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Want to learn how to make authentic artisan pizza at home? Here’s everything you need to know: recipes, tools, and more!
On my husband’s and my honeymoon 11 years ago, Alex and I went to Italy and fell in love–for a second time. This time, it was with Italian artisan pizza — supple, blackened crust, sweet tomatoes, and gooey mozzarella cheese.
The first experience with it happened at what Rick Steve has claimed was “the best pizza in Rome”. To my surprise, it had minimal toppings and an egg on top, whose yolk spilled over the entire pizza. Genius! On the plane ride back to the States, I decided one or both of us would have to learn to make real artisan pizza: Italian style.
Learning how to make it at home
I started by making pizza dough at home one day. After a while, I began to experiment and create my own recipe. While there were several epic failures, the goal remained the same — enjoying high-quality, delicious artisan pizza with people I love.
Over time, and with a lot of experimenting, I started to learn the best type of Italian flour, how to use a pizza peel, and what San Marzano tomatoes were. I found the best types of pizzas were those with just a few real food ingredients, and that compared to typical American pizza, artisan pizza could even be healthy (or healthyish).
I read dozens of recipes and talked to experts at pizzerias. Over time, I got the hang of it.
After years of research, here’s what I found…
Years later, I took another trip to Italy for more research! This time it was to Naples, the birthplace of pizza. It was in Naples that I had the best pizza of my life at a pizzeria called Da Michele.
At this ages-old pizzeria, they serve two flavors of artisan pizza baked perfectly for 1 minute in a hot wood-fired oven. It was transcendental. It was at that moment I knew — this is not just an obsession. Artisan pizza is a lifestyle.
I may not be from Italy, but I’ve talked to top experts in pizzerias nationwide and spent years trying to uncover the secrets to making artisan pizza at home. And now, I want to share it with you!
I’ll cover the best gear, pizza oven, flour, tomatoes, and pizza recipes to use for making your own artisan pizza. Are you ready?
What flour should I use for pizza dough?
I’ve found that if you want to make really great pizza dough, you’ll have to use the flour that professional pizzerias use! It’s called Tipo 00 and it’s a special Italian brand. I order mine online and use it only for pizza dough.
What pizza sauce recipe should I use?
The best pizza sauce is incredibly simple with just 5 ingredients — and it only takes 5 minutes to make. Try this Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe!
What pizza dough recipe should I use?
Here are my favorite pizza dough recipes! I recommend the Master Pizza Dough recipe as a starting point, then cook through the other variations!
Top pizza dough recipes:
What pizza gear do I need?
To make killer artisan pizza at home, you’ll need a few things. Here is the pizza gear I recommend (affiliate links included):
Pizza peel
You’ll need a pizza peel to transfer the pizza in and out of the oven. To keep the dough from sticking, apply a thin layer of cornmeal or semolina before baking. My favorite pizza peel is the conveyor pizza peel because it makes it so easy to slide the dough onto the pizza stone. You won’t believe it until you see it in action!
Pizza stone
For the best results, it’s important to use a pizza stone for baking instead of relying on a standard oven rack. As the oven preheats, the stone heats up too, helping to create that perfectly crispy underside essential to an artisan-style crust. I don’t recommend baking pizza without one!
Just a heads-up: pizza stones can crack (I’ve had a few break in the oven), but even broken pieces can still be used — just place them side by side on the rack.
Pizza tray
When our artisan pizza is done, slide it onto a round pizza tray and let it cool for a few minutes. You can use a baking sheet instead, but the round shape is perfect for sliding the pizza onto and serving at the table.
Pizza oven (optional)
You do not need a pizza oven to cook artisan pizza at home! However, if you’re hoping for a delicious artisan pizza with those lovely black char marks on the crust — consider a pizza oven! The key to great pizza is cooking at very high heat. Your standard oven only gets up to 550 degrees F, but a pizza oven can reach almost 1000 degrees F!
I didn’t own a pizza oven until recently. But I discovered a pizza oven called the Ooni, and had to try it out!
The Ooni is small, transportable, and heats up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in just 10 minutes, powered by wood pellets. The Ooni takes some practice, but it’s revolutionized my homemade pizza. Here’s the Ooni pizza oven I use, and more on why I think it’s the best.
More favorite pizza recipes
Here are some favorite pizza recipes to try:
- Ultimate Arugula Pizza
- Best-Ever Sheet Pan Pizza
- Classic Burrata Pizza
- 3 Cheese Shrimp Pizza
- Easy Cast Iron Pizza
- Ultimate Spinach Pizza
- Incredible Jalapeno Pizza
- Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Recipe
- Ricotta Pizza
- White Pizza (Pizza Bianca)
- Truffle Pizza
- Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs
- Homemade Cheese Pizza
- Perfect Homemade Margherita Pizza
How to Make Artisan Pizza
The most classic artisan pizza, this pizza recipe features a tangy pizza sauce, gooey mozzarella, and a perfectly chewy pizza crust.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the pizza dough
- 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Food Processor Dough or Thin Crust Dough)
- Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
For the pizza sauce
- 1 small garlic clove (1/2 medium)
- 15 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes or high quality organic canned tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the toppings
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup pizza sauce
- ¾ cup shredded cheese or 2 to 3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- A few fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F or preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
- Make the pizza sauce: Cut the garlic into a few rough pieces. Place the garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and kosher salt in a blender. Blend until fully combined. (You’ll use about ⅓ cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
- Prepare the cheese: If using fresh mozzarella cheese, slice it into ¼ inch thick pieces (see the photos of the pre-baked pizza above). If it’s incredibly watery, fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes, then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough, using about ¼ to ⅓ cup. Add the mozzarella cheese. Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a few pinches of kosher salt.
- Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).
- Allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before adding the basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
