Homemade Pizza Base Recipe | Italian Pizza Dough

Name: Pizza Base
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300 g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting. Italian 00 flour is the most authentic choice and produces a very smooth, silky dough; 7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast , 7g = 1 Satchet; 1 tsp Caster Sugar; 1 tsp Fine Salt; 180 ml Warm Water, around 40°C — not hot; 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Authentic Neapolitan Tomato Sauce

A great homemade pizza base is one of the most rewarding things you can make from scratch - thin, crisp at the edges, slightly chewy within, with a yeasty depth of flavour that no supermarket base or ready-made dough can touch. Once you have a reliable pizza base recipe in your repertoire, homemade pizza night becomes one of the easiest and most satisfying meals you can put on the table.

This recipe follows the classic Neapolitan method - a simple yeasted dough of strong bread flour, water, olive oil, and salt, proved until doubled and stretched thin before baking at the highest temperature your oven will reach. The high heat is essential: pizza baked at 250°C or above develops the blistered, slightly charred crust and light, open crumb that defines a great Neapolitan base.

This recipe makes two pizza bases, each generously sized for one person or enough for two to share as part of a larger spread. The dough freezes brilliantly at the ball stage - make a batch, freeze in portions, and defrost overnight in the fridge for a fresh pizza base any night of the week. All ingredients are standard supermarket staples.

Ingredients

For the dough

300 g Strong White Bread Flour , plus extra for dusting. Italian 00 flour is the most authentic choice and produces a very smooth, silky dough
7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast , 7g = 1 Satchet
1 tsp Caster Sugar
1 tsp Fine Salt
180 ml Warm Water , around 40°C — not hot
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the toppings

Authentic Neapolitan Tomato Sauce

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the warm water and olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead firmly for 8–10 mins until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 6–7 mins.

Tip: Pizza dough should feel soft and smooth - not stiff, not sticky. If it's sticking to your hands, add flour a teaspoon at a time. If it feels dry and tight, add a tiny splash of water. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly when you press a floured finger into it.
Divide the dough into two equal balls. Place in a lightly oiled bowl (or two separate bowls), cover with cling film or a damp tea towel, and prove in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to its highest setting - ideally 250°C fan / 270°C conventional - with a large baking tray, pizza stone, or cast iron pan inside. The hotter the oven and the hotter the cooking surface, the better the pizza base. Allow at least 30 mins for the tray or stone to heat through fully.

Tip: A screaming hot baking surface is the single most important factor in a great pizza base at home. A cold tray produces a pale, soft, doughy base. A preheated tray or pizza stone produces a crisp, slightly charred base with a light, airy crumb. Don't skip the preheat.
Once proved, take one dough ball and place on a well-floured surface. Using your fingertips, press from the centre outward to flatten the dough into a disc, leaving a slightly thicker border around the edge. Gently stretch the dough further using the back of your hands or by rotating it over your knuckles until you have a rough circle approximately 28–30cm across and 3–4mm thick in the centre.

Tip: Never use a rolling pin on pizza dough - it crushes the air bubbles created during proving that give the crust its light, open texture. Use your hands throughout, working gently from the centre outward. If the dough springs back stubbornly, leave it to rest for 5 mins and try again - the gluten needs time to relax.
Carefully slide the stretched dough onto a sheet of baking paper. Add your chosen toppings - sauce first, then cheese, then toppings - keeping them within 2cm of the edge.
Slide the pizza (on its baking paper) onto the preheated tray, stone, or pan using a chopping board or pizza peel. Bake for 8–10 mins until the crust is golden and blistered at the edges and the base is crisp and cooked through. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Air Fryer Method

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C for 3–5 mins.
Stretch or roll the proved dough to fit your air fryer basket - typically a smaller, roughly oval shape rather than a full round. Place on a piece of baking paper trimmed to fit.
Add toppings as normal, keeping them light to avoid the base becoming soggy.
Cook for 8–10 mins until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbling and lightly coloured.

Tip: The air fryer base will be crispier and slightly thinner than the oven version - great for a cracker-style crust. For a puffier, more Neapolitan-style result, the very hot oven method gives the better outcome. Avoid overloading with toppings - a lightly topped pizza cooks far better in the air fryer than a heavily loaded one.

Alternatives & Variations

Swap half the strong white bread flour for strong wholemeal bread flour - adds fibre and a nuttier flavour; add an extra 10–20ml of water as wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid and produces a slightly denser base
Reduce the olive oil to 1 tbsp - it contributes richness to the dough but a smaller amount still produces a good result
Keep toppings light - a thin layer of tomato sauce, a modest amount of mozzarella, and plenty of vegetables keeps a homemade pizza well within a healthy meal

This recipe is not naturally gluten free as it relies on strong white bread flour. Gluten free pizza bases are challenging to replicate at home from scratch as gluten free doughs lack the elasticity needed to stretch properly. Several supermarkets now stock good quality gluten free pizza bases (Tesco and Sainsbury's both carry own-brand versions) which are a more reliable option for a gluten free pizza night. If making from scratch, specialist gluten free bread flour blends with added xanthan gum can produce a reasonable result, though the dough will need to be pressed into shape rather than stretched.

FAQs

Around 25 mins of active work plus 1 hour of proving time. The hands-on effort is minimal - most of the time is the dough resting and rising on its own. Factor in 30 mins to preheat the baking tray or stone before baking.

Rated Easy. The dough is simple and forgiving, and stretching it by hand takes a little practice but no special skill. The most common mistakes are not proving the dough long enough and baking on a cold tray - both are easy to avoid.

Yes - it freezes brilliantly. After dividing into balls, place each ball on a lightly oiled piece of cling film, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature for 30–60 mins before stretching. The dough is slightly easier to work with after a cold, slow overnight prove in the fridge.

Yes - for the best flavour, make the dough the night before and leave it to prove slowly in the fridge overnight rather than at room temperature. A cold, slow prove develops a more complex, yeasty flavour that's noticeably better than a quick room-temperature prove. Remove from the fridge 30–60 mins before shaping.

Strong white bread flour (sometimes labelled as "bread flour") gives the best results - the higher protein content develops more gluten, which gives the dough its characteristic elasticity and chew. Plain flour can be used in a pinch but produces a softer, less chewy base. Italian 00 flour is the most authentic choice and produces a very smooth, silky dough — it's available at Waitrose and some larger Tesco and Sainsbury's stores.

A thin layer of tomato sauce (passata seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and oregano), fresh or grated mozzarella, and your choice of toppings. Classic combinations include margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil), pepperoni, or mushroom and truffle oil. Keep toppings relatively light - too much weight prevents the base from crisping properly in the oven. Less is more with homemade pizza.

Yes - the air fryer produces a good pizza base, particularly for smaller individual pizzas. Stretch the dough to fit the basket, add your toppings lightly, and cook at 200°C for 8–10 mins until golden and crisp. The base will be slightly crispier and thinner than the oven version but genuinely very good. Cook one base at a time and keep toppings light for the best result.