If you have been searching for a roman style pizza recipe that truly delivers – thin, outrageously crispy, and made to shatter with every bite – this is the one. Pizza Romana is completely different from its soft and pillowy Neapolitan cousin. And once you taste it, every other homemade pizza might feel like a disappointment. This is the kind of pizza that somehow convinces you to keep reaching for “just one more slice” until half the tray mysteriously disappears.
I learnt this style from my good friend and pizza maestro, Gigio Attanasio, an incredible pizza chef based in Ireland who introduced me to some of the best pizza I have ever eaten in Naples. You can check out our adventures here. He showed me that Roman pizza is not about giant airy crusts or ultra-high hydration dough. In fact, the magic is almost the opposite. Roman pizza uses less water in the dough, along with extra virgin olive oil, to create that signature crunch and crisp base that works perfectly in both a pizza oven and a normal home oven. If you love ultra-hydrated Pizza in Pala dough, make sure you also check out my Roman Pizza recipe with world pizza champion Johnny Di Francesco too.
One of the best things about this Roman pizza recipe is that it is much more home-cook friendly than people think. You do not need to chase huge leopard-spotted crusts or wrestle with overly sticky dough. Roman pizza is stretched thinner, baked crispier, and doesn’t require as much resting time outside the fridge. Because we are not trying to create an overly puffy crust, we want crunch. Glorious, golden crunch.
Watch: How to Make Roman Pizza So Crispy It Shatters When You Bite It
This Roman Pizza Recipe Makes Pizza That Is Thin and Deliciously Crispy
Vincenzo’s Plate Tips for Making Roman Pizza Recipe
Small batch
If you want to make fewer pizzas, simply divide the dough ingredients in half and you will still get around 4–5 Roman pizzas. But honestly? Once people hear that crunch and taste that crispy base, the pizzas disappear dangerously fast. My recommendation? Just make the full recipe and thank me later.
Good Dough Starts Here
For the best Roman style pizza recipe results, use 00 flour with at least 11g protein. This helps create that toasted crust with just enough structure and chew. If all-purpose flour is all you have, do not panic, it will still work beautifully.
Use A Stand Mixer, Your Arms Will Thank you
You can absolutely knead this dough by hand if you enjoy the process, but a stand mixer will make the dough smoother and easier to work with. The funny thing? Whether your mixer costs $50 or $500, the pizza really does not care. Good technique matters far more than fancy equipment.
Good Pizza Takes Time
If you want same-day pizza, let the dough rest at room temperature for 6–7 hours before stretching. But honestly? Overnight fermentation is where the magic happens. The flavour becomes deeper, the dough relaxes, and the crust gets crispier while still staying light inside.
Soggy Pizza Is a Crime
Fresh mozzarella holds a lot of liquid, and if you skip this step your beautiful crispy Roman pizza can quickly turn soft and watery. Slice the mozzarella into cubes and leave it in a sieve in the fridge for a few hours before making pizza. Let gravity do the work naturally, do not press the cheese or you will lose too much creaminess.
Another way to avoid soggy pizza is not to overload it with tomato sauce. A light layer is more than enough to give beautiful flavour while still allowing the dough to bake evenly and stay crisp underneath.
The Peel Deal
A pizza stone helps create that ultra-crunchy Roman-style base because it stores intense heat and cooks the bottom properly. Pair it with a good pizza peel and your life becomes much easier. I personally prefer a wooden peel because dough tends to stick more easily to aluminium, especially when stretching thinner Roman pizzas.
Storage & Freezing
Pizza dough balls can stay in the refrigerator for up to one week, which makes this recipe perfect for prepping ahead. For longer storage, freeze the dough after fermentation. Wrap each dough ball tightly and store in airtight containers. When you are ready to use them, thaw overnight in the fridge. Then let the dough rest at room temperature for about one hour before stretching. That way the dough relaxes properly and becomes much easier to work with.
How to serve Roman Pizza
Roman pizza is best enjoyed straight from the oven while the base is still crispy, thin, and beautifully crunchy. Slice it up using a pizza cutter and serve immediately because this style of pizza is all about that fresh-out-of-the-oven crackle. Leave it sitting around too long and you will lose the texture that makes Pizza Romana so irresistible in the first place.
