Pizza / Main Course - Cuisine: Italian; Serves: 2-4. Prep: approx. 20 min, Rise: 1 hr 30 min-2 hrs, Tomato sauce: 20 min. Total: approx. 1 hr 50 min-2 hrs 20 min.
Italian pizza dough starts with very little: flour, water, yeast, and salt. The difference comes from how the dough is mixed, kneaded, and given enough time to rise until it becomes soft, elastic, and ready to stretch.
At Mama Florence Cooking School, we make fresh pizza dough by hand using a simple dough that can be prepared with fresh yeast or dry yeast. Once risen, it becomes the base for a classic Italian pizza topped with tomato, olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt.
The ingredients are straightforward, but good pizza dough depends on texture and patience more than complexity. The dough should feel smooth and elastic before it rests, and the rising time is what gives it the structure it needs before baking.
Traditional Italian pizza dough is made from a short list of ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt.
This Mama Florence recipe uses all-purpose or bread flour, room-temperature water, fresh or dry yeast, and salt. The result is a simple homemade pizza dough designed to become soft and elastic after kneading and rising.
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
• 160 gr all-purpose flour • 90 gr water, room temperature • 3 pinches of salt • 4 gr fresh yeast (or 3 gr of dry/instant-activated yeast)
Mama’s Secret: Don’t rush the rise. The dough needs time to become properly soft and elastic, so give it the full 1½–2 hours before stretching or shaping.
1. Mix the Pizza Dough
2. Knead the Dough
3. Let the Pizza Dough Rise
Tomato Topping Ingredients:
• 60 g pure peeled tomatoes • 2 tbsp olive oil • 4 basil leaves • ½ garlic clove • 1 pinch salt
1. Prepare the Topping
This recipe works with either 4 g fresh yeast or 3 g dry/instant-activated yeast.
Fresh yeast is traditionally common in Italian kitchens, while dry yeast is often easier to store and use at home. Either works here as long as it is properly dissolved and incorporated into the dough.
The finished dough should be soft and elastic, with enough structure to stretch without tearing. Once baked, you want the balance that makes Italian pizza so satisfying: crispness at the edges, chew through the center, and enough strength to hold the tomato topping without becoming heavy. The dough is not just the base of the pizza. It is the part everything else depends on.
Want to learn how pizza dough should actually feel beneath your hands?
Join our Pizza and Gelato Cooking Class in Florence, where you can work with fresh dough, learn the techniques behind classic Italian pizza, and make your own pizza from scratch with a Mama Florence chef.
Q: What is Italian pizza dough made of? A: Traditional Italian pizza dough is made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. This Mama Florence recipe uses all-purpose or bread flour and can be made with either fresh or dry yeast.
Q: How long should pizza dough rise? A: This recipe rises for approximately 1½–2 hours, or until the dough becomes soft, elastic, and properly risen.
Q: Can I use dry yeast instead of fresh yeast? A: Yes. This recipe uses either 4 g fresh yeast or 3 g dry/instant-activated yeast.
Q: How do I know when pizza dough is ready? A: The dough should feel smooth, soft, and elastic after kneading and visibly risen after resting.
Q: What flour should I use for pizza dough? A: This Mama Florence recipe uses all-purpose or bread flour.
Q: Can I make a simple tomato topping for this pizza dough? A: Yes. This recipe includes peeled tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt simmered together for about 20 minutes.
Please note that our chefs may adapt recipes according to seasonal ingredient availability and participants' dietary or allergy requirements. As a result, the ingredients, preparation, or presentation shown in this recipe may vary from what you prepared during your Mama Florence class. In some cases, elements of a dish may also appear as separate recipes. Please reach out to our team if any confusion arises. Thank you - the Mama Florence Family.
4.9 12 reviews
I got the first attempt wrong. The second was fine. The difference was standing there watching instead of wandering off, which is apparently the entire skill. Do not give up after one go.
Very forgiving. I made at least two mistakes and it still worked.
First time making Italian food that tasted Italian rather than like my idea of it.
The presentation suggestion at the end is worth following. It made the table look considered without any extra work.
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