11b.jpg) Credit: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis A good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table. I'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach. Enter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens. Sure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the [pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/artisan-pizza-dough) that resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home. So go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America. —Hunter Lewis 01 of 15 ## Make the dough ![pulling pizza dough]() ![pulling pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/9-fbleyGZwDyGC_yZMEUJ7bOjmg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-cadd5f42b9114b7b89b9653008183282.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Despite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with. Poolish - Stir together 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of active dry yeast (about 1/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl. - Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours. Levain - Stir together 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3/4 ounce mature sourdough starter (about 1 1/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter. - Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours. 02 of 15 ## Give it shape ![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface]() ![pizza dough round on lightly floured surface](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/S4Xys0wnd7Xu9D-41jDVn1b9Iqc=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/homemade-pizza-dough-FT-RECIPE0422-7d3aa2fbd4244e88afaff987753866d6.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis The only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the [Artisan Pizza Dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/artisan-pizza-dough). 03 of 15 ## Punch down dough ![turning pizza dough out onto floured surface]() ![turning pizza dough out onto floured surface](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/UW0NT_RLKyPg-MXhC7tvrr5HX0M=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03221-f04dc63eafb148b1b53b300e6878b779.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Punch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. 04 of 15 ## Cut dough into portions ![cutting pizza dough into portions]() ![cutting pizza dough into portions](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/W2SwVnn6OVPjM2R9r6qSXL8cdv4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03222-4d12e292ae41429eae52da75090fc484.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Cut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center. 05 of 15 ## Transfer dough to work surface ![transferring pizza dough to unclouded work surface]() ![transferring pizza dough to unclouded work surface](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/ZnIeoG8zEpcw-AXKp_Wux6zZbzA=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03223-53cd0d72e9534834a6c6de9b9a55ef95.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls. 06 of 15 ## Arrange balls on oiled tray ![Pizza dough balls on plastic-lined, oiled sheet tray]() ![Pizza dough balls on plastic-lined, oiled sheet tray](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/zrhHlSO5zvk68-UlvUJDTItJSjY=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03227-c3a16b1b52044d46aec01197cb0224ef.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Arrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill. 07 of 15 ## Chill balls overnight ![fingerprint in pizza dough]() ![fingerprint in pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/pCh0M44b1IR7t7NX-ItIH4SpsH8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03224-26226ce715884ed89f28cf9a0bf6c4c3.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Let chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours. 08 of 15 ## Dock dough ![fingers docking pizza dough]() ![fingers docking pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/kbbivsD2-s_3m82CLNIFpP3eUVw=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03225-31f158dd4ed3461182e5e0f6ac397469.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border. 09 of 15 ## Form a lip ![c-shape hand on dough]() ![c-shape hand on dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/3sPeSmQxnwkqEnB-eohb5Qt22-o=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03228-78f811df85634bb79af43138b6e59af0.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Form a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1/2-inch-wide lip. 10 of 15 ## Stretch dough ![gently stretching pizza dough]() ![gently stretching pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/EEZ3JO55uMSmdGJ9x5Snt40IpAs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03229-12957f5d49014016968d726a4cf8c600.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape. 11 of 15 ## Form a circle ![stretching pizza dough]() ![stretching pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/xw6jYBqXe49NR_7DcBD3hDSaV6c=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE03226-48635f7aca894eeeb3bdef3b607de25c.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Continue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring. 12 of 15 ## Shape on a floured surface ![Dough round on a lightly floured surface]() ![Dough round on a lightly floured surface](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/-IwaN62ayEHAQgjwsOgydZQvOzM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/how-to-shape-homemade-pizza-dough-XL-RECIPE032210-7473d0153ac0487b88ba9d75068ee204.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle. 13 of 15 ## Add toppings ![topping a pizza with ricotta, olives, sausage]() ![topping a pizza with ricotta, olives, sausage](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/S_vyjjEOpj_H0NfhiLBlQ5KBqEs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-2-2cb879216b154aa79870a10a8d422b3f.