Wood-Fired Pizza Recipe

This authentic wood-fired pizza recipe delivers a crispy crust with a smoky flavor and rich tomato sauce. Perfect for outdoor ovens or adapted for your kitchen oven, it's a homemade pizza night like no other.

Yield: approximately 6-8 servings
Prep Time: about 10 minutes
Cook Time: about 25 minutes
Special Equipment: pizza pan

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 kg strong white bread flour

• 1 level tsp fine sea salt

• 2 sachets (7g each) dried yeast

• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 650ml lukewarm water

  For the Sauce:

• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

• Olive oil

• 1 bunch fresh basil

• 2 tins whole plum tomatoes

• Sea salt & black pepper

  Toppings (Optional):

• 1 small head broccoli, chopped

• 4 quality anchovy fillets, torn

• 1 fresh red chili, finely chopped

• 3 Italian-style sausages, rolled into small meatballs

• 150g Taleggio cheese, torn

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

Directions

1. Prepare the Sauce

   In a pan, heat olive oil and fry garlic until lightly colored. Add basil and plum tomatoes, mashing the tomatoes with a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then strain through a sieve for a smooth sauce.

2. Make the Dough

   In a bowl, mix the yeast, sugar, and olive oil into the lukewarm water. Gradually stir in the flour and salt. Knead the mixture until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

3. Shape the Dough

   Punch down the dough and knead again. Divide into 6–8 equal portions and shape into balls. Roll each out into a pizza base. Refrigerate the bases for 15–20 minutes to relax the dough.

4. Preheat the Oven

   Heat your wood-fired oven until very hot. If using a conventional oven, preheat to its maximum temperature and place heavy baking trays or a pizza stone inside to heat.

5. Prepare the Toppings

   Blanch the broccoli. Tear anchovy fillets, chop the chili, and roll sausage meat into small balls. Tear the Taleggio cheese.

6. Assemble & Bake

   Spread a thin layer of sauce on each pizza base. Add desired toppings.

   Wood-Fired Oven: Bake for 3–4 minutes until the crust is blistered and crisp.

   Conventional Oven: Bake for 8–10 minutes or until the crust is golden and toppings are bubbling.