How to make an excellent pizza at home

This week’s Sunday Club is your guide to making genuinely excellent pizza at home. There’s a dough recipe with or without a mixer, a tomato sauce you can blitz raw or simmer into something richer and tips on hacking your oven into something that vaguely resembles Naples – or at least St John’s Wood with ambition.

Then there is the topping - built around courgettes, lemon and a little chilli heat – bright, seasonal and entirely meat-free. Hannah Twiggs shares her dad’s hard-earned lessons in home pizza.

This week: pizza. No pizza oven required – though if you ever get one, semolina is, frankly, non-negotiable.

Pizza dough (with or without a mixer)

Makes: 3 medium pizzas (feeds 2-3 people generously, or 4 with sides)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Proving time: 1½ to 2½ hours total (including final 30-minute rest)

Ingredients:

500g strong white bread flour
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet (7g) fast-action dried yeast
325ml lukewarm water
1 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for kneading/resting)

Method (if you’re using a stand mixer):

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add the water and olive oil, and mix on low until the mixture comes together. Increase the speed to medium and knead for about 7-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Oil a clean bowl, pop the dough in, cover with a damp tea towel or clingfilm and leave to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

When you’re ready to cook:

1. Once the dough has risen, knock it back (gently deflate it), then divide into 3 equal pieces. Shape each into a tight ball.

2. Let the balls rest on a lightly floured tray under a tea towel for 30 minutes. This makes them easier to stretch.

3. Preheat your oven as high as it will go (220-250C fan if possible), and place a large baking tray or pizza stone (if you have one) inside to preheat for at least 30 minutes – you want it screaming hot before the pizza goes in.

4. Stretch each ball into a round – use your hands or a floured rolling pin, about 10-12 inches wide.

Get ready to add your toppings.

Freezing your dough:

If you don’t want to use all the dough at once, you can freeze it after the first rise. Once you’ve knocked it back and divided it into balls, wrap each one tightly in clingfilm, then pop into a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature and let rest for 30 minutes before shaping and baking.

How to get a crispy-bottomed pizza without a pizza stone

A pizza stone is brilliant for home pizza, but you absolutely don’t need one. A large, heavy baking tray (ideally turned upside down) works just as well. Here’s how:

1. Preheat the tray (or stone) for at least 30 minutes at your oven’s highest setting – 220-250C fan if it goes that high. You want it to be really hot so the dough starts cooking the second it hits the surface.

2. Shape your pizza on a sheet of baking paper. This avoids any faff with sticking and makes it easy to transfer – no fancy pizza shovel required.

3. To transfer it to the oven, slide the pizza (still on the paper) onto the hot tray or stone using a flat baking sheet, chopping board or the underside of another tray. Just shimmy it on with confidence.

4. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden, and the base is crisp underneath.

If you’re doing multiple pizzas, take the hot tray out between rounds, reheat it for a few minutes and repeat. The key is keeping the surface hot and moving quickly.

Positioning matters:

Place your hot tray or stone on the top shelf of the oven for the best results – it brings the pizza closer to the heating element, which helps blister the crust and melt cheese faster while the base crisps underneath. If your oven runs hot at the top, try the middle rack instead. You want golden edges and a crispy bottom, not a blackened one.

Quick (or slow) tomato sauce for pizza

Makes: enough for 3 pizzas

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time (optional): 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
1 x 400g tin of good-quality plum tomatoes
Pinch of sugar (optional, if your tomatoes are sharp)

Salt and black pepper

Optional: a few basil leaves or a pinch of dried oregano

Method:

Raw version: crush the tomatoes by hand or blitz briefly in a blender. Stir in the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar if needed. Add basil or oregano if you like. Let it sit while you prep your dough and toppings.

Cooked version (for deeper flavour): heat the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute (don’t let it brown). Add the tomatoes, season and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or as long as you like, until slightly thickened. Cool before using.

Toppings

Courgette, chilli and lemon pizza

Serves: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp tomato sauce (see recipe above)
1 small courgette, very thinly sliced into rounds
1 red chilli, finely sliced (or to taste)
Zest of ½ lemon
Torn mozzarella pieces
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Optional: chilli honey or lemon oil, to finish

Method:

1. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over your stretched pizza base.

2. Scatter the mozzarella, followed by the courgette slices and chilli.

3.Season with salt, pepper and the lemon zest.

4. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake until golden and bubbling – around 8-10 minutes.

5. Finish with more oil or a touch of chilli honey if you like things punchy.

The Independent