Authentic Pizzaat Home

Making pizza at home transforms an ordinary meal into an experience. There is nothing quite like stretching your own dough, watching it bubble and char in a blazing hot oven, and serving a pizza that rivals the best pizzerias in Naples. Home pizza making has exploded in popularity as people discover that authentic Neapolitan-style pizza is achievable in their own backyard with the right equipment and techniques.

The secret to great pizza lies in heat. Traditional pizzerias use ovens reaching 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures that home ovens simply cannot achieve. This extreme heat creates the signature leopard-spotted char on the crust, perfectly melted cheese, and toppings that cook in just sixty to ninety seconds. Modern portable pizza ovens have made these temperatures accessible to home cooks, opening up a world of pizza possibilities that was previously limited to professional kitchens.

Beyond temperature, ingredients define pizza quality. True Neapolitan pizza relies on Tipo 00 flour, a finely milled Italian flour that produces tender, airy crusts with characteristic chew. San Marzano tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius provide the sweet, low-acid base for authentic sauce. Fresh mozzarella, preferably fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella, melts beautifully and adds the creamy richness that defines great pizza.

At Kitchen Kneads, we stock everything you need for your pizza journey, from entry-level equipment for beginners to professional-grade ovens for serious enthusiasts. Our selection of Ooni pizza ovens represents the best in portable wood-fired and gas-powered cooking, while our ingredients collection includes imported Italian flours and tomatoes. Whether you are making your first pizza or your thousandth, we have the tools and supplies to help you succeed.

Pizza takes many forms around the world, each with distinct characteristics and techniques. Neapolitan pizza, protected by strict guidelines from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, features a soft, pliable crust with a puffy cornicione (rim) and minimalist toppings. The dough ferments for at least 24 hours and must be stretched by hand, never rolled with a pin. This style demands high heat and quick cooking.

New York-style pizza developed as Italian immigrants adapted their recipes to American ingredients and preferences. The result is a larger, foldable slice with a crispy bottom and chewy interior. The dough often includes oil or sugar, and the cheese is typically low-moisture mozzarella that browns and crisps rather than remaining soft. This style works well in home ovens or on pizza stones.

Detroit-style pizza offers something completely different—a thick, rectangular pizza baked in a well-oiled blue steel pan. The cheese extends to the edges, creating caramelized, crispy borders called frico. The sauce goes on top of the cheese in stripes. This style is forgiving for beginners and produces impressive results with standard home ovens.

Whatever style inspires you, the fundamentals remain consistent: quality dough developed through proper fermentation, appropriate heat for the style, and restraint with toppings. Overloaded pizza steams rather than crisps, resulting in soggy centers. Start simple with classic Margherita—tomato, mozzarella, basil—and add complexity as your skills develop.