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Pizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle. ### Oil it If baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil, being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an [indoor pizza oven,](https://www.foodandwine.com/best-indoor-pizza-ovens-8646330) skip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. ### Sauce it Use a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1/4 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (recipe below), 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, or 3 tablespoons pesto onto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza. ### Top it When it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange cheese and toppings of choice evenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings. Preparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies. [27 Homemade Pizza Recipes to Perfect](https://www.foodandwine.com/homemade-pizza-6409848) ### Cheese Low-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies. - Fresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1/2-inch pieces - Soft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1/2-inch pieces - Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater - Goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces - Ricotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful - Parmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated ### Vegetables Prior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats. - Onion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced - Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline - Mushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster - Zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1/4-inch cubes - Roasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced - Cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped ### Proteins Precook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced. - Thinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto - Italian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked - Bacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked - Anchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking) ### Herbs and greens Add tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking. - Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro - Scallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced - Arugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice - Olives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking) 14 of 15 ## Bake the pizza ![Classic cheese pizza in pizza stove]() ![Classic cheese pizza in pizza stove](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/VOF6Tcd4AxJv7AVtkc17Ym_rdmw=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/guide-to-homemade-pizza-VT-MAG0322-3-c3e056e89fc64078b1444c5c04049b99.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis We've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and [Solo Stove](https://www.foodandwine.com/solo-stove-pi-prime-review-first-glance-7643708) that rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it. ### Baking in a kitchen oven Broiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza. 1. Preheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes. 2. Gently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour. 3. Unload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly. 4. Bake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. ### Baking in a backyard pizza oven 1. Preheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.) 2. Reduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for "Baking in a Kitchen Oven" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. 3. Using peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. [The Ooni Karu 16 Is the Ultimate Pizza Oven – Here’s Why](https://www.foodandwine.com/ooni-karu-16-pizza-oven-review-7503342) 15 of 15 ## Add a fancy finish ![Homemade Ranch dressing, garlic confit, hot honey, and smashed garlic oil]() ![Homemade Ranch dressing, garlic confit, hot honey, and smashed garlic oil](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/9WjJi28nWzEiC0d_PXlm-wCQijE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/pizza-finish-ideas-FT-RECIPE0422-2-1e208cf058a947aa8f8c7f2f28b9346d.jpg) Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis While we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty "Parmesan," modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the "bones." [Finish Your Pizza with a Little Bling](https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/pizza-finishers) ### Make-ahead pizza for a crowd Parbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method. Kitchen oven parbaking Shape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Pizza oven parbaking Bake pizza dough according to "Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes. Better leftover pizza We had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Explore more: - [Food](https://www.foodandwine.com/food-7499700) - [Cooking Techniques](https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback\! Tell us why\! 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Readable Markdown	## The F\&W Guide to Making Pizza at Home A super-flavorful and forgiving pizza dough is the key to pro-level pies. By [Food & Wine Editors](https://www.foodandwine.com/author/food-wine-editors) This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Updated on April 29, 2025 Credit: Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis A good pizza is one of the most rewarding things you can cook at home. There's the way dough feels alive and responsive in your hands. The crackling sound a knife makes while crunching neatly through a properly baked pie. The fragrant steam that arises when you bite into a pillowy, chewy, tangy crust. The joy shared among the lucky people at your table. I'm especially attuned to these pleasures because pizza success eluded me for too long. My pies would come out of the oven blistered on the outside and gummy on the inside (cooked at too high a heat). Often my dough tore while I tried to shape it (weak gluten network). My crust lacked flavor (not fermented long enough). Thus began a low-key quest for a bulletproof recipe that would work in my home oven so I could finally bake a proper pie. I referenced cookbooks and talked to experts; I learned about hydration ratios of flour to water and protein levels in supermarket flours. I acquired tools, including some fancy outdoor pizza ovens. Still, perfection remained out of reach. Enter my pizza-loving former colleague Mary-Frances Heck. The dough, she knew, was key, and she set to developing a flavorful, forgiving pizza dough that didn't require fussing over. Then our fellow pizza-head and recipe developer Paige Grandjean refined the recipe further in the test kitchen. After that, we pressure-tested the recipe with a team of test kitchen cooks in their home kitchens with basic residential ovens. Sure enough, the key to good pizza is good dough. And the [pizza dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/artisan-pizza-dough) that resulted from our repeated testing, tinkering, and evaluation is very good. It has complex — but not too tangy — sourdough-like flavor, and it's elastic and easy to work with — perfect whether this