Best Pizza al Taglio Recipe
How to bake authentic Pizza al Taglio with a crispy bottom, airy crumb & bold Roman flavors. The only easy Pizza al Taglio recipe you'll ever need!
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
For the Dough
- 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
For the Tomato Sauce
- 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
For the Toppings
- 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.