Pizza alla pala is one of the most spectacular things to come out of a Roman bakery. Long, oval, stretched directly onto a wooden paddle and slid into the oven, it bakes into something that is almost impossible to describe until you taste it – an outer crust that crackles and shatters, with an interior so light and airy it practically dissolves.
This is not the thin, crispy round pizza you might have tried before. Pizza alla pala uses a highly hydrated dough – around 75 to 80 percent water – with a biga starter that ferments slowly over 24 hours. That long fermentation is what gives the dough its open, honeycomb crumb, its complex flavour, and its extraordinary lightness. It takes patience. but it’s worth every hour.
In Rome, you find it in bakeries and pizza shops all over the city, sold by the slice on the paddle it was cooked on. Today, we are bringing that experience to your kitchen.
Watch the Pizza alla Pala video recipe:
How to Make ROMAN PIZZA (Pizza in Pala) like a Pro
Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Pizza in Pala
Why the Biga Makes All the Difference
The biga is a pre-ferment – a small amount of flour, water and yeast that is mixed together and left to develop slowly for 24 hours before it goes into the main dough. This slow fermentation is what gives pizza alla pala its extraordinary depth of flavour and that open, irregular crumb structure you see in every perfect slice. Rushing this step or skipping it entirely produces a completely different result. The 24 hours are non-negotiable.
Handling High Hydration Dough
Pizza alla pala dough is much wetter than standard pizza dough. Do not be alarmed when it feels sticky and hard to handle – this is exactly right. Use a dough scraper rather than adding extra flour, which would tighten the dough and undo the hydration. Wet hands and a well-oiled surface are your best tools. The more you work with it, the more intuitive it becomes.
Stretching Onto the Paddle
The stretch is what gives pizza alla pala its characteristic long, oval shape. Rather than pressing from the centre outward as you would with round pizza, gently pull the dough lengthwise along the paddle using your fingertips. Work slowly and let gravity help. If the dough tears, press it back together gently and continue. It does not need to be perfect – slight variations in thickness add to the character of the finished pizza.
Use a deeper one
Use a deep container so that the biga has room to grow. It will rise quite a lot in 24hr!
MARK on it!
Put a mark on your container to show where the dough fills up to before it has proved so you can compare the size after 1 hour.
Parbake Now, Finish Later
One of the great advantages of pizza alla pala is that it lends itself beautifully to parbaking. Cook the plain dough base until it is just set and lightly golden – around half the total cooking time – then remove it from the oven, cool completely, and store in the fridge for up to two days or freeze for up to a month. When you are ready to serve, add the toppings and return it to a hot oven for a few minutes. The result is as good as fresh.
How to Serve Pizza alla Pala
Pizza alla pala is best served fresh from the oven while the crust is still hot, crackly, and impossibly crispy. Slice it into long strips using scissors or a sharp knife and serve it on a wooden board to share, just like they do in Roman bakeries.
This pizza is perfect for gatherings because everyone can try different toppings on each section. Pair it with cold Italian beer, wine, or simply enjoy it on its own while it is still steaming hot. Trust me, once you hear that crunch, you will understand why Romans are obsessed with it.
If you love this recipe, there is also a short chapter in my cookbook featuring some of my favourite pizza and bread recipes inspired by Italian traditions and family baking. You can find the book online or through your local stockist here.
Roman Pizza
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Table or Bench space
- Scales
- Deep, long tray
- Deep plastic containers with lids
- Plastic film Glad Wrap
- Long pale
- Stand mixer with flat beater Do not use the hook utensil
- Sharp scissors
- Your hands!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Le 5 Stagioni Ciabatta Romana Flour, 10.5 cups. Or plain 00 flour
- 900 ml Water, 3.8 cups
- 10 grams Dry yeast
- Biga, once proven
- 500 grams Le 5 Stagioni Whole Wheat Mora Flour, 3.5 cups
- 600 ml Water, 2.53 cups
- 40 grams Extra virgin olive oil, 8 teaspoons. + extra for focaccia
- 2 grams Dry yeast, 0.07oz
- 40 grams Rock salt, + extra for focaccia
- Tomato puree
- Basil
- Fior di latte mozzarella
- Rosemary
- Semolina
Instructions
STEP ONE: HOW TO MAKE THE BIGA/STARTER
- Roman pizza, also known as Pizza in pala requires biga/starter to make the perfect slice, so this is the all-important starting point!
- Add 1.5kg Le 5 Stagioni Ciabatta Romana Flour to a mixing bowl along with 10g dry yeast.
- Slowly start to add the water and incorporate it into the dry ingredients.
- Mix using your hands and turn the bowl as you go, adding back in any dry pieces that fall off the main dough ball.
- The process of incorporating biga into this recipe makes it easier to digest as there is much more air in the dough.
- Keep mixing and adding the water until everything has combined really well.
- Put the biga into a deep container, covering it with a lid so that no air can get inside and leave it to prove for 24hr.
- Once the biga has proven for 24hr, it’s time to feed it!
- Using a stand mixer (or commercial spiral mixer), place the biga inside and start to mix it really slowly, as it spins around, sprinkle some water into it every 30 seconds or so to keep it hydrated.
- The mixing time will take between 10-15 minutes depending on your utensil – but be patient, it is a very important step!
- Clean your stand mixer and get ready for the next step!
