Go Back
Homemade cheese pizza with a slice lifted to show the browned underside beside a home oven
Family Recipe HQ

How to Prepare Homemade Pizza: Two 12-Inch Cheese Pizzas

A complete same-day method for two homemade cheese pizzas, with a soft, workable dough, lightly spread sauce and a browned base. Plan on about 4 hours including resting and rising; the overnight variation is in the notes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting, rising and cooling (approx.) 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings: 2 12-inch pizzas
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 500 g bread flour or all-purpose flour about 4 cups; use the weight for best consistency
  • 325 g water 325 ml; about 1 1/3 US cups plus 2 teaspoons, at room temperature
  • 10 g fine salt about 1 2/3 teaspoons table salt; salt crystal sizes vary
  • 3 g instant yeast about 1 teaspoon; this amount is for the same-day method
  • 10 g olive oil optional; about 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • extra flour a small amount for dusting the counter or peel
  • extra olive oil a thin coating for the bowl, dough containers and metal pans
Topping for both pizzas
  • 6 tablespoons prepared pizza sauce 3 tablespoons per pizza; see notes for a quick homemade sauce
  • 200 g low-moisture mozzarella about 7 ounces, shredded; 100 g per pizza

Equipment

  • 1 Digital kitchen scale A scale accurate to 0.1 g is useful for the overnight yeast amount.
  • 1 Large mixing bowl With a cover; plus two covered containers for the dough balls.
  • Pizza pans or baking sheets rated for 500°F Two are convenient. A pizza stone or steel with a peel is an alternative.
  • Cheese grater, spatula, oven mitts and wire rack Use dry, heat-resistant mitts; a bench scraper is helpful but optional.

Method
 

  1. Stir the flour, salt and 3 g instant yeast together in a large bowl. Add the water and optional 10 g olive oil. Mix until no dry flour remains, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Knead by hand for about 3–5 minutes, continuing if needed until the dough looks smoother and stretches before tearing. It should feel soft and slightly tacky. If it sticks heavily, cover and pause for 5 minutes before adding more flour; use only small pinches for handling.
  3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. At about 72–78°F (22–26°C), begin checking after 1 1/2 hours; allow about 1 1/2–2 hours or longer as needed. Look for roughly 50% growth, a puffy surface and some bubbles. Use these signs rather than the clock alone.
  4. Divide into two equal balls: about 424 g each with the oil, or 419 g without. Tuck the edges underneath, place in lightly oiled containers and cover. Rest about 45–60 minutes, until relaxed and a little puffy. A gentle finger indentation should recover slowly.
  5. During the final rest, preheat to 500°F (260°C), only if the oven and bakeware permit it. For a stone or steel, place it in the cold oven and allow 45–60 minutes of preheating, following its instructions. For the simpler pan method, use the middle rack and lightly oil a room-temperature metal pizza pan or baking sheet rated for 500°F. Do not preheat that pan. Grate the cheese and measure the sauce before stretching.
  6. Keep the second ball covered. On a lightly floured surface, press the first ball from the center outward to a 12-inch round, leaving a roughly 1/2-inch rim. Support it evenly while stretching. If it shrinks back, cover and rest for 10–15 minutes. Pinch any holes closed before adding sauce.
  7. For a pan, place the dough on the prepared room-temperature pan. For a stone or steel, use a lightly floured peel and check that the dough slides freely. Spread with 3 tablespoons sauce and scatter with 100 g mozzarella, leaving the rim bare. Transfer promptly to the oven; do not try to force a stuck pizza off the peel over the hot surface.
  8. Bake one pizza at a time. Start checking at about 6 minutes on steel, 8 minutes on stone, or 10 minutes on a metal pan. Many stone or steel bakes take 6–12 minutes; a pan may take roughly 12–18 minutes or longer. These are checking ranges. Look for a browned, set rim, bubbling cheese and brown patches underneath. Lift an edge carefully with a spatula to check; the center should have no gummy dough beneath the sauce. Rotate if one side browns faster.
  9. Move the first pizza onto a wire rack for about 2 minutes, then slice. Let a stone or steel recover heat for at least 5 minutes with the oven door closed. Shape and top the second ball with the remaining 3 tablespoons sauce and 100 g cheese, then bake and rest in the same way. If reusing one metal pan, let it cool enough to handle safely before shaping dough on it.

Notes

Timing: About 4 hours is a planning estimate, including both sequential bakes. Rising depends on room temperature and yeast activity. Oven preheating overlaps the final dough rest; a slower rise or lower baking temperature takes longer.
Quick sauce: Stir 200 g crushed tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil, an optional small grated garlic clove and a pinch of dried oregano. Salt to taste. Drain watery tomatoes first. Use only 6 tablespoons for these two pizzas; refrigerate the extra promptly or freeze it.
Overnight variation: Use 1 g instant yeast instead of 3 g. Mix, rest 20 minutes and knead as above. Cover for another 20–30 minutes, divide into two balls, then refrigerate in covered, lightly oiled containers at 40°F (4°C) or below for 12–72 hours. Before baking, allow about 60–90 minutes or longer as needed for the covered dough to become pliable and a little puffy. Shape, top and bake as above; do not also follow the same-day rising schedule.
Oven and toppings: Stay within the temperature rating of your oven, pan and any parchment. Never put parchment under a broiler. Keep added toppings in a light layer; cook raw meat fully and drain wet vegetables before adding them. For a first bake, the cheese-only version is the simplest way to judge the crust.
Leftovers: Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F (74°C). Freeze slices for 1–2 months for best quality. Do not taste raw dough.