Ultimate Homemade Pizza: 10-Minute, 1-Hour, and 3-Day Methods

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg Wheat flour (bread/high-gluten) (For 3-day pizza dough (makes 5 pizzas, ~240g each))
• 8+8+10 g Instant yeast (8g for 1-hour dough, 10g for 3-day dough)
• 8+8+24 g Salt (8g for 1-hour dough, 8g for 3-day dough, 24g for ricotta and seasoning)
• 5+10 g Sugar (5g for 1-hour dough, 10g for 3-day dough (optional))
• 15+30+30 ml Olive oil (15ml for 1-hour dough, 30ml for 3-day dough, extra for greasing and toppings)
• 150 ml Beer (For 1-hour dough, room temperature (30°C))
• 2 pieces Tortillas (large wheat) (For pizzadilla (10-min pizza))
• 250+1000 g Tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade) (250g for 1-hour pizza, 1000g for 3-day ragù, plus extra for pizzadilla)
• 300+300+200 g Mozzarella cheese (300g for 1-hour pizza, 300g for 3-day pizza, 200g for pizzadilla)
• 50 g Gruyère cheese (For pizzadilla)
• 100+40 g Parmesan cheese (100g for 3-day pizza and ragù, 40g for pizzadilla and 1-hour pizza)
• 100+100 g Pepperoni (For 1-hour pizza and pizzadilla)
• 1 bunch Basil leaves (fresh) (For garnish)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder (For tomato sauce)
• 1 tsp Black pepper (For tomato sauce)
• 1 tsp Dried chili flakes (For tomato sauce and spicy honey)
• 2 tsp Oregano (dried) (For tomato sauce and ragù)
• 500 g Pork ribs (For ragù)
• 500 g Beef ribs (or osso buco/morcillo with bone) (For ragù)
• 1 medium Onion (For ragù)
• 1 heaping tbsp Tomato paste (For ragù)
• 3 cloves Fresh garlic (For ragù)
• 3 leaves Bay leaves (For ragù)
• 250 ml Red wine (For ragù)
• 1200 g Canned whole tomatoes (Mutti or similar) (For ragù)
• 2 pieces Parmesan rinds (For ragù (optional, for umami))
• 100 g Semolina flour (For stretching and dusting pizza dough)
• 2 liters Whole milk (fresh) (For homemade ricotta)
• 180 ml Heavy cream (For ricotta)
• 80 ml White wine vinegar (40ml for ricotta, 40ml for spicy honey)
• 150 g Honey (rosemary or mild) (For spicy honey)
• 10 pieces Fresh chiles (red and green, small) (For spicy honey)

Instructions

1. Prepare 10-Minute Pizzadilla

   Preheat a skillet with a little oil. Place a large wheat tortilla in the skillet. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce evenly. Sprinkle generously with shredded mozzarella, gruyère, and parmesan (mozzarella is essential; others optional). Top with a second tortilla. Cook until the bottom is golden and crisp (about 2 minutes). Carefully flip and cook until the other side is golden. Remove the top tortilla, spread another, more generous layer of tomato sauce, add more cheese (let some spill to the edges for caramelization), and arrange pepperoni slices. Cook until the bottom is crisp and cheese is melting (about 2 minutes). Place under a preheated oven broiler/grill on maximum for 1-2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. Finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

   Time: PT10M

2. Prepare 1-Hour Beer Pizza Dough

   Warm 150ml beer to 30°C (not hot). In a bowl, mix beer, 8g instant yeast, 8g salt, 5g sugar, and 15ml olive oil. Add 225g bread flour and mix. Knead by hand for 3-4 minutes until a rough dough forms. Cover and rest 15 minutes. Knead again for 2-3 minutes until smoother. Shape into a ball, cover, and rest 15 minutes.

   Time: PT40M

   Temperature: 30°C

3. Make Quick Tomato Sauce

   Mix 250g tomato sauce with a pinch of salt, garlic powder, black pepper, chili flakes, and oregano. Stir well. No cooking needed.

   Time: PT5M

4. Shape and Assemble 1-Hour Pizza

   Oil an oven-safe skillet. Place rested dough in skillet and stretch to edges. If dough resists, let rest 5 minutes and try again. Let dough rise 5 minutes. Spread tomato sauce generously. Top with a thick layer of mozzarella, then pepperoni slices.

   Time: PT15M

5. Bake 1-Hour Pizza

   Preheat oven to maximum (250-270°C). Bake pizza in skillet for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden. Optionally, finish on stovetop for extra bottom crispness.

   Time: PT15M

   Temperature: 250-270°C

6. Prepare 3-Day Pizza Dough

   Mix 1.2kg bread flour, 10g instant yeast, 10g salt, 10g sugar (optional), and 30ml olive oil. Add 700ml water (room temp). Knead by stand mixer for 10 minutes or by hand for 20 minutes until elastic. Let rest 30 minutes, then knead again for 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover, and ferment at room temp for 1.5 hours. Divide into 5 balls (~240g each), shape, and place in oiled containers. Brush with olive oil. Refrigerate 24-72 hours.

