Homemade pizza with yeast dough

This homemade pizza recipe takes you from mixing a soft yeast dough to baking two pizzas with tomato, mozzarella and your choice of toppings.

Ingredients

500 g wheat flour
7 g dry yeast
300 ml lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
200 g tomato passata
200 g mozzarella
1 teaspoon oregano
Toppings of your choice

Step-by-step preparation

Mix the flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and olive oil, then knead for about 10 minutes.
Cover the bowl and leave for about 1 hour, until the dough has visibly risen. Meanwhile, heat the oven and a baking tray to 250°C or the highest available temperature.
Mix the passata with the oregano and a pinch of salt. Dry and tear the mozzarella.
Divide the dough in two. Stretch each portion on baking paper, leaving a slightly thicker edge. Spread thinly with sauce and add the cheese and toppings.
Transfer each pizza on its paper to the hot tray. Bake one at a time for about 8-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cheese has melted.

Time and yield

About 1 hour 40 minutes; 2 pizzas.

Dough and toppings

This recipe makes two pizzas, which are easier to bake one at a time in a home oven. The dough should be soft and elastic. Stretch it from the centre towards the edges without pressing down the entire rim. Drain the mozzarella well and use toppings sparingly. If using baking paper, check the manufacturer's permitted temperature and adjust the oven accordingly.

Practical tips and variations

Avoid too much sauce or wet toppings, which can leave the base damp.
A hot tray helps the base cook quickly. Transfer the pizza carefully using a second tray or a spatula.
Slice mushrooms and other juicy toppings thinly. Cook any meat that needs heat treatment beforehand.
Baking time depends on the oven and dough thickness, so watch the edge and base.

Kneading and shaping

Pour the water into the flour gradually, mixing until no dry patches remain. The dough may stick to your hands at first. Knead by stretching and folding until it becomes smoother. Avoid adding much flour, as this can make the baked base hard. The finished dough should be soft and elastic. Cover the bowl so the surface does not dry out as it rises.

Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide it in two. Shape each piece into a ball. If the dough resists stretching, cover it for a few minutes. Press the centre with your fingers and move the air towards the edge. The pizza does not need to be perfectly round, but the centre should have no holes and should be roughly even in thickness.

Choosing toppings

Use a thin layer of passata. Thick passata is easy to spread with a spoon; very runny passata can be briefly reduced and cooled first. Dry the mozzarella because excess liquid collects in the centre. Slice vegetables thinly so they have time to soften during the short bake. If using several toppings, leave space between the pieces.

Add delicate leaves such as rocket or basil to the finished pizza. If baking the pizzas one after another, top the second just before it goes into the oven. Sauce left on raw dough for too long can make it too wet. Let the first pizza rest briefly before slicing, until the hot cheese no longer moves around as much.

Baking on a hot tray

Place the empty tray in the oven while it heats. Slide the prepared pizza onto it on the paper, using a flat spatula or an inverted tray. The paper must be rated for the chosen temperature and trimmed so it does not touch the heating elements. If the manufacturer specifies a lower temperature, reduce the heat accordingly and monitor the bake.

Near the end, check the base as well as the colour of the cheese. The base should be cooked and firm enough to lift with a spatula. A thicker pizza may need longer than a thin one. After the first pizza, give the tray a little time to heat up again before baking the second.

FAQ

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. After kneading, cover and refrigerate it until the next day. Let it warm up before shaping.

Why is the pizza base wet?

Too much sauce, wet cheese or an oven that was not hot enough can be the cause.