Ingredient

Pizza

Professional pizza is baked in ninety seconds at 450°C. A domestic oven reaches perhaps 250°C, so home pizza is a different problem: everything you do is about compensating for a bake that takes six times as long.

The heat problem

In a very hot oven the base sets and chars before the topping has time to release much water, and the whole thing is done before it can dry out. In a domestic oven the pizza sits there for eight to twelve minutes, during which the toppings release water onto a base that is still soft.

So the two things worth doing at home are to maximise the heat reaching the base, and to minimise the water in the toppings.

For the first: a pizza stone or steel, preheated for a full 45 minutes at the oven’s maximum, is by far the biggest single improvement. Steel conducts heat faster than stone and is better still. An upturned heavy baking tray preheated the same way is a reasonable substitute.

The dough

Strong bread flour

High protein for a chewy, extensible dough. Italian "00" is finer-milled and gives a more tender crust.

Hydration around 60–65%

Water as a percentage of flour weight. Higher is more open and blistered but much harder to handle.

Slow fermentation

A cold overnight or two-day rise in the fridge gives far more flavour than a two-hour rise. The single easiest improvement to the dough.

Very little yeast

For a long rise, a fraction of a teaspoon is enough. Speed comes at the cost of flavour.

Salt

Around 2% of the flour weight. It controls the yeast as well as seasoning.

No rolling pin

Stretch it by hand. A rolling pin crushes the gas out of the rim, which is where the puff comes from.

Baking at home

1. Preheat the oven to maximum with a stone or steel in it for at least 45 minutes. Longer is better.
2. Stretch the dough on a well-floured or semolina-dusted peel or board, leaving the outer rim thicker and untouched.
3. Top it sparingly. This is the hardest instruction to follow and the most important — too much topping is the main cause of soggy home pizza.
4. Use a thick sauce and drain the mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella holds a great deal of water; tear it and let it sit on kitchen paper first.
5. Slide it onto the stone quickly and confidently. Hesitation is how pizzas end up folded.
6. Bake for eight to twelve minutes. Switch to the top grill for the last minute or two to blister the cheese.
7. Add anything delicate — basil, rocket, prosciutto, good oil — after it comes out.

Common problems

• Soggy middle — too much topping, wet mozzarella, or not enough heat under the base.
• Pale, bready crust — oven not hot enough, or not preheated long enough. The stone needs 45 minutes.
• Stuck to the peel — too little flour or semolina, or it sat too long before going in. Assemble fast.
• Tough, cracker-like base — over-rolled, over-kneaded, or a dough with too little water.
• No puff on the rim — the rim was flattened during shaping, or the dough was under-proved.
• Burnt base, raw top — stone too hot relative to the air. Move the pizza to a higher shelf partway through.

Common questions