Roman Style Pizza Recipe – Authentic, Crispy, Easy at Home
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with bowl
- Kitchen/tea towel
- Plastic wrap
- Plastic containers or pizza tray
- Digital kitchen scale
- Pastry scraper
- Rolling pin
- Pizza peel
- Pizza cutter
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 35.3 oz 00 flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of dry yeast
- 20 g/ 0.7oz of table salt
- 600 ml / 20.3 fl oz cold tap water
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, EVOO
- Fine Semolina, for stretching pizza
Toppings
- Passata or blended Italian peeled tomatoes, San Marzano if possible
- Mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
- Grated Pecorino Romano
Instructions
Making the Pizza Dough
- Add the flour, salt, and dry yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer and give everything a quick mix to combine evenly.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly pour in the water a little at a time. Once some of the water has mixed through, add 4–5 tablespoons of EVOO, then continue adding the remaining water. Increase the speed slightly and mix until the dough becomes smooth, soft, and fully combined, about 5 minutes in total.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean bench and knead it with the palms of your hands for a few minutes. To reinforce the dough further, use a gentle slap-and-fold technique by lifting the dough, lightly slapping it onto the bench, then pushing it forward and back using the heel of your hand. Continue until the dough feels elastic and the surface becomes smooth.
- Shape it into a ball by gently tucking the dough underneath itself while rotating it. Keep folding the edges underneath until the top looks round, tight, and smooth.
- Cover the dough using an upside-down bowl or a clean kitchen towel and leave it to rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
- Now it’s time to choose your fermentation path.
A) Cold Fermentation (Best Flavor + More Flexible Timing)
- After the initial 30-minute rest, transfer the dough into a large bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge and leave it to ferment for 16–24 hours.
- Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge, divide it into portions, and shape each one into a smooth dough ball. Cover them again and let them rest at room temperature for about 1 hour before stretching and making your pizzas.
B) Same-Day Dough (Room Temperature)
- Leave the covered dough at room temperature for at least 6 hours, or until it has noticeably grown in size and become light and airy.
- Once ready, divide the dough into portions and shape each one into a smooth dough ball. Place them into pizza trays or containers, making sure they are covered well, then leave them to rest for another 1 hour before stretching.
Making Pizza Dough Balls
- Prepare individual plastic containers for each dough ball and drizzle 1–2 teaspoons of EVOO into each one. If you are using a pizza tray instead, there is no need to add oil.
- Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough into 180g / 6.3oz portions.
- To shape the dough balls, hold one portion in your hand with four fingers tucked underneath and your thumb free. Use your other hand to gently fold the edges of the dough underneath itself while rotating it as you go. Continue until the top becomes smooth and tight.
- Rub the sides gently to close the bottom seam, then tuck it underneath neatly to help hold the shape.
- Place each dough ball into its container or onto the tray, cover well, and leave them to rest at room temperature for 1 hour before stretching.
Making the Sauce
- Prepare the tomato sauce in a bowl using either passata or peeled tomatoes blended until smooth.
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt and mix well. Season with pepper if you like or leave without.
Stretching the Pizza
- Dust your workbench with flour or fine semolina.
- Place one dough ball onto the surface and begin pressing gently with your fingertips, working from the edges toward the centre. Unlike Neapolitan pizza, you are not trying to create a huge airy rim here, so keep the pressure even across the dough. Flip it over and repeat on the other side.
- To stretch it further, lightly place your palms over the dough and gently push outward while rotating as you go. The goal is a thin, even base that will crisp up beautifully in the oven.
- Once the dough starts widening, lift it onto your knuckles and rotate it slowly, letting gravity naturally stretch it thinner. If you feel confident, you can even toss it lightly from hand to hand.
- Want the easiest method? Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into an ultra-thin Roman-style base.
Cooking the Pizza
Using Electric Oven (with Pizza Stone)
- Preheat your oven with the pizza stone inside at 250°C / 480°F using static or conventional mode. Let the stone heat for at least 30 minutes so it becomes properly hot.
- Transfer the stretched pizza onto a pizza peel and spread the tomato sauce evenly across the surface, almost right to the edges. Give the peel a gentle shake to make sure the dough moves freely and is not sticking.
- Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and parbake for 2–3 minutes, or until the base starts to set and turns lightly golden underneath. If it still looks pale, leave it for another minute.
- Remove the pizza and add your toppings. I used grated Pecorino Romano and cubes of mozzarella for the perfect balance of salty, creamy, and crispy.
- Finish with a drizzle of EVOO, then return the pizza to the oven for another 1–2 minutes until the cheese melts beautifully and the crust becomes crisp and golden.
Using Pizza Oven
- Preheat the oven to 320–350°C / 610–660°F.
- Transfer the stretched dough onto a pizza peel and spread the tomato sauce evenly across the surface, almost all the way to the edges. Drizzle a little EVOO around the crust to help create that signature Roman crunch and beautiful golden colour.
- Place the pizza into the oven and parbake for about 2 minutes, rotating it every 30–40 seconds so it cooks evenly on all sides.
- Once the base is crisp and golden brown, remove the pizza and add grated Pecorino Romano, mozzarella cubes, and another light drizzle of EVOO.
- Return it to the oven and continue cooking for a total of around 3 minutes, rotating as needed until the crust is beautifully golden and the cheese has melted perfectly.
Video
Frequently Asked Questions
What is roman style pizza?
Roman style pizza, known in Italy as Pizza Romana, is a style of pizza originating in Rome famous for its thin, crispy crust that crackles and shatters when you bite into it. Unlike Neapolitan pizza which is soft, airy and charred, Roman style pizza uses a lower hydration dough with extra virgin olive oil to create a flatter, crunchier base. It is stretched thinner, baked longer, and designed to be sturdy enough to hold toppings while still feeling light with every bite. It is one of the most beloved pizza styles in Italy and increasingly popular worldwide for home cooks because it works beautifully in a standard electric oven.
What makes Roman pizza so crispy?
Roman pizza gets its crispy texture from lower hydration dough, extra virgin olive oil, and a longer bake time at a lower temperature than Neapolitan pizza. Stretching the dough very thin also helps create that signature crunch.
What is the difference between Roman pizza and Neapolitan pizza?
Neapolitan pizza is soft, airy, and chewy with a thick crust, while Roman pizza is thinner, crispier, and more structured. Roman pizza is designed to have crunch in every bite, whereas Neapolitan pizza focuses on softness and charred bubbles.
Can I make Roman pizza without a pizza oven?
Yes! Roman pizza works very well in a home oven because it is baked longer than Neapolitan pizza. Using a pizza stone and preheating your oven properly will help create a crisp and golden crust.
What flour is best for Roman pizza dough?
00 flour with at least 11g of protein works best for Roman pizza dough because it creates a smooth and elastic texture. However, all-purpose flour can also work well if that is what you have at home.
How long should Roman pizza dough ferment?
For the best flavor and texture, Roman pizza dough should cold ferment in the fridge for 16–24 hours. If you are short on time, you can also make a same-day dough by resting it at room temperature for 6–7 hours.
Can you freeze Roman pizza dough?
Yes! Roman pizza dough freezes very well. After fermentation, wrap each dough ball tightly and freeze in airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then rest at room temperature before stretching.
Why is my Roman pizza not crispy?
If your Roman pizza is not crispy enough, the dough may be too thick, the oven not hot enough, or the toppings too wet. Draining mozzarella properly and using less tomato sauce can make a huge difference.
What toppings are best for Roman pizza?
Simple toppings work best on Roman pizza because the crispy crust is the star. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, anchovies, mushrooms, zucchini, and cured meats are all popular choices.
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
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Loved This Roman Pizza Recipe? Here Are Your Next Pizza Obsessions
- NEAPOLITAN PIZZA WITH DRY YEAST – This recipe creates a soft, airy crust with beautiful leopard spotting, bubbling mozzarella, and authentic Italian flavour, taught alongside world champion pizza chef Johnny Di Francesco.
- CLASSIC PIZZA MARGHERITA – This classic Pizza Margherita combines a soft Neapolitan base with San Marzano tomatoes, Fior di Latte mozzarella, fresh basil, and Pecorino Romano, taught alongside Naples-born pizza chef Lucio.
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