Best Pizza al Taglio Recipe
If you’ve ever wandered the cobblestone streets of Rome, you already know what it feels like to stop dead in your tracks when the smell of freshly baked pizza hits you from a tiny shop window. That’s Pizza al Taglio Rome’s most iconic street food, sold by the slice, priced by weight, and absolutely impossible to resist. Today, I’m bringing that exact Roman bakery experience straight into your kitchen with the best Pizza al Taglio Recipe you’ll ever find online.
This is not your average pizza. This is the one that will make your friends ask, “Wait did you actually make this at home?”
How to Make Pizza al Taglio Step-by-Step
Making this easy Pizza al Taglio Recipe at home requires a little patience (the dough needs time to ferment), but the hands-on effort is minimal. Here is a complete walkthrough.
Step 1: Mix the Dough
In a large bowl, combine the bread flour and instant yeast. Stir briefly to distribute. In a separate cup or bowl, dissolve the salt into the lukewarm water. Pour most of the water into the flour and mix with your hand or a wooden spoon until a shaggy, rough dough forms. Add the remaining water gradually the dough will seem impossibly sticky and wet. This is correct. High-hydration doughs are naturally very sticky at this stage.
Add the olive oil and continue mixing until it is fully incorporated. The dough will be rough and messy don’t worry. It will transform dramatically during fermentation.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This rest period (called autolyse) allows the flour to fully absorb the water and begins gluten development without any kneading.
Step 2: Stretch and Fold (Bulk Fermentation)
Instead of traditional kneading, Pizza al Taglio dough is developed through a series of gentle stretch-and-fold cycles. These work with the natural gluten development of the dough without tearing its delicate structure.
How to stretch and fold: Wet your hand to prevent sticking. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up as high as it will go without tearing, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this four times per set that’s one complete stretch-and-fold set.
Perform 4–5 sets of stretch-and-fold over the first 2 hours of bulk fermentation, spacing them about 20–30 minutes apart. After the last set, the dough should feel noticeably stronger, smoother, and less sticky. It should hold its shape slightly when you let go of it.
After the stretch-and-folds are complete, cover the bowl tightly and transfer it to the refrigerator. Let it ferment in the cold for 18 to 72 hours. Longer is better — 48 hours will produce far more complex flavor than 18 hours. If you’re planning this pizza for Saturday dinner, mix the dough Thursday morning.
Step 3: Oil Your Pan and Transfer the Dough
When you’re ready to bake (ideally 3–4 hours before serving), remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour to wake up.
Pour 3–4 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9×13-inch (23×33cm) baking pan, or a similar sized rimmed sheet pan, and spread it all over the bottom and up the sides. Generously oiled the oil should visibly pool slightly in the corners.
Gently turn the dough out into the pan. Using your fingertips not your palms carefully push and stretch the dough toward the edges of the pan. If the dough resists and keeps springing back, stop, let it rest for 10 minutes, and try again. Forcing it will tear the dough structure. Work slowly and patiently in 2–3 sessions until the dough reaches the corners of the pan.
Step 4: Second Rise (Proof in the Pan)
Once the dough is stretched to fill the pan, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until it is visibly puffy, bubbly, and jiggling when you shake the pan. You should see large bubbles forming just beneath the surface. This is exactly what you want.
About 45 minutes before baking, place your oven rack in the lower third position and preheat your oven to its maximum temperature ideally 500°F–550°F (260–290°C). If your oven has a convection setting, use it for the last 5 minutes to achieve extra color and crispiness on top.
Step 5: Add Toppings and Bake
Crush your San Marzano tomatoes by hand directly over the dough and spread them evenly, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dried oregano.
Place the pan on the lowest rack of your hot oven. The goal is to cook the bottom of the pizza first over high, direct heat before the top gets too much color.
Bake for 18–22 minutes total, checking at the 15-minute mark. At this point, add your torn mozzarella pieces and return the pizza to the oven for the final 5–7 minutes until the cheese is fully melted, slightly golden, and bubbling, and the edges of the crust are deep golden-brown with some darker charred spots.