HOW TO MAKE THE ROMAN PIZZA DOUGH:
- Add 500g whole wheat flour to the stand mixer along with the dry yeast and then add the biga by breaking it up into pieces before putting it in the bowl.
- Then add half of the water (300ml/1.25 cups) to the mixture along with 40g rock salt and leave to mix on the slowest setting.
- As the flour incorporates, add the water a small amount at a time by sprinkling it inside, while it continues to mix.
- Do this until you finish the rest of the water.
- If the dough is too sticky and breaks easily when you pull at it, add more water and continue mixing slowly.
- Once the water has dissolved completely you can also check the progress of the dough by measuring its temperature.
- As soon as the roman pizza dough is 24°C/75.2°F, it is ready!
- Next, pour the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) into the mixture and again, combine until dissolved.
- At this point, turn the mixer off, wet your hands and slowly remove the dough from the mixer bowl, placing it into a deep container once again but this time by breaking it into pieces.
- Cover the container and leave to prove for at least 1hr or until it doubles in size.
HOW TO CREATE THE ROMAN PIZZA DOUGH BALLS:
- Once proved, the dough is ready to be made into roman pizza dough portions!
- Pour a generous amount of semolina flour into a deep tray and place the dough on top.
- Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut portions of the dough and place it on the scale, until you reach at least 600g/21.2oz. This amount will create a 1/2metre pizza in pala!
- Once you have the desired portion, place it on a bench with flour and shape it by pinching each part of it from the bottom up into the centre, until it creates a ball like shape, then flip it over and shape it using both hands, making an oval-like form.
- Place the roman pizza dough portions into a large tray (or simply on your bench) lined with semolina and cover them with either a lid or a cloth.
- Leave this to prove for another hour, or until they reach 3 x the size.
HOW TO STRETCH THE ROMAN PIZZA:
- Put another generous amount of semolina flour on the bench or your board so that it takes the same amount of width and length of the container of your dough (if using the bench to prove, just take up the same amount of space next to it).
- Flip the container over, letting the dough portions drop into the semolina. (If using your bench, simply pick up each portion and turn it around and onto the flour).
- Place one of the balls onto a separate surface already lined with semolina and sprinkle some more on top!
- Massage the roman pizza dough by pressing your fingers gently into the dough and stretching it out.
- Sprinkle just a touch of semolina onto a pizza pale and place the dough on top. Stretch and shape it at this point, until it is around half a meter (or a meter if you made a larger potion)
- Using a knife, pierce holes into the dough to stop it from continuing to prove in the hot oven.
HOW TO MAKE A FOCACCIA STYLE ROMAN PIZZA:
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top of the pizza and place it in the oven at 250-300°C/452-572°F.
- Turn the pizza every so often and let it cook until it turns a beautiful golden brown.
- Remove it from the oven and sprinkle some rock salt on top, along with fresh rosemary. Cut up and serve!
HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC MARGHERITA ROMAN PIZZA:
- Follow the steps to 33, then dust off any excess semolina and spread tomato sauce on top.
- Parbake the pizza in pala base at 250-300°C/452-572°F for 1-1.5 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and add sliced fior di latte mozzarella before putting the pizza back into the oven and cooking for an additional 1-1.5 min.
- Then remove the pizza and add fresh basil, EVOO before you cut and serve.
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Video
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is pizza alla pala?
Pizza alla pala is a style of Roman pizza named after the long wooden paddle (pala) used to slide it in and out of the oven. It is made with a highly hydrated dough – typically 75 to 80 percent water – and a biga pre-ferment that develops slowly over 24 hours. The result is a long, oval pizza with a shatteringly crispy exterior and a soft, open, airy crumb inside. It originated in Roman bakeries where bakers would use leftover bread dough to make pizza by the slice, and it remains one of the most distinctive and beloved pizza styles in Italy.
What is the difference between pizza alla pala and pizza al taglio?
Both are Roman pizza styles sold by the slice, but they are made differently. Pizza alla pala is baked directly on the oven stone or floor, giving it a lighter, crispier base and a more open crumb. Pizza al taglio is baked in a rectangular pan, which produces a thicker, more focaccia-like base. Pizza alla pala is stretched onto a long wooden paddle before baking, which gives it its characteristic oval shape and length.
What is a biga and why is it used?
A biga is an Italian pre-ferment made from a small amount of flour, water and yeast that is mixed together and left to ferment slowly – typically for 16 to 24 hours. Using a biga rather than adding all the yeast directly to the main dough produces a more complex flavour, a lighter texture, and a more open crumb structure. It also makes the dough more digestible. For pizza alla pala specifically, the biga is what creates that distinctive honeycomb interior that sets it apart from ordinary pizza dough.
Why is pizza alla pala dough so wet?
The high water content – typically 75 to 80 percent hydration – is what gives pizza alla pala its open, airy crumb. All that water creates steam during baking, which puffs the dough up and creates the light, irregular air pockets inside. A lower hydration dough would produce a denser, less interesting result. The wetness makes the dough harder to handle but the texture it produces is worth it.
Can I make pizza alla pala at home without a pizza oven?
Yes. Pizza alla pala is traditionally baked in a commercial electric oven rather than a wood-fired oven, which makes it more achievable at home than Neapolitan pizza. A pizza stone or steel preheated in your oven at the highest temperature it will reach – ideally 250 to 280 degrees Celsius – will produce excellent results. The key is giving the stone or steel enough time to fully heat through before the pizza goes in.
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