Pizza Classica
Traditional Italian pizza with a crispy yet tender base. Perfect for home ovens.
Pizza classica is the name Italian pizza schools and competitions give to the round pizza served on a plate and baked directly on the oven floor. It is built for a longer bake at a lower temperature than a Napoletana, and it takes a wider range of toppings. The dough includes olive oil.
The formula in numbers
- Hydration
- 65%
- Salt
- 2.5%
- Olive Oil
- 2%
- Portion
- 4 × 260 g, about 31.4 cm
- Fermentation source
- Fresh Yeast
- Bulk at room temperature
- 2 h
- In the fridge
- 16 h
- Final proof
- 2 h
- Flour strength
- W 240–300
- Flour protein
- 11–13%
How to prepare it
- Flour613 g
- Water398 g
- Salt15 g
- Fresh Yeast1.35 g
- Olive Oil12 g
The yeast is dosed for the fermentation times of this formula. The calculator adjusts it to your flour, your kitchen and your schedule.
- W 240–300
The dough
Flour, water, salt, yeast and 2% olive oil. A medium flour is enough here: W 240 to 300.
Stronger is not better. A very strong flour makes a thin base tough.
- 65% water
Mixing
Knead the flour, water, yeast and salt until the dough comes together, then work in the oil at the end. At 65% hydration the dough is soft but still easy to knead by hand.
This dough holds more water than a Napoletana because it spends longer in a cooler oven.
- 20 h
Fermentation
2 h at room temperature, then 16 h in the fridge. A cold rest makes the dough easier to stretch thin.
Short on time? Set your own hours in the calculator and it adjusts the yeast.
- 2 h
Dough balls
Divide the dough into 4 balls of 260 g and rest them covered at room temperature for 2 h. They should be soft and relaxed before you open them.
A relaxed ball stretches thin without springing back.
- 5 min
Shaping and baking
Stretch the ball thin, to about 31.4 cm, and keep the rim small. Bake on a hot stone or steel at around 285°C (545°F) for about 5 min, until the base is crisp.
Put the stone or steel in before you switch the oven on, so it heats up with it.
The most common mistakes
Wrong:Baking on a cold tray
Right:Preheat a stone or steel with the oven, so the base crisps.
Wrong:Leaving a thick rim, as on a Napoletana
Right:Stretch it evenly thin, almost to the edge.
Wrong:Stretching a tight, cold ball
Right:Rest the balls for 2 h first, so the dough stops springing back.
Wrong:Piling toppings on a thin base
Right:Spread them in one even layer, so the base bakes through in 5 min.
Recommended flours
Flour for this formula: W 240–300, 11–13% protein. Ranked by fit, then by availability in your country, then by popularity.