If the top is browning too fast but the bottom needs more time, move the pan to the lowest possible rack. If the bottom is done but the top needs color, switch on the broiler for 1–2 minutes but watch it closely.
Step 6: Rest, Slice, and Serve
Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately run a metal spatula or bench scraper under the edges to prevent it from sticking as it cools (the cheese can seal it to the pan).
Let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes this allows the crust to firm up and the cheese to set slightly. Then, use a sharp chef’s knife or kitchen scissors to cut it into squares or rectangles. In Roman pizza shops, scissors are the traditional tool, and they work beautifully for controlling exactly where each cut goes.
Top with fresh basil, a drizzle of the best olive oil you have, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.
Best Pizza al Taglio Recipe
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Bench scraper or dough scraper
- rimmed baking pan
- Kitchen scale
- Plastic wrap
- Sharp chef's knife or kitchen scissors
- Oven with maximum temperature capability
- Small bowl for sauce
Ingredients
- 500 g 4 cups bread flour
- 400 ml 1⅔ cups lukewarm water
- 4 g 1¼ tsp instant yeast
- 10 g 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 30 ml 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 –4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for the pan
- 1 can 400g/14 oz whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch of black pepper
- 200 g 7 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces and patted dry
- Small handful fresh basil leaves added after baking
- Flaky sea salt for finishing
- Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a large bowl, combine bread flour and instant yeast. Stir briefly to combine.
- Dissolve fine sea salt into the lukewarm water. Add most of the water to the flour and mix until a rough dough forms. Add remaining water gradually.
- Add olive oil and mix until incorporated. Cover and rest 30 minutes (autolyse).
- Perform 4–5 sets of stretch-and-fold over 2 hours, spacing each set 20–30 minutes apart.
- After last fold, cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18–48 hours (48 hours preferred for best flavor).
Transferring to Pan & Proofing
- Remove dough from refrigerator 1 hour before shaping to warm slightly.
- Pour 3–4 tablespoons olive oil into the 9×13 inch pan and coat bottom and sides thoroughly.
- Turn dough gently into the pan. Using fingertips, stretch dough toward edges in 2–3 sessions, resting 10 minutes between each if dough resists.
- Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and proof at room temperature for 2–3 hours until visibly puffy and bubbly.
- Preheat oven to maximum temperature (500°F/260°C or higher) with rack on lowest position for 45–60 minutes.
For the Sauce
- Drain San Marzano tomatoes slightly and crush by hand in a bowl.
- Stir in olive oil, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Assembly & Baking
- Spread tomato sauce evenly over proofed dough, leaving a small border.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil. Bake on lowest rack for 15–17 minutes.
- Add torn mozzarella pieces and bake a further 5–7 minutes until cheese is melted and golden and crust is deeply colored.
- Remove from oven. Run spatula under edges to loosen. Rest 5 minutes.
- Cut into squares with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors.
- Top with fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Scale your ingredients. For high-hydration doughs, weight measurements are significantly more reliable than volume. A kitchen scale is strongly recommended.
- Cold fermentation is flavor. Don’t skip or rush it. 48 hours in the refrigerator produces a noticeably more complex, slightly tangy, deeply flavorful dough.
- Oil generously. The olive oil in the pan is what creates the crispy, slightly fried bottom crust. 3–4 tablespoons may seem like a lot it’s correct.
- Bake on the lowest rack. Direct bottom heat is essential for crisping the base before the top over-browns.
- Add mozzarella late. Fresh mozzarella goes on only for the last 5–7 minutes of baking to prevent a wet, steamy surface.
- Rest before cutting. 5 minutes of resting allows the structure to firm and the cheese to set, making cleaner slices.
This San Marzano tomato sauce is incredibly vibrant and flavorful! Combined with that airy, focaccia-like crust, it feels like sitting in a genuine Roman pizzeria.