Let’s Build the Pie
Once your homemade dough is prepped and rested (full dough recipe here), I pull it from the fridge about 3–4 hours before baking. That gives it time to rise and warm up to room temp.
While that’s happening, I mix up a quick bench flour blend—2 parts semolina to 1 part all-purpose flour. It keeps the dough from sticking and gives it that perfect bottom crust texture we all love.
Each dough ball gets gently stretched by hand into a 14–16 inch pie, depending on how hungry we are or how many show up. Once shaped, I place it on a lightly floured pizza peel and start building.
Sauce:
I start in the center and work my way out with about 1½ ladles of Mutti tomato purée—clean, rich, and my go-to every time.
Cheese:
Freshly grated Galbani low-moisture mozzarella on top. Skip the bagged stuff—it melts better and gives you that classic pizzeria pull.
Cooking Method
I bake mine one of two ways:
- Oven: On a pizza steel at 550°F. Let it preheat for a solid 45 minutes before baking.
- Grill: On the Weber Searwood with the pizza stone attachment (but any pizza stone over gas or charcoal works great).
High heat is key. Once the stone or steel is ripping hot, each pizza bakes in 7–10 minutes. Watch the bottom crust, and give it a turn if needed—every oven and grill is a little different.
Extra Tips & Real Life Notes
I usually make 3–4 pizzas at a time. My daughter always wants leftovers for lunch, and let’s be honest—people always “stop by” when they know it’s pizza night.
I keep extra dough and toppings on standby—it always gets used.
Pizza night has become one of our favorite food traditions. Once you get your rhythm down, it’s way easier than you think. Prep ahead, crank the heat, and always make extras—you won’t regret it.