You can make a proper pizza at home in about 30 minutes: mix 300g strong bread flour with 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and 200ml warm water, knead for five minutes, then roll it thin, top with passata and mozzarella, and bake at your oven’s hottest setting — around 240°C, fan 220°C, gas mark 9 — for 8 to 10 minutes. That is the whole process. The rest is technique, and it is easier than the delivery apps want you to believe.
Pizza is one of those dishes where the gap between a good one and a great one is almost entirely heat. Restaurant ovens run at 400°C or more; a home oven cannot match that, but with a few tricks — maximum temperature, a preheated tray, a thin base — you can get remarkably close. Here is the full method, plus the fixes for the usual problems like soggy centres and pale crusts.
The dough (makes 2 pizzas)
Everything starts with the dough, and it needs only five ingredients you probably already have:
- 300g strong bread flour (plain flour works, but strong flour gives a chewier crust)
- 1 tsp instant yeast (a 7g sachet is perfect)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 200ml warm water — warm, not hot, so it doesn’t kill the yeast
Tip the flour into a large bowl, stir in the yeast and salt, then make a well and pour in the water and olive oil. Bring it together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough, then turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five minutes until smooth and elastic.
To rise or not to rise?
Cover the dough with a tea towel and you have two options. For a thin, crisp, Neapolitan-style base, use it straight away — no rise needed. For a puffier, breadier crust, leave it somewhere warm for an hour until doubled in size, then knock it back with a quick knead. Both are good; they are just different pizzas.
The sauce
Resist the urge to cook it. A raw sauce tastes fresher and won’t turn bitter in a hot oven. Mix 100ml passata with a crushed garlic clove, a handful of chopped basil (or 1 tsp dried oregano) and a pinch of salt. Done. Spread it thinly — about two tablespoons per pizza. Too much sauce is the single most common cause of a soggy base.
Shaping and topping
Heat the oven to its maximum — 240°C, fan 220°C, gas mark 9 — and put a baking sheet or an upturned baking tray on the top shelf to preheat. This hot surface is what crisps the base. Divide the dough into two balls and roll each into a round about 25cm across on a floured surface. Keep the centre thin and leave a slightly thicker rim for the crust.
Lift the base onto a floured baking sheet, spread over the sauce leaving a small border, then scatter with torn mozzarella (a 125g ball per pizza is plenty) and whatever toppings you fancy. Less is more: three toppings at most. Wet ingredients like fresh tomatoes or mushrooms release water, so use them sparingly or pre-cook them. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Topping ideas that actually work
- Classic margherita: passata, mozzarella, basil — added after baking so it doesn’t burn
- Pepperoni: thin slices that curl and crisp at the edges
- Vegetable: roasted peppers, red onion and olives, with the mozzarella underneath so the veg roasts
- Bianca: no tomato — ricotta, mozzarella, garlic and spinach
Baking
Slide the pizza, still on its baking sheet, onto the preheated tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the base is crisp and golden and the cheese is bubbling with browned spots. If you have a pizza stone, use it — but the preheated-tray trick gets you 90% of the way there for free. For more on the exact method this recipe is based on, see the BBC Good Food pizza recipe that inspired it.
Wondering how big to make yours? Our guide on how big a 16 inch pizza is helps with sizing for a crowd, and if you enjoy oven baking generally, how to bake pumpkin seeds is a brilliant savoury snack to make while the oven is already hot.
Fixing common pizza problems
Soggy centre
Almost always too much sauce, too many wet toppings, or an oven that wasn’t fully preheated. Roll the centre thinner, halve the sauce, and make sure the tray is genuinely hot before the pizza goes in.
Pale, anaemic crust
Your oven wasn’t hot enough, or the pizza sat on the middle shelf. Maximum heat, top shelf, preheated tray. A teaspoon of sugar in the dough also encourages browning.
Dough springs back when rolling
The gluten is tense. Walk away for ten minutes, let it relax, then try again. Cold dough straight from the fridge is the usual culprit.
Burnt cheese, raw base
Too many toppings insulating the base, or the pizza is too close to the top element. Drop it a shelf and give it another two minutes.
FAQs
How long does homemade pizza take?
About 30 minutes from flour to plate if you skip the rise — five minutes kneading, ten minutes shaping and topping, eight to ten minutes baking. Add an hour if you want the dough to prove for a puffier crust.
What temperature should I cook homemade pizza at?
As hot as your oven goes: 240°C, fan 220°C, or gas mark 9. Pizza needs fierce heat for a crisp base and properly melted cheese. Anything below 220°C gives you a pale, bready result.
Can I make pizza dough without yeast?
Yes — replace the yeast and water with 300g self-raising flour and about 200g natural yoghurt for a quick flatbread-style base. It won’t have the chew of a yeasted dough, but it is ready in minutes and bakes up nicely.
Can I freeze pizza dough?
Absolutely. After kneading, divide into balls, oil them lightly, wrap tightly in cling film and freeze for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
Why is my pizza base hard instead of crisp?
Overbaking or too-thick dough. A thin base at maximum heat needs only 8 to 10 minutes. If you prefer a thicker base, lower the heat slightly to 220°C and give it 12 to 15 minutes so the middle cooks through.
