Seamlessly make Authentic Italian Pizza that will impress family and other dinner guests any night of the week. This recipe will leave them begging for it every single week.
I love a good, chewy, authentic Italian pizza. I recently started making my own marinara that you can find HERE, and I use the Serious Eats Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe.
It is perfection. It is truly authentic and worth the hassle making it from scratch.
I personally use minimal, classic Italian toppings on mine because I think less is more. Garden fresh marinara and the delicious crust really shine through. I usually just add fresh mozzarella, fresh basil or oregano, and fresh garlic. Yep, that’s it! It is so good that that’s all it really needs anyway. My mouth is watering just thinking about it…
It would love to have a wood burning oven for making pizzas. But since that’s not in the kitchen renovation budget, I just bake my pizzas in the oven on 500° F. It doesn’t quite get the bubbly charred edges that I lust for, but it still creates a crispy, thin crust with a chewy texture.
I seriously can’t get over it! Now that you know you won’t need any crazy tools, you’ll be wanting to make these all the time.
The Process
In the summer when I’m harvesting fresh Roma tomatoes from the garden, I’ll make a large batch of marinara. Then I fill several jars full, storing them in the freezer until I’m ready to use them.
About 3 days before I want pizza I’ll start the dough. The dough rises for 12 hours after mixing, and then slowly rises for 2-4 days in the fridge. Super simple without tons of kneading.
The morning of, I submerge my jarred marinara in a hot water bath to thaw. And I let the dough sit on the counter for two hours or so before assembling my pizzas.
So yes, this does take some prep work. BUT it is still not a complicated process and is so worth the wait.
The dough recipe makes 4 pizzas, so you can have extra to store for the following days. Especially if you are just making these for one or two people. This Authentic Italian pizza is a winner and makes you feel like you’ve traveled all the way to Naples just for a few slices. All without leaving your own home. Saluti!
Ingredients
Quick and Easy Marinara sauce recipe – This recipe I created last summer and uses Roma or San Marzano tomatoes. This tasty Italian recipe goes well with pizza or pasta.
Serious Eats Pizza Dough recipe – This is the best pizza recipe I’ve come across so far. It takes a bit of time to make, but is fairly easy.
Fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced or block mozzarella, freshly grated – Fresh mozzarella is essential to any authentic pizza recipe. It melts perfectly and is higher quality. However, if you can only find a block of mozzarella, buy this and grate it yourself. This is at least better quality than pre-shredded cheese.
Fresh garlic – Fresh garlic is pressed and added on top of the pizza as a simple topping that goes a long way.
Fresh basil or oregano – Fresh basil/oregano is chopped and added after baking for a final touch. It provides a contrast to the rest of the pizza and tastes out of this world.
Extra virgin olive oil – A high-quality olive oil is necessary for any Italian recipe. Use this for greasing the pizza pans and drizzling on the dough just before baking.
Tools You Need
2 round pizza pans (just reuse the two for a second batch since this recipe makes 4 pizzas total)
Pizza cutter
Measuring spoons and cups
Large mixing bowl
4 plastic or reusable ziplock bags, for storing dough
Cheese grater
Knife and cutting board
Large pot
Immersion blender
Garlic press, optional
Steps for Making Authentic Italian Pizza
• Make the pizza dough, according to the seriouseats.com recipe, and let it rise at room temperature for about two hours until you’re ready to put your pizzas together.
• As the dough comes to room temperature, make the marinara, letting it cool before working with it.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• Prep the toppings: chop herbs, crush garlic, and slice fresh mozzarella. If you have any other additional toppings to add, chop these up now.
• Grease pizza pans with olive oil or cooking spray.
• Form the dough into the pizza pans using your hands or an oiled rolling pin. Then, spread a thin layer of marinara over the unbaked crusts.
• Add the sliced mozzarella to the pizza, topping this with fresh garlic and anything else you desire. Just don’t go too heavy or your crust won’t get crispy on the bottom. Drizzle a little olive oil on top.
• Bake at 500°F for 12-14 minutes, until crust is baked through and the bottom of crust is crispy and slightly browned around the edges.
• Sprinkle fresh basil or oregano on top. Cool for 10 minutes and then slice before serving.
Authentic Italian Pizza
More Recipe Inspiration
Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes
Authentic Italian Pizza
Equipment
- 2 round pizza pans
- Pizza Cutter
- measuring cups and spoons
- large mixing bowl
- 4 plastic or reusable plastic bags for storing dough
- cheese grater
- knife and cutting board
- large pot
- immersion blender
- garlic press optional
Ingredients
- 4 balls pizza dough Serious Eats Pizza Dough linked above
- 1 batch Quick and Easy Marinara my recipe linked above
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced or freshly grated block of mozzarella
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil for greasing pans and drizzling on dough
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 handful fresh basil or oregano, chopped
- additional toppings optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500°F. Now, prepare the toppings: chop the herbs, crush the garlic with a garlic press, and slice the fresh mozzarella. Grease the pizza pans with olive oil or cooking spray, generously coating.
- Now, form the dough into the pizza pans using either an oiled rolling pin or your hands. Be sure to get them as thin as possible, being sure to work the dough toward the edges of the pan without tearing any holes in the dough.
- Then spread a thin layer of marinara over the unbaked crusts, going nearly out to the edges of the crust. Add sliced mozzarella to the pizza, topping next with fresh garlic and olive oil.
- Bake at 500°F for 12-14 minutes, until the crust is baked through and the bottom of the crust is crispy and slightly browned around the edges. Add fresh basil or oregano on top.
- Cool for 10 minutes and slice before serving–or do as the Italian do and eat your pizza with a fork and knife!
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