Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- Dough (2 x 300 g balls): 350 g bread flour, 228 g cool water, 8 g fine sea salt, 7 g sugar, 7 g light olive oil, 0.75 g instant yeast
- Herbed Sauce (no-cook): 1 can (28 oz/794 g) crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp fine salt, 1.25 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 0.5 tsp onion powder, 0.25 tsp black pepper, pinch red pepper flakes, 0.5 tsp red wine or cider vinegar
- Cheese & Toppings: 300 g low-moisture part-skim mozzarella (shredded), 180 g cupping pepperoni (natural casing), pinch dried oregano
- Optional crust finish: 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp garlic powder, 0.25 tsp dried oregano, pinch salt
- For the peel: 2–3 tbsp semolina or rice flour (or parchment)
Do This
- 1) Mix dough: Combine water, sugar, and flour; rest 20 minutes. Knead in salt, yeast, then oil until smooth (7–9 minutes).
- 2) Ferment: Rest 30 minutes, divide into two 300 g balls, lightly oil containers, and cold-ferment 48–72 hours.
- 3) Make sauce: Stir ingredients; chill at least 1 hour (overnight best).
- 4) Preheat: Place baking steel on top rack; heat at 550°F (288°C) for 60 minutes.
- 5) Warm dough: Remove dough 90 minutes before baking; keep covered.
- 6) Stretch and top: Shape to 12 inches, spread 110–130 g sauce, add 150 g mozzarella and 90 g pepperoni.
- 7) Bake: Launch on steel; bake 6–8 minutes. Optional: broil 30–60 seconds to blister. Brush crust with garlic-oregano butter.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cold-fermented, high-hydration dough gives you a soft, airy crumb with a blistered, bakery-quality crust.
- No-cook, slightly sweet herbed sauce that tastes bright and balanced—very Domino’s-like.
- Cupping pepperoni and low-moisture mozzarella deliver those iconic crisped edges and cheesy pulls.
- Designed for home ovens with a baking steel, so you get fast bake times and restaurant-style browning.
Grocery List
- Produce: Optional fresh basil for garnish
- Dairy: Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella; unsalted butter; grated Parmesan (optional)
- Pantry: Bread flour, fine sea salt, sugar, instant yeast, light olive oil, extra-virgin olive oil, canned crushed tomatoes (28 oz), dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, red wine or cider vinegar, semolina or rice flour; cupping pepperoni (natural casing)
Full Ingredients
High-Hydration Dough (2 x 12-inch pizzas)
- Bread flour: 350 g (about 2 3/4 cups)
- Cool water (about 65°F/18°C): 228 g (1 cup minus 2 tsp)
- Fine sea salt: 8 g (1 1/2 tsp)
- Sugar: 7 g (1 3/4 tsp)
- Light olive oil (or neutral oil): 7 g (1 1/2 tsp)
- Instant dry yeast (IDY): 0.75 g (about 1/4 tsp)
Slightly Sweet Herbed Tomato Sauce (makes ~3 cups; enough for 3–4 pizzas)
- Crushed tomatoes (no salt added if possible): 1 can (28 oz/794 g)
- Extra-virgin olive oil: 1 tbsp
- Sugar: 1 1/2 tsp
- Fine sea salt: 1 tsp (adjust to taste)
- Dried oregano: 1 1/4 tsp
- Dried basil: 1 tsp
- Garlic powder: 1/2 tsp
- Onion powder: 1/2 tsp
- Freshly ground black pepper: 1/4 tsp
- Red pepper flakes: pinch (optional)
- Red wine or apple cider vinegar: 1/2 tsp
Cheese & Toppings
- Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, shredded: 300 g total (about 3 cups), 150 g per pizza
- Cupping pepperoni (natural casing), sliced: 180 g total (about 60–80 slices), 90 g per pizza
- Pinch dried oregano for finishing (optional)
Garlic-Oregano Crust Finish (optional, highly recommended)
- Unsalted butter, melted: 1 tbsp
- Olive oil: 1 tsp
- Garlic powder: 1/4 tsp
- Dried oregano: 1/4 tsp
- Fine salt: pinch
For Handling
- Semolina or rice flour for the peel (2–3 tbsp) or a sheet of parchment
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix a high-hydration dough
In a bowl (or stand mixer), stir together 228 g cool water and 7 g sugar until dissolved. Add 300 g of the flour (reserve 50 g) and mix until shaggy. Rest 20 minutes (autolyse) to hydrate the flour.
