The formula
- Makes
- 1 × 700 g pan dough (12 × 16 in)
- Bake at
- 520°F
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Total
- 48h 48
| Ingredient | Weight | Baker’s |
|---|---|---|
| Strong bread flourW300+ strength, 13.5–14.5% protein | 380 g | 100% |
| Ice-cold water4–6°C to prevent premature fermentation | 304 g | 80% |
| Fine sea salt | 8.4 g | 2.2% |
| Extra virgin olive oilPlus extra for pan and hands | 7.6 g | 2% |
| Instant dry yeast | 0.8 g | 0.2% |
Scale it to any batch with the dough calculator — it uses the same percentages.
Method
- 01
Whisk 250g of the ice-cold water with the instant yeast in a mixing bowl. Add all the flour and mix until a rough shaggy dough forms with no dry patches.
5 minutes
- 02
Dissolve the fine sea salt in the remaining 54g of cold water. Slowly add the salted water in three additions, kneading by hand or with a spiral hook until fully absorbed.
8 minutes
- 03
Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and knead until the slack dough becomes shiny and pulls away from the bowl walls.
5 minutes
- 04
Perform three sets of coil folds directly in the oiled bowl at 20-minute intervals to align the gluten matrix without deflating air bubbles.
1 hours
- 05
Transfer into a sealed oiled container and refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours for cold maturation.
48 hours
- 06
Turn out the cold dough onto a generous bed of coarse semolina. Gently dimple from bottom to top with flat fingers to preserve the large internal alveoli gas pockets.
5 minutes
- 07
Transfer onto an oiled 12×16 inch blue steel teglia pan. Stretch gently to fill the corners, top as desired, and bake on the bottom oven deck at 520°F for 16 to 18 minutes.
18 minutes
80% hydration and the honeycomb crumb
Roman pizza in teglia (pizza al taglio) is defined by its extreme lightness. Despite being a pan pizza served in square slices, it is not heavy or bread-like.
The secret is 80% hydration combined with a long 48-hour cold fermentation:
- Massive steam expansion: At 80% water content, moisture rapidly flashes to steam inside a 520°F oven, creating enormous internal alveoli (air pockets) surrounded by gossamer-thin dough walls.
- Low density: A 700g dough ball stretches across a full 12×16 inch sheet pan, yielding a thick yet featherweight slice that digests easily.
- Glass-crisp bottom: Baked in a seasoned blue steel pan, the olive oil on the pan floor fries the outer skin to a shatteringly crisp texture while the crumb stays soft.
Handling the dough: coil folds and semolina
An 80% hydration dough cannot be rolled or stretched like a standard pizza base:
- Coil folds: Rather than punching down the dough, lifting the center with wetted hands and tucking the ends underneath builds gluten tension gently without knocking out fermentation bubbles.
- The semolina bed: When turning out the matured dough, drop it onto a deep layer of coarse durum wheat semolina. Dimple gently with flat fingers from the bottom edges upward, locking the gas cells into place before transferring to the pan.
Scaling your batch
Every quantity in this formula follows the exact baker's percentages of our Roman teglia preset. To scale for different pan dimensions or multiple sheets, use our pizza dough calculator and select the Roman Teglia preset.
Gear mentioned
Product image pending
Gozney Dome (Gen 2)
The one you stop upgrading from. Three pizzas at once, and it roasts as well as it bakes.
- Capacity
- Three 10 in pizzas, two 12 in, or one 18 in
- Fuel
- Hybrid — wood, charcoal or propane
- Instrumentation
- Digital console with air and stone temperatures, twin meat probes
Amazon does not sell the Dome — a search for it returns covers and stands. This goes to Gozney, who sell it directly.
Gozney Arc XL
A 16-inch outdoor gas pizza oven with a lateral rolling flame, digital temperature display, and professional heat retention.
- Pizza capacity
- 16-inch pizza capacity (16.8" x 20.3" removable stone floor)
- Burner system
- Lateral rolling gas flame mimicking traditional wood-fired ovens
- Thermometer
- Built-in digital precision temperature gauge with color screen
Ooni Volt 2
Electric, and the only one here you can legitimately run indoors on a normal socket.
- Max temperature
- 850°F
- Temperature range
- 70–850°F
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
The one that publishes its accuracy. Under a second, and a calibration certificate in the box.
- Accuracy
- ±0.5°F in key temperature ranges
- Response time
- Under 1 second
- Measuring range
- -58 to 572°F
Common questions
- How do you handle 80% hydration dough without it sticking?
- Cold temperature and coarse semolina (semola rimacinata). Chilled 48-hour dough is firm enough to handle, and turning it out onto a bed of semolina creates a dry barrier that glides smoothly into the pan without tearing.
- Why is strong high-protein flour (W300+) essential?
- Standard all-purpose flour cannot absorb 80% water by weight and collapses during a 48-hour ferment. High-protein flour with strong extensible gluten holds giant gas alveoli intact for an open honeycomb structure.
- Why use ice-cold water during mixing?
- Friction from intensive high-hydration kneading generates heat. Ice-cold water keeps the finished dough temperature under 22°C (72°F), preventing the small yeast dose from consuming starches before cold retarding begins.
- What is the ideal pan for Roman pizza al taglio?
- A seasoned blue steel (ferro blu) baking pan. Blue steel provides rapid, even thermal conductivity, ensuring the bottom crust turns glass-crisp while the interior crumb remains light, moist, and cloud-soft.
Sources
Gear from this recipe, compared
New York Style Pizza Dough
Also covers the Gozney Arc XL, the Ooni Volt 2 and 1 more of the same products.
Gozney Arc XL vs Gozney Dome
Also covers the Gozney Arc XL and the Gozney Dome (Gen 2).
Detroit Style Pizza Dough
Also covers the Ooni Volt 2 and the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE.
The Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens, Compared on Published Specs
Also covers the Ooni Volt 2 and the Gozney Dome (Gen 2).