The only wood-fired pizza dough recipe you'll ever need

The only wood-fired pizza dough recipe you'll ever need

Pizza Oven · Recipe

The only wood-fired pizza dough recipe you'll ever need

A blistered, leopard-spotted crust with a pillowy centre — that's the goal. Once you nail the dough, everything else is just toppings. Here's how to get there without a degree from Naples.

Prep: 20 min + overnight Cook: 90 sec – 2 min per pizza Makes 4 pizzas

The thing most people get wrong

They rush the dough. A cold, slow ferment overnight in the fridge develops flavour that a two-hour rise simply can't touch. The other mistake is not getting the oven hot enough — you want the stone sitting around 380–430°C before you even think about launching your first pizza. At that heat, a pizza cooks in under two minutes and the crust puffs up in seconds.

ChefPro tip

Use an infrared thermometer to check the stone temperature before you launch. Don't guess — at 300°C the base burns before the top cooks. At 400°C+ you get that perfect balance.

Ingredients

The dough (4 bases)

  • 00 flour 500 g
  • Water (room temp) 325 ml
  • Instant dried yeast 2 g
  • Fine sea salt 12 g
  • Olive oil 1 tbsp

Classic margherita topping

  • San Marzano tomatoes 400 g tin
  • Fresh mozzarella 250 g
  • Fresh basil leaves handful
  • Olive oil drizzle
  • Flaky salt pinch

How to make the dough

  1. 1Mix it. Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add the flour and salt. Mix until a rough dough forms — no need to be precious about it at this stage. Add the olive oil and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  2. 2Cold ferment overnight. Divide into 4 equal balls (~200 g each), place in lightly oiled containers or on a tray covered with cling film, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours — 24 to 48 hours is even better.
  3. 3Come to temperature. Pull the dough out 1–2 hours before cooking and let it sit at room temperature. Cold dough tears when you stretch it.
  4. 4Stretch by hand. On a lightly floured surface, press the dough ball flat with your fingers, then use gravity — drape it over your knuckles and let it stretch itself out. Aim for about 30 cm. No rolling pin — it knocks the air out.
  5. 5Top it simply. Crush your tomatoes by hand and spread a thin layer — less than you think. Tear the mozzarella and dot it over. Save the basil for after it comes out of the oven.
  6. 6Launch and rotate. Slide the pizza onto a well-floured peel and get it into the oven quickly. Rotate every 20–30 seconds so it chars evenly. It's ready when the crust is puffed with dark leopard spots.
400°C+Stone temperature
90 secCook time
12–48 hrsDough ferment
~200 gPer dough ball

Once you've got the base sorted, try these

The margherita is your benchmark — if that's tasting great, you've nailed it. From there, the world's your oyster:

Nduja & honey Potato, rosemary & pecorino Prosciutto & rocket Pumpkin & goat's cheese Anchovy & olive Fig & blue cheese Mushroom & truffle oil

Make a night of it

Set up a topping station and let everyone build their own. Pre-stretch the dough balls so they're ready to go and you can pump out pizzas every 2 minutes. It's the best way to feed a crowd without ever leaving the backyard.

Ready to fire up your first pizza? Browse ChefPro's pizza oven range →