Pinsa
intro
A light, crispy Roman ancestor of pizza, with an airy, bubbly crust topped with tangy tomato, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil, perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix the pinsa dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 300g 00 all-purpose flour, 100g white rice flour, 50g soy flour, 3g instant dry yeast, and 8g fine sea salt until evenly combined. Slowly pour in 320ml cold filtered water and 30ml extra-virgin olive oil, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes until a shaggy, sticky dough forms with no visible dry flour pockets. Do not knead the dough at this stage.
Cold proof the dough
Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then transfer it to a refrigerator set to 4°C (39°F) to cold ferment for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn the dough out onto a lightly rice-floured surface, fold each of the four edges of the dough in toward the center to form a tight, smooth ball, return it to the bowl, re-cover, and let it rest in the fridge for an additional 22 hours (24 hours total cold proof for optimal light, bubbly texture; for a faster version, proof at room temperature (21°C / 70°F) for 3 hours until doubled in volume).
Shape the pinsa crust
Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before shaping to take off the chill. Place a heavy baking stone or rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack, then preheat the oven to 280°C (535°F) for 30 minutes. Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with rice flour, set the rested dough on the parchment, and use your fingertips to press and stretch the dough into an irregular 30cm x 40cm (12in x 16in) oval, leaving a 1cm (0.4in) thicker border for the crust. Do not use a rolling pin, as this will pop critical air bubbles in the dough.
Add base toppings
Spoon 200g crushed San Marzano tomatoes onto the center of the shaped dough, spreading it in a thin, even layer across the surface while leaving the 1cm crust border bare. Drizzle with 7ml (1.5 teaspoons) of the reserved topping olive oil, then sprinkle 30g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the tomato layer. Avoid overloading the dough with toppings, as excess weight and moisture will create a soggy crust.
Bake the pinsa
Carefully slide the parchment paper with the topped pinsa directly onto the preheated baking stone or sheet. Bake for 7 minutes at 280°C (535°F), then quickly pull the oven rack out, scatter 150g of torn, well-drained mozzarella pieces evenly across the pinsa, and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. The pinsa is done when the crust is golden and crispy around the edges with small, slightly charred bubbly spots, and the cheese is fully melted and lightly bubbling.
Finish and serve
Remove the baked pinsa from the oven using a large metal spatula, and transfer it to a wooden cutting board. Drizzle with the remaining 8ml (1.5 teaspoons) of extra-virgin olive oil, scatter 10g of fresh basil leaves across the top, and let the pinsa rest for 2 minutes before slicing into 8 rectangular pieces to serve.
Tips
2.Skip the rolling pin when shaping: pressing and stretching the dough with your fingertips preserves the air bubbles created during the long ferment, which give pinsa its signature light, open crumb texture.
3.If you do not have soy or rice flour for the traditional dough blend, substitute with an equal weight of 00 all-purpose flour, though the crust will be slightly denser and less crisp.
OMG this pinsa is a total game changer for our weekly family dinner! I was nervous about the long ferment time but the 20 minutes active prep was so doable even with my two wild kids running around. It came out SO crispy, way better than the takeout pizza we usually get on Fridays. My kids both asked for second slices, even my picky 7 year old who turns his nose up at anything that isn’t chicken nuggets. Already planning to make this for our next neighborhood potluck!
Took a stab at this after trying authentic pinsa on a trip to Rome last year, and honestly? This nails the texture I was chasing. That shatteringly crisp bottom, light airy crumb — I was worried I’d mess up the dough hydration but the instructions were super clear even for a medium difficulty recipe. 11 minutes on my preheated pizza stone at 500 degrees was perfect, no burnt edges at all. 10/10, will be my go-to pizza-adjacent recipe from now on.
I was so excited to try this but I swapped the regular flour for my go-to gluten free all purpose blend, and the crust didn’t crisp up right at all. It was kind of dense and gummy, even after adding a couple extra minutes of bake time. Bummer because the flavor was good! Has anyone tried this with a GF flour blend that actually works?
Made this in my tiny dorm oven with a regular baking sheet since I don’t have a pizza stone, and it turned out way better than I expected! Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I forgot to oil the baking sheet so a little bit stuck to the pan, but the crust was still crispy around the edges. Perfect for late night study snacking with my roommates, we devoured the whole thing in 10 minutes.
I’ve been making homemade pizza for 40 years and I have to say, this pinsa recipe is top tier. The long ferment time develops such a nice, complex flavor you just don’t get with same-day dough. I topped mine with a little fresh mozz, prosciutto, and arugula like we had at the little pinseria we visited in Trastevere, and my wife said it was better than the ones we had on vacation. Will be adding this to my permanent recipe rotation.
Meal prep win! I split the dough into individual portions after the first rise and froze them, then pulled one out to thaw in the fridge the night before I wanted to make it. Baked up perfectly crispy every single time, no weird texture changes from freezing. Saves me so much time on busy weeknights when I don’t feel like cooking from scratch. So good!
As a diehard deep dish fan I was skeptical about this thinner, crispy style, but I was pleasantly surprised! The crust has so much flavor even without piling on a ton of toppings. My only note is that I think next time I’ll add a tiny bit more salt to the dough, but that’s just my personal preference. Definitely a fun change of pace from our usual deep dish nights.
Just pulled this out of the oven 10 minutes ago and I’m already halfway through my first slice, OMG. That crunch is unreal! I topped mine with roasted garlic, mushroom, and a drizzle of hot honey, and the flavor combo is insane. I was intimidated by the 25 hour total time but it was mostly just waiting for the dough to ferment, zero hard work. Why did I wait so long to try pinsa?!
Wait a second, I thought pinsa was supposed to be lower carb? Either way this is so much lighter than regular pizza crust, I didn’t feel bloated at all after eating three slices which is a miracle for me. The crust was crispy all the way through, no soggy middle even when I loaded it up with pepperoni and extra cheese. 100% making this every weekend from now on, total game changer.
I made this on my outdoor wood-fired pizza oven last weekend and cooked it at 700 degrees for about 4 minutes instead of the regular oven method, and it came out insane! The only thing is I think I stretched it a little too thin in one spot so there was a tiny hole, but all the toppings stayed on anyway. Next time I’ll be more careful stretching the dough. Great recipe!
I brought this to my friend’s game night last weekend and everyone thought I ordered it from a fancy local Italian spot! I told them I made it from scratch and no one believed me, lol. The crust was so crispy and flavorful, I didn’t even need to put a ton of toppings on it to impress the group. Already sent the recipe to three of my friends who asked for it.