Italian Bakery Pizza Recipe Updated

In Providence RI, Italian bakeries sell a crusty pizza with simple toppings (crushed tomatoes, herbs, olive oil) with no cheese or pepperoni. It has a great olive oil and garlic taste. 

Updated for my 18 x 13 inch sheet pan 5/22/2026

In this video you can see what it should look like.Try it. 

Here is a recipe for that pizza.

Dough

• 330 grams water
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon yeast (the longer you are willing let it rise the less yeast you can use. Less yeast and longer rise time yields better texture, bigger holes)
• 12 grams salt
• 455 grams bread flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 10 grams

Here is a link to my older recipe. It produces a crisper less chewy crust.

Topping:

• 1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes - drained
• 2/3 cup tomato puree
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and or basil (or dry)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

This will go in the pans

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 clove garlic - crushed

Dough:

In a mixer add water then yeast then flour then salt. Mix with dough hook.

Allow to rest for a 15 minutes and stretch and fold refrigerate over night for best results or let rise until doubled.  Then stretch and fold again. form into 1 ball and let then reach room temperature.

Topping:

Drain tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Crush well with your hands add puree. Add pepper and salt (to taste), oil, herbs and garlic.
 

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Use 1 18-by-13 inch baking sheet. Coat pan generously with olive oil - about 1/4 cup each (this seems like a lot but trust me) and sprinkle with 1/4 t salt. Press out dough to fit pan. If dough resists, let it rest for a few minutes, then gentle coax it to fit the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil lightly on top of dough. Let the dough rise in the pan for about 15 minutes sprinkle each with 1/4 t salt

Heat the tomato topping and spread on the dough and drizzle the top with a little olive oil.

Bake pizza for about 20 more minutes. 

Cool and eat at room temperature.

King Arthur flour make Italian bakery pizza.