1-Hour Restaurant-Style Pizza at Home
Mise en Place / Ingredients[9]
- 350 g (about 2.75 cups) High-protein unbleached bread flour (King Arthur Bread Flour)
- 235 g (1 cup) Warm water (105°F–110°F / 40°C–43°C)
- 5 g (1.5 tsp) Instant dry yeast (SAF Instant Yeast)
- 15 g (1 tbsp) Extra-virgin olive oil
- 7 g (1.25 tsp) Fine kosher salt
- 2 tbsp Semolina flour or fine cornmeal (for dusting the pizza peel)
- 1 cup Hand-crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes (for pizza sauce topping)
- 0.5 tsp Dried oregano (for seasoning tomato sauce)
- 250 g (9 oz) Whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella block, freshly shredded (for topping) (Galbani Whole Milk Low-Moisture)
🛒 US Supermarket Brand Guide
12.7% protein enables rapid gluten formation within a fast 60-minute proof. • 📍 Baking flour aisle.
Melts into creamy pools with exceptional stretch without turning soupy. • 📍 Dairy case.
Cooking Sequence & Checkpoints
Whisk bread flour, warm water (105°F–110°F / 40°C–43°C), instant yeast, olive oil, and kosher salt. Knead vigorously on the counter for 5 minutes until smooth and tacky.
✓ Checkpoint: Supple, smooth dough ball.
Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap in a warm draft-free spot (such as an oven with just the light on) for 40 minutes while preheating your stone or steel at 500°F–550°F (260°C–285°C).
✓ Checkpoint: Dough has puffed and doubled in size.
Stretch dough by hand into a 12-inch round on a pizza peel dusted with semolina flour (or fine cornmeal). Season crushed San Marzano tomatoes with a pinch of salt and dried oregano, spoon across the dough, and cover with freshly shredded whole-milk mozzarella.
✓ Checkpoint: Uniform pie with an elevated puffy outer rim.
Slide the topped pizza onto the preheated stone or cast iron at 500°F–550°F (260°C–285°C). Bake for 11 minutes until the crust is deeply blistered and the mozzarella is bubbling and browned in spots.
✓ Checkpoint: Golden-brown blistered crust with molten cheese.
🔬 Why It Works:
Direct Radiant Heat Conduction: Preheating a heavy stone or cast iron pan at 500°F - 550°F creates immediate oven spring, turning trapped water into steam that blows open the dough's internal crumb.
⚠️ Troubleshooting:
The dough keeps snapping back when stretching: Cover the dough ball with a bowl and let it relax on the counter for 5 minutes before stretching again.