is your first time making pizza or your 50th. We then gave toppings, tools, and cook times the same workout. The result of our collective quest isn't just good pizza at home — it's great pizza at home. So go ahead. Get out your favorite toppings, crank up the oven, and pour yourself a glass of wine. It's pizza night in America. —Hunter Lewis 01 of 15 ## Make the dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Despite its reputation as a convenience food, the most essential element of great pizza is time. A slow fermentation gives our pizza dough its chewy-crispy texture and depth of flavor. It starts with your choice of sourdough starter (aka levain) or a simple mixture of flour, water, and active dry yeast (poolish) left to ferment for 12 hours. Both options start fermentation and build flavor in the dough overnight. Strategic stretching of the dough during the initial fermentation stage develops gluten and makes the dough evenly elastic and forgiving to work with. Poolish - Stir together 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams), 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams), and a pinch of active dry yeast (about 1/16 teaspoon) in a medium bowl. - Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and let ferment at cool room temperature (about 65°F) until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes the float test, about 12 hours. Levain - Stir together 1/2 cup warm water (about 80°F) (4 ounces or 115 grams) and 3/4 ounce mature sourdough starter (about 1 1/2 tablespoons or 25 grams) in a medium bowl until starter is mostly dissolved. Stir in 3/4 cup unbleached bread flour (about 3 1/4 ounces or 95 grams) until well combined and mixture resembles thick batter. - Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel; let stand at room temperature until increased in volume 2 1/2 to 3 times and passes float test, at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours. 02 of 15 ## Give it shape Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis The only way to truly learn how to shape dough is to put your hands on it and practice. With patience and experience, you'll develop a feel for the dough and gain confidence in your shaping techniques and topping combinations. Good pizza will become great pizza. To get started, we've broken down the shaping process into its key steps. Start by making the [Artisan Pizza Dough](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/artisan-pizza-dough). 03 of 15 ## Punch down dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Punch down the proofed dough in the bowl to gently release air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. 04 of 15 ## Cut dough into portions Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Cut dough using a bench scraper into 6 (9-ounce or 255-gram) portions. Fold the 4 corners of each portion into the center. 05 of 15 ## Transfer dough to work surface Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer dough portions to an unfloured work surface. Use a bench scraper to pull dough across surface to form taut balls. 06 of 15 ## Arrange balls on oiled tray Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Arrange balls on a plastic wrap–lined, oiled tray; tug plastic wrap up between balls. (Or place in 6 oiled plastic pint containers.) Cover; chill. 07 of 15 ## Chill balls overnight Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Let chilled covered dough stand at room temperature until dough is cool and a fingerprint remains when dough is touched, 1 to 2 hours. 08 of 15 ## Dock dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Transfer 1 dough ball to a heavily floured surface. Using floured fingertips, firmly dock dough, leaving a ½-inch border. 09 of 15 ## Form a lip Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Form a C-shape with the outer edge of your hand, and press firmly around dough border to form a 1/2-inch-wide lip. 10 of 15 ## Stretch dough Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lift dough onto the knuckles of both hands and gently stretch, rotating dough after each pull to maintain its round shape. 11 of 15 ## Form a circle Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Continue stretching dough, allowing gravity to help expand it, to form a 10-inch circle of even thickness with a slightly thicker outer ring. 12 of 15 ## Shape on a floured surface Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Lay dough round on a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted pizza peel, reshaping as needed to form a circle. 13 of 15 ## Add toppings Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Pizza toppings should be applied with a light hand; think of them as a way to season and add texture to the flavorful crust. As the pizza bakes and the dough puffs and rises in the oven, the toppings will naturally flow toward the center of the pie, so go easy on toppings in the middle. ### Oil it If baking in a kitchen oven, brush edges of dough lightly with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil, being careful not to get oil on the pizza peel. (If baking in an [indoor pizza oven,](https://www.foodandwine.com/best-indoor-pizza-ovens-8646330) skip this step.) Drizzle dough evenly with another 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or Smashed Garlic Oil, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. ### Sauce it Use a restrained hand with the sauce: 1 1/2 to 2 ounces is the perfect amount. Spoon 1/4 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (recipe below), 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, or 3 tablespoons pesto onto dough; using back of spoon and starting in the center and working to the edge, spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge and adding less sauce to the very center of the pizza. ### Top it When it comes to toppings, less is more: Through our testing, we found that a total of 3 to 4 ounces of toppings (including cheese) is the ideal amount for these small 10-inch pizzas. Arrange cheese and toppings of choice evenly on sauce, starting from outer edge and working toward the center. Leave the 2 inches at the very center of the pizza lighter on toppings. Preparing toppings before applying them to your pizzas is the key to tender, well-seasoned vegetables, sizzling meat, and evenly melted cheese. Mix and match to taste, or try one of our primo pies. ### Cheese Low-moisture cheese is essential to crisp, well-structured pies. - Fresh mozzarella, such as Di Stefano Fior di Latte or Crave Brothers Mozzarella, torn into 1/2-inch pieces - Soft-ripened cheese, such as Brie, St. Albans, or robiola, cut into 1/2-inch pieces - Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded on large holes of a box grater - Goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces - Ricotta, dolloped by the tablespoonful - Parmesan or pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler or finely grated ### Vegetables Prior to topping, toss 3 ounces prepared vegetables or hardy herbs with 2 teaspoons oil and a pinch of salt; let stand while oven preheats. - Onion or spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced - Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline - Mushrooms, such as whole beech, thinly sliced button or cremini, or torn oyster - Zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or cut into 1/4-inch cubes - Roasted red bell peppers, peeled and thinly sliced - Cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped ### Proteins Precook and then chop or crumble fresh meat. Purchase cured meats thinly sliced. - Thinly sliced cured meat, such as soppressata, pepperoni, or prosciutto - Italian sausage or lamb sausage, crumbled and cooked - Bacon or guanciale, chopped and cooked - Anchovies, oil- or salt-packed, draped over toppings (can be applied before or after baking) ### Herbs and greens Add tender herbs and greens to hot pizzas right after baking. - Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, mint, or cilantro - Scallions, chives, spring onion tops, or ramps, thinly sliced - Arugula, lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice - Olives, pitted and torn (these also may be added to pies before baking) 14 of 15 ## Bake the pizza Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis We've long coveted one of those tiled, wood-fired pizza ovens that our favorite pizza joints all seem to have, but you don't need to spend the price of a Ferrari to make pizzaiolo-level pies at home. We built these recipes to work in home ovens that max out at 500°F and also for popular portable backyard pizza ovens like Ooni and [Solo Stove](https://www.foodandwine.com/solo-stove-pi-prime-review-first-glance-7643708) that rely on gas or wood and can crank up to 950°F. Controlling heat is the key to a proper bake. Here's how to do it. ### Baking in a kitchen oven Broiling for the last few minutes of cooking helps brown the edges and top of the pizza while the bottom crust continues to cook from the hot stone below. Don't forget to return the oven to 500°F to give the stone time to heat back up while you stretch and top the next pizza. 1. Preheat oven to 500°F with a baking steel or large round cast-iron pizza pan (such as Lodge 15-inch) on middle rack. Let pan preheat in oven about 30 minutes. 2. Gently shake pizza peel with prepared pie to loosen. If pizza feels stuck in any areas, carefully lift pizza edge with a bench scraper and dust peel with a 1:1 mixture of semolina and bread flour. 3. Unload pizza onto preheated pan using quick, decisive movements: Set the peel edge on the pan at about a 20-degree angle and quickly pull back peel to slide half of the pizza onto the pan. Gently shake the peel side to side while pulling it back to slide the rest of the pizza onto the pan, allowing it to stretch slightly. 4. Bake at 500°F until edges of crust have puffed slightly, about 3 minutes. Rotate pan 90 degrees and increase oven temperature to broil. Broil until pizza is cooked through and crust is browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Using the peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Reduce oven temperature to 500°F. If needed, dust off any residual flour on pizza pan using a silicone pastry brush or thickly folded flour sack towel. Let baking stone preheat for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. ### Baking in a backyard pizza oven 1. Preheat pizza oven and pizza stone according to manufacturer's instructions on high 20 minutes. (Note: Cooking with wood takes more experience to control the heat, so we've only included instructions for gas oven cooking here.) 2. Reduce oven heat to medium-low. Follow directions in steps 2 and 3 for "Baking in a Kitchen Oven" to transfer pizza to oven. Cook pizza, using peel to rotate pizza 90 degrees every 20 to 30 seconds, until cooked through and crust is risen and charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. 3. Using peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. If needed, brush off any residual flour on stone using an oven brush. Let oven preheat on high for a few minutes before loading the next pizza. 15 of 15 ## Add a fancy finish Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis While we'll always love the pizzeria shakers of crushed red pepper and salty "Parmesan," modern pizza requires a little something extra to finish strong. Homemade Hot Honey, made here with fermented Calabrian chiles; anchovy-laced Fancy Ranch; and Smashed Garlic Oil, which can also be brushed around the edges of a pie before baking, add pops of flavor to any pie. Garlic Confit, mellowed from an olive oil bath, can be smashed and used as a prebake topping, and the oil drizzled over finished pies. And of course, no one can turn down a dish of warm pizza sauce for dunking the "bones." ### Make-ahead pizza for a crowd Parbaking shaped dough (aka skins) was a revelation for us during recipe testing because it fast-tracks dinner for busy families or pizza-party hosts. As a bonus, we found the crust gets extra crackly using this method. Kitchen oven parbaking Shape and bake pizza dough at 500°F on preheated stone until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze multiple skins in a large ziplock plastic bag up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature about 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Pizza oven parbaking Bake pizza dough according to "Baking in a Backyard Pizza Oven" (see above) until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes, rotating pizza every 30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Freeze parbaked crusts in ziplock bags up to 2 months. Thaw skins at room temperature 30 minutes. Add toppings and bake to desired doneness, 1 to 2 minutes. Better leftover pizza We had lots of leftover slices during recipe testing. Here's how to reheat them: For a few slices, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add pizza slices in a single layer; cover and cook until pizza slices are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Flash under broiler for 1 minute, if desired. For several slices, reheat on a preheated pizza stone (see baking directions) until pizza is hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Was this page helpful? Tell us why\!
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