Sprinkle over 8 g salt and 0.75 g instant yeast, then mix on low (stand mixer 3–4 minutes) or by hand until mostly smooth. Drizzle in 7 g oil and continue kneading until the dough is supple and slightly tacky, 4–5 minutes more (total 7–9 minutes mixer or about 10 minutes by hand). If needed, add up to the remaining 50 g flour, a tablespoon at a time, to keep the dough workable yet soft. Aim for a smooth dough that just releases from the bowl.
Step 2: First rest, divide, and cold-ferment 48–72 hours
Cover and rest the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes, then turn it out and divide into two equal 300 g pieces. Tighten each into a smooth ball by tucking edges under and rotating against the counter.
Lightly oil two lidded containers. Place a dough ball in each, seam-side down. Refrigerate 48–72 hours at 38–40°F (3–4°C). This slow ferment builds Domino’s-like aroma and browning.
Step 3: Make the slightly sweet herbed sauce
Whisk all sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust salt or sugar to balance the acidity. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour; overnight gives the best flavor. You’ll use about 110–130 g (1/2 cup) per pizza; refrigerate the rest up to 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
Step 4: Preheat the oven and baking steel
Place a baking steel on the top rack (second from the top if your broiler runs hot). Preheat the oven to 550°F (288°C) for a full 60 minutes. If your oven maxes at 500°F (260°C), preheat 75 minutes.
Step 5: Warm the dough and prep toppings
About 90 minutes before baking, remove the dough from the fridge. Keep covered so it doesn’t dry out. Shred the mozzarella (chill the block 10 minutes first for cleaner shreds), and pat the pepperoni dry with a paper towel to help it “cup and char.”
Step 6: Stretch the skins
Dust your counter with a little flour. Tip a dough ball out, flour both sides, and gently press into a 6–7 inch disk, keeping a 1-inch rim. Lift the dough and use your knuckles to stretch, rotating until it’s 12 inches across. Avoid popping the rim. Place on a peel dusted with 2–3 tbsp semolina or rice flour (or set on parchment for an easy launch).
Step 7: Top Domino’s-style
Spread 110–130 g (about 1/2 cup) sauce in a thin, even layer, leaving the rim bare. Sprinkle 150 g mozzarella evenly to the edge of the sauce. Arrange 90 g pepperoni in overlapping rings so it cups as it bakes. Finish with a tiny pinch of dried oregano.
Step 8: Bake hot for a blistered crust, then finish
Launch onto the steel and bake 6–8 minutes, rotating once for even color. For extra blister and cupping, switch to broil for the final 30–60 seconds, watching closely. The rim should be deeply golden with a few dark blisters; the pepperoni edges frilly and crisp; the cheese bubbling with light brown spots.
Stir together the melted butter, oil, garlic powder, oregano, and salt. Brush the hot crust rim. Transfer to a wire rack for 2 minutes so the bottom stays crisp, then slice and serve. Repeat with the second dough ball.
Pro Tips
- Use cool water (about 65°F/18°C) to keep the dough from over-fermenting before it hits the fridge.
- Weigh your ingredients. With high hydration, a scale is the shortest path to repeatable results.
- For easy launching, build the pizza on parchment and slide the parchment onto the steel; remove parchment after 2–3 minutes.
- Keep toppings light. Too much sauce or cheese traps steam and softens the crust.
- If your oven tops out at 500°F, extend the bake to 8–9 minutes and use broil for the last 60–90 seconds.
Variations
- Extra Cheese: Increase mozzarella to 180 g per pizza and add a light shower of finely grated Parmesan after baking.
- Spicy Pepperoni: Add a drizzle of hot honey and a pinch of red pepper flakes after baking.
- Garlic-Parmesan Crust: Mix 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp grated Parmesan, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of parsley; brush on the rim as soon as the pizza comes out.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Dough balls can cold-ferment up to 72 hours. For longer storage, freeze after 24 hours in the fridge: oil lightly, wrap airtight, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let sit at room temperature 2 hours before stretching. Sauce keeps 1 week in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Leftover pizza: cool, refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat on a preheated steel or sheet at 450°F (232°C) for 5–7 minutes, or in a skillet over medium heat with a lid for 3–4 minutes to re-crisp the bottom.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate for 1/6 of a 12-inch pizza: 280 calories; 13 g fat; 26 g carbs; 14 g protein; 640 mg sodium. Two slices (common serving): about 560 calories.
