Pietros Pizza Dough Recipe

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Gently deflate, divide into 2 equal balls (about 260g each). Shape each into a tight round by pulling edges toward the bottom.

Add Oil: After the rest, add the olive oil. Knead the dough (on low speed in a mixer or by hand) for about 5 to 8 minutes.

The Windowpane Test: Pull off a small piece of dough and stretch it thin. If you can see light through it without it tearing (like a windowpane), the gluten is developed enough.

After years of coaxing, Pietro’s granddaughter finally shared the “home kitchen” version. Here’s the real deal. pietros pizza dough recipe

Pietro himself (nonno Pietro to locals) immigrated from Naples in the 1950s, bringing little more than a worn leather apron and a notebook filled with notes from his father’s bakery. While most pizzerias rushed to use modern shortcuts, Pietro insisted on a 24-hour fermentation, high-gluten flour, and a touch of something unusual: a spoonful of barley malt syrup. Turn dough onto a floured surface

“The dough must breathe,” he’d say, tapping the side of the wooden rising box. “You don’t make pizza. You wake it up.” Add Oil: After the rest, add the olive oil

Before we dive into ingredients and steps, let’s understand what makes this dough unique. Most traditional pizza doughs — Neapolitan, New York, or even Chicago — focus on thinness, crispness, or fluffiness. Pietro’s falls into a rare category: tavern-style thick crust, but with a soft, bread-like interior.

Key characteristics of the dough:

When you bite into a Pietro’s slice, the crust should feel almost like a soft pretzel meets focaccia — slightly salty, yielding, and rich. That’s what this recipe delivers.