Homemade Pizza Recipe: How to Make Pizza from Scratch

Why this homemade pizza recipe works

Homemade pizza is about the whole pie, not just the crust: a dough with real rise, a bright tomato sauce, cheese that melts without flooding the base, and toppings that bake through in the same time as the crust. This homemade pizza recipe walks through all of it, from mixing the dough to slicing the finished pizza, in an ordinary home oven.

You will make two 12-inch pizzas in a little over two hours, most of it hands-off rising time. If you want to go deeper on the dough alone, see the dedicated homemade pizza crust recipe; for equipment and styles, read the broader homemade pizza guide.

Ingredients for homemade pizza

Pizza dough

Flour, warm water, yeast, salt and olive oil. Bread flour gives a chewier bite; all-purpose flour gives a softer one. Store-bought dough also works — about 430 g per pizza.

Tomato sauce

A quick no-cook sauce of crushed tomatoes, salt and oregano tastes fresh and bakes into the pizza without turning it soggy. For a cooked version, use this marinara sauce recipe.

Cheese

Low-moisture mozzarella is the reliable choice for home ovens. Fresh mozzarella can replace part of it if you tear and pat it dry. Provolone or a little Parmesan can be mixed in.

Toppings

Pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives or ham. Keep the total moderate — about 60 g of a main topping per pizza is plenty.

Olive oil and seasonings

A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil after baking, plus oregano in the sauce. Chilli flakes or garlic are easy additions.

How to make homemade pizza step by step

1. Prepare the dough

Stir the yeast into warm water, add the flour, salt and olive oil, and mix until shaggy. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky. The full technique, with troubleshooting, is in the homemade pizza crust recipe.

2. Let the dough rise

Cover the dough in an oiled bowl and leave it somewhere warm for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until doubled and soft. Divide into two balls and rest them for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven and baking surface

Put a stone, steel or upside-down baking sheet on an upper-middle shelf and preheat to 250 °C / 475–500 °F for at least 45 minutes. A hot surface is what gives a crisp base.

4. Shape the pizza dough

Press each ball from the centre outwards with your fingertips, leaving a rim, then stretch over your knuckles to about 30 cm / 12 inches. If it springs back, rest it for a few minutes. See how to stretch pizza dough for more.

5. Spread the sauce

Place the base on a peel or pan dusted with semolina. Spoon about 100 g of sauce into the centre and spread it in a thin spiral, stopping 2 cm from the edge. You should still see dough through the sauce in places.

6. Add cheese and toppings

Scatter the mozzarella evenly, then the toppings in a single layer. Overloading is the most common reason homemade pizza turns soggy in the middle.

7. Bake

Slide the pizza onto the hot surface and bake for 12–15 minutes, until the rim is golden, the underside has brown spots and the cheese is bubbling with a few golden patches.

8. Rest, slice and serve

Rest the pizza for 2–3 minutes on a board or rack so the cheese sets, then add olive oil and basil, slice and serve.

Best oven temperature for homemade pizza

Use the hottest setting your oven offers, usually 250–260 °C / 475–500 °F. High heat sets the crust before the toppings release too much moisture.

• Baking sheet: preheat it upside down for 20–30 minutes; bake 14–18 minutes.
• Pizza stone: preheat 45–60 minutes; bake 12–15 minutes.
• Pizza steel: preheat 45 minutes; check from 10 minutes. Compare in pizza steel vs stone.

If the top is pale when the base is done, finish under the broiler for 1 minute, watching closely.

Tips for the best homemade pizza

• Handle risen dough gently and stretch by hand to keep air in the rim.
• Balance toppings: thin sauce, an even layer of cheese, and one or two main toppings.
• Prevent a soggy centre by draining fresh mozzarella and pre-cooking watery vegetables like mushrooms or spinach.
• For a crisp bottom, give the baking surface the full preheat and bake on a lower-middle shelf if the base stays pale.
• Choose low-moisture mozzarella for even melting; add fresh mozzarella only in small torn pieces.

Homemade pizza topping ideas

• Margherita — tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. See the Margherita pizza recipe.
• Pepperoni — a single layer so the edges crisp and the fat renders.
• Mushroom — sauté sliced mushrooms first so they do not release water on the pizza.
• Vegetable — peppers, red onion, olives and courgette, sliced thin and used sparingly.

Wet or heavy toppings slow the bake and steam the dough. Fewer, well-prepared toppings give a better pizza than a crowded one.

Common homemade pizza problems

Soggy crust

Too much sauce or wet toppings, or an under-heated surface. Use less sauce and preheat longer.

Dough shrinking back

The gluten is tight or the dough is cold. Cover and rest it for 10–15 minutes before stretching again.

Pale bottom

The baking surface was not hot enough. Preheat for the full 45 minutes and move the shelf lower.

Burnt toppings

The pizza is too close to the top element. Lower the shelf, or add delicate toppings like basil after baking.

No pizza stone

Preheat an upside-down baking sheet or a cast-iron pan. The base is a little softer but still good.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate leftover pizza within 2 hours of baking, wrapped or in a sealed container, for up to 3–4 days.

Reheat slices in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes with a lid on for the last minute, or in a 220 °C / 425 °F oven for about 8 minutes. Both keep the crust crisp; a microwave makes it soft.