Pizza Al Taglio Recipe

Three pizzas with different toppings on them.

5 from 4 votes

Crispy on the bottom, airy in the middle, and loaded with delicious toppings—this Pizza al Taglio is the Roman-style sheet pan pizza you’ll fall in love with. Made with a long-fermented dough for unbeatable texture and flavor, it’s the kind of pizza that brings the streets of Rome right to your kitchen.

Prep Time20 30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 1 15

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: authentic pizza, pizza al taglio

Servings: servings. Two 10x14-inch pizzas

Author: Elena Davis

Equipment

Pizza Making Essentials

Ingredients

For the dough:

500 g Tipo 00 flour (high-protein Italian flour) 3 ⅓ cups
400 g cold filtered water (80% hydration) 1 ⅔ cups
3 g Instant yeast ¾ teaspoon
10 g Fine sea salt 2 teaspoons
Extra virgin olive oil for greasing pans and drizzling
Semolina flour for rolling dough

*See notes for topping ideas

Instructions

Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and yeast.
Add cold water and mix with your hand until no dry bits remain. Rest 20 minutes.
Add the salt and knead gently until incorporated—about 2 minutes. Dough will be wet and sticky.

Stretch and Fold (Gluten Development)

Let dough rest 30 minutes, covered.
Perform 4 sets of “stretch-and-folds” every 30 minutes over the next 2 hours. (Gently stretch dough from one side and fold over itself; rotate bowl and repeat 3 more times). Trust me, this step is worth it!
Dough will become smoother and more elastic with each set.

Cold Fermentation

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate 18 to 48 hours.
Dough should rise slowly and develop flavor. It will look bubbly and airy when ready.

Pan Prep & Final Proof

Take the dough out from the fridge 2-3 hours before you are ready to bake and let it come to room temperature.
Generously oil one 10x14” rimmed baking sheet (or two quarter sheet pans). Sprinkle with a little semolina flour.
Divide dough in half if using two quarter sheets or leave the dough ball whole if using the large sheet pan. Gently stretch to fit about ¾ of the way to the edges. Spread it out evenly in a thin layer. Use a little semolina flour or oil is sticking to your hands.
If the dough seems "tight" or hard to stretch, let the dough rest and relax for 10-20 minutes and stretch again to fit the pan.

Preheat & Bake

Preheat oven to 500°F (or as hot as it goes) for at least 30 minutes.
Use the lowest rack for best bottom browning. Here are two suggested topping options with specific instructions. Please see notes for more topping variations.

Pizza Margherita Style

Lightly drizzle the shaped pizza dough with extra virgin olive oil.
Spoon high-quality crushed tomatoes over the surface and spread gently with the back of the spoon.
Bake on the bottom rack of a preheated oven at 500°F (260°C) for about 10–15 minutes, checking the underside of the dough around the 10-minute mark.
If the bottom is nicely golden but not fully puffed, transfer to the center rack and bake for 5–10 more minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden and airy.
Remove from oven and immediately layer on the fresh mozzarella slices.
Return to the oven (center rack) and bake just until the cheese is melted, about 2–3 minutes.
Take out and top with halved cherry tomatoes (cut side up) and fresh basil leaves.

Pizza Bianca with Zucchini and Ricotta

Drizzle the top of the dough with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Arrange thinly sliced zucchini in a single, even layer over the top.
Drizzle again with a little olive oil for extra flavor and browning.
Bake on the bottom rack at 500°F (260°C) for 15–22 minutes, until the crust is golden and the zucchini is lightly roasted.
Remove from the oven and immediately transfer pizza onto a cooling rack to cooling rack.
Cool for 5 minutes, then top with dollops of fresh ricotta cheese and fresh basil leaves.
Serve warm or at room temperature for a light, elegant bite.
Cool Slightly & Slice. You can use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut into the signature rectangular pizza al taglio slices.

Notes

Best toppings for Roman pizza al taglio:

Classic: Crushed San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil
Potato + Rosemary: Thinly sliced Yukon golds, olive oil, sea salt (no red sauce)
Zucchini + Fresh Ricotta: In season, delicate and divine (no red sauce)
Prosciutto + Arugula: After baking, and add shaved Parmigiano
Mushroom + Red onion + Large Salami Slices: think Supreme! (red sauce and mozzarella)
Prosciotto Cotto + Burrata + Pesto: Classic flavors with a twist of a combo (no red sauce)

Make Ahead and Storage:

After cold fermentation, you can keep the dough in the fridge up to 72 hours.
You can also freeze fully proofed dough (in oiled zip-top bags) for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then rest at room temp 4 hours before baking.
Leftover slices reheat beautifully in a hot skillet or 400°F oven for 5–7 minutes.

Nutrition