   Time: PT72H

   Temperature: 4°C

7. Make Ragù Napoletano

   Salt 500g pork ribs and 500g beef ribs. Rest 1 hour. In a large pot, brown meat deeply on all sides in olive oil (3-4 minutes per side). Remove meat. In same pot, sauté 1 chopped onion until translucent. Add 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste, 3 minced garlic cloves, chili flakes, oregano, and 3 bay leaves. Sauté 30 seconds. Deglaze with 250ml red wine, reduce 5 minutes. Pass 1200g canned tomatoes through a food mill, add to pot. Return meat, add 2 parmesan rinds. Add a little water to rinse cans and add. Simmer covered on low for 4 hours. Remove meat, reduce sauce uncovered for 1 hour to thicken. Chill overnight to solidify fat, then remove fat.

   Time: PT6H

   Temperature: 90-100°C

8. Make Homemade Ricotta

   In a pot, combine 2L whole milk, 180ml heavy cream, and 8g salt. Heat gently to 93°C, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Slowly add 40ml white wine vinegar while stirring. Cover and rest 20 minutes. Scoop curds into cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain 20-60 minutes (longer for drier ricotta). Reserve whey for baking or marinating.

   Time: PT1H20M

   Temperature: 93°C

9. Make Spicy Honey

   Slice 10 small chiles. In a saucepan, combine chiles and 40ml white wine vinegar. Simmer to reduce vinegar by half. Add 150g honey, simmer on medium 10 minutes, stirring. Cool, strain out chiles, store in fridge.

   Time: PT20M

   Temperature: 90°C

10. Assemble and Bake 3-Day Pizza

    Preheat oven with steel or stone at maximum (250-270°C) for 1 hour. Stretch dough ball on semolina-dusted surface, leaving thicker edge. Place on pizza peel dusted with semolina. Spread ragù sauce, sprinkle parmesan, add mozzarella, dollop dry ricotta, and scatter shredded beef/pork. Slide onto steel/stone, bake 7-10 minutes until golden and bubbly. Optionally, mix some ricotta with whey for creamy topping. Finish with basil and spicy honey.

    Time: PT1H10M

    Temperature: 250-270°C

11. Cleanup

    Wash all bowls, pots, pans, utensils, cheesecloth, and work surfaces. Wipe down oven and stovetop if needed. Store leftovers properly.

    Time: PT30M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

550

Protein

25g

Carbohydrates

60g

Fat

22g

Fiber

3g

Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of Wheat flour (bread/high-gluten): All-purpose flour (less ideal)
• Instead of Instant yeast: Active dry yeast (adjust quantity)
• Instead of Sugar: Honey
• Instead of Olive oil: Vegetable oil
• Instead of Beer: Water (less flavor)
• Instead of Tortillas (large wheat): Lavash, Pita bread
• Instead of Tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade): Crushed tomatoes
• Instead of Mozzarella cheese: Provolone, Cheddar (for pizzadilla)
• Instead of Gruyère cheese: Swiss cheese, Emmental
• Instead of Parmesan cheese: Grana Padano
• Instead of Pepperoni: Salami, Chorizo, Bacon
• Instead of Basil leaves (fresh): Oregano (dried)
• Instead of Garlic powder: Fresh garlic
• Instead of Dried chili flakes: Fresh chili
• Instead of Pork ribs: Beef short ribs
• Instead of Beef ribs (or osso buco/morcillo with bone): Chuck roast with bone
• Instead of Onion: Shallot
• Instead of Red wine: White wine, Broth
• Instead of Canned whole tomatoes (Mutti or similar): Fresh ripe tomatoes
• Instead of Semolina flour: Cornmeal
• Instead of White wine vinegar: Lemon juice
• Instead of Fresh chiles (red and green, small): Dried chiles

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls
• Large cast iron or oven-safe skillet
• Stand mixer (optional, for dough) (optional)
• Casserole pot (for ragù)
• Pastry cloth or cheesecloth
• Pizza peel
• Baking steel or pizza stone
• Saucepan
• Grater
• Pastry brush (optional)
• Tupperware containers

Critical Steps — Do Not Skip

• Kneading and fermenting the 3-day dough properly.
• Deep browning of meat for ragù.
• Reducing and chilling the ragù for fat removal.
• Heating milk to correct temperature for ricotta.
• Using enough semolina to prevent dough sticking to peel.
• Baking on a preheated steel/stone at maximum temperature.

Chef Tips from the Video

• For best pizza crust, use the strongest bread flour you can find.
• Let dough come to room temperature before stretching.
• Use a pizza steel or stone for maximum bottom heat.
• Don't overload pizza with sauce or toppings; balance is key.
• Save leftover ragù for pasta or sandwiches.

Troubleshooting

Storage

Refrigerator: Dough balls: up to 72 hours; ragù: 4 days; ricotta: 3 days; spicy honey: 2 weeks; baked pizza: 3 days.

Freezer: Dough balls: 1 month; ragù: 3 months; baked pizza slices: 2 months.

Room temperature: Baked pizza: up to 6 hours (covered); honey: 1 month (if not contaminated).

Make-Ahead Tips

• Dough for 3-day pizza can be made up to 3 days ahead and frozen.
• Ragù can be made and refrigerated up to 4 days ahead.
• Ricotta can be made 2 days ahead.
• Spicy honey keeps for weeks in the fridge.