Easy Pizza Dough

Eating pizza is a quintessential part of any visit to Italy, so it’s only natural that food writer Maria Pasquale of HeartRome included a variety of pizza recipes in her cookbook inspired by the country’s capital. “Making good pizza at home starts with this recipe for a basic pizza dough,” Pasquale writes in The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome. “With easy-to-use dried yeast and a rising time of only 2 hours, it makes four round pizza bases.” From there, the sky’s the limit.

Basic Pizza Dough

Maria Pasquale's recipe for a basic white pizza dough with dried yeast and a 2-hour rising time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 pizza bases

Ingredients

  

• 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 400 ml tepid water
• extra virgin olive oil for greasing

Instructions

 

• To make the dough, sift the flour into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the yeast, salt and sugar. Pour in the water and, if you are using a mixer, start to mix using the dough hook. If working by hand, start mixing with a fork, then use your hands to start bringing the ingredients together. If the dough is too wet, add a little extra flour.
• When the dough is well mixed, turn it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead gently to form a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap to stop the dough sticking when it rises.
• The dough should take about 2 hours to rise. If the weather is warm it will rise easily; if it is cold, leave it in a warm spot near the oven or over a heater.
• Once risen, turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead gently. Divide the dough into four portions. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest while you prepare the toppings.
• Each piece of dough can be rolled or hand stretched, depending on your preferred base. Rolling will create a thinner crust, while pulling the dough into shape by hand will maintain the air pockets and create a thicker crust.

Notes

Once prepared, this dough benefits from resting overnight, but it can be used after 2 hours.

More classic Italian recipes from Maria Pasquale

Roman-Style Artichokes

An authentic recipe for carcifoli alla Romana – Roman artichokes stuffed with garlic and mint.

Get the recipe

Fried Zucchini Flowers

Roman food tour guide Toni Brancatisano shares her recipe for fried zucchini flowers in Maria Pasquale's book The Eternal City.

Get the recipe

Authentic Carbonara

A by-the-book recipe for traditional Roman carbonara

Get the recipe

Fried Zucchini

In her book The Eternal City, Maria Pasquale shares her mother's recipe for a traditional Roman snack: beer-battered and deep-fried zucchini sticks.

Get the recipe

Supplì (Roman Rice Balls)

Maria Pasquale's recipe for a classic Roman snack: fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese.

Get the recipe