Homemade Thick-Crust Pizza

Ingredients

• 250 g Wheat flour (type 00 or all-purpose, plus a little for rolling)
• 150 ml Warm water (temperature 35-40°C)
• 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (about 30 ml)
• 5 g Dry baker's yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tsp Fine salt
• 1 tbsp White sugar (for the dough, plus 1 tbsp for the sauce)
• 400 g Canned crushed tomatoes (skinless)
• 3 Shallots (small, finely chopped)
• 3 Garlic cloves (crushed)
• a handful Fresh basil (whole leaves)
• 2 Medium tomatoes (sliced into rounds)
• 125 g Mozzarella (sliced or diced)
• 125 g Grated Cantal cheese
• a few Black olives (pitted)
• to taste Ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Additional olive oil (to season the topping)

Instructions

1. Yeast activation

   In a small bowl, mix the dry baker's yeast with 150 ml warm water, stir and let rest 10 minutes until it dissolves.

   Time: PT10M

2. Add sugar and oil

   Add the sugar and the 2 tbsp olive oil to the yeast water, mix well to dissolve the sugar.

   Time: PT2M

3. Mix with flour

   Gradually pour the liquid mixture into the flour placed in a large bowl, add the salt and mix until a homogeneous dough forms.

   Time: PT5M

4. Kneading

   On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough by pressing with the palm then folding, repeat about 30 times (about 9 minutes) until the dough no longer sticks.

   Time: PT9M

5. Dough resting

   Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise 1 hour at room temperature until it doubles in volume.

   Time: PT1H

6. Tomato sauce

   Finely chop the shallots and garlic. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, sauté the shallots until translucent, add garlic, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes, sugar and basil. Simmer 5 minutes over high heat then 5 minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

   Time: PT12M

7. Topping mix

   In a bowl, combine the mozzarella, basil leaves, tomato rounds, black olives, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

   Time: PT5M

8. Preheat oven

   Preheat the oven to 300 °C and place the baking sheet inside to heat.

   Time: PT15M

   Temperature: 300°C

9. Division and rolling

   After rising, place the dough on a floured surface, cut into two equal pieces and roll each into a disc about 30 cm in diameter with a rolling pin.

   Time: PT5M

10. First pizza topping

    Place the first dough on the hot sheet, spread a layer of sauce, sprinkle grated Cantal cheese, arrange tomato rounds, mozzarella, olives and drizzle with olive oil.

    Time: PT5M

11. First pizza baking

    Reduce the oven temperature to 275 °C and bake the pizza for 5 to 6 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese melted.

    Time: PT6M

    Temperature: 275°C

12. Second pizza

    Repeat steps 10 and 11 with the second dough.

    Time: PT11M

    Temperature: 275°C

13. Serving

    Remove the pizzas from the oven, let rest 2 minutes, cut into slices and enjoy.

    Time: PT2M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

250

Protein

10 g

Carbohydrates

30 g

Fat

10 g

Fiber

2 g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of Wheat flour: all-purpose flour, bread flour
• Instead of Warm water: room temperature water
• Instead of Extra-virgin olive oil: sunflower oil
• Instead of Dry baker's yeast: fresh yeast (10 g)
• Instead of Fine salt: sea salt
• Instead of White sugar: honey (½ tbsp)
• Instead of Canned crushed tomatoes: peeled fresh tomatoes
• Instead of Shallots: red onion (1 small)
• Instead of Garlic cloves: garlic powder (½ tsp)
• Instead of Fresh basil: dried basil (1 tsp)
• Instead of Medium tomatoes: cherry tomatoes
• Instead of Mozzarella: stretch cheese (e.g., provolone)
• Instead of Grated Cantal cheese: grated cheddar cheese
• Instead of Black olives: green olives
• Instead of Ground black pepper: white pepper
• Instead of Additional olive oil: sunflower oil

Equipment Needed

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet
• Oven
• Pan
• Ladle or spatula
• Bowl for topping

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Yeast activation
• Kneading the dough
• First dough rise
• Preheating the oven to high temperature
• Baking at 275°C

Chef Tips from the Video

• Use a preheated pizza stone for an even crispier crust.
• After rolling the dough, let it rest 5 minutes before topping to avoid shrinking.
• Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust before baking for a beautiful golden color.

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Store leftover pizza in an airtight container 2 to 3 days.

Freezer: Wrap slices in plastic film then in a freezer bag, keep up to 1 month.

Room temperature: Do not leave at room temperature more than 2 hours.

Make-Ahead Tips

• The dough can be prepared the day before and kept in the refrigerator, covered with plastic film.
• The tomato sauce keeps 2 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.
• The topping ingredients can be pre‑mixed and kept chilled until assembly.