Roman style pizza is undergoing a bit of a revival right now so we thought you might enjoy this Roman pizza recipe. Roman pizza is similar to Detroit style pizza in that it is made in a rectangular tray but it doesn’t have the thick crust – instead it has a light, crispy thin one.
What is Roman Style Pizza?
Roman pizza has a rectangular shape and a thin crust with plenty of toppings. Unlike Neapolitan style pizza it contains olive oil which makes for a drier, lighter and crispier texture than its Neopolitan cousin.
Roman style pizza is usually rolled out with a rolling pin rather than handmade, making sure it has that characteristic thin and crispy crust.
There are 2 main types of Pizza in Rome – Pizza Al Taglio (pizza by the cut) which is sold in rectangular or square shaped slices, and Pizza Tondo (a whole round pizza also with a thin base).
Roma Pizza Dough Ingredients
Ooni Roman Pizza Dough Recipe
- 670ml (3 cups) of cold water
- 20g (4 tsp) salt
- 14g fresh yeast (1/2oz) 6g active dried yeast or 4g instant dried yeast
- 1kg (9 cups) Tipo 00 Flour (you can also use bread flour)
- 2 tbsps Olive Oil
Roman Pizza Method
- Add the salt and yeast to the water and stir to combine
- Put your flour into a bowl
- Add the water mixture to the flour
- Add the Olive Oil
- Knead the dough with your hands for around 10 minutes into a large ball
- Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for at least an hour until it has doubled in size (alternatively leave the dough to cold prove in the fridge for 1-5 days)
- When you are ready to make your pizza measure out 200g (7oz) of dough
- Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out into a thin rectangular shape – try to make sure the thickness of the dough is fairly uniform and equal throughout if possible
- Lightly oil a rectangular tray and then place the dough in the tray – don’t worry if it doesn’t stretch all the way to the sides we are going to let it rise a bit more while you get your Ooni pizza stone up to 400C (around 15mins)
- Push the dough to the sides of the tray then add your sauce, cheese and toppings – we opted for a Pizza Bianca (or”white pizza’ without sauce & mozzarella) with salami, rocket, parmesan and lemon juice added after cooking
- Place in the Ooni oven for around 10 minutes or so – you’ll need to move it around regularly so that it doesn’t burn too much
- If your dough isn’t cooking through just let it sit directly on the hot pizza stone – the pan will already have done its work in terms of the pizza shape (you probably won’t need to do this unless it’s a cold or damp day)
Roman-Style Pizza Topping Ideas
- Ham
- Artichoke
- Spinach
- Eggs
- Mushrooms
- Italian sausage
- Proscuitto
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Rocket
- Lemon juice
- Grated Pecorino Romano to serve
- Bacon
- Chicken
- ‘Nduja sausage
- Chillies
- Fennel
- The list goes on and on
You can see the process of making Roman Style pizza in the Ooni on our video below:
FAQ’s About Roman Style Pizza
Roman-Style vs Neapolitan Pizza
These 2 styles of pizza are the most popular and common pizzas eaten in Italy. The Roman style pizza has a thin crispy base which includes olive oil and it is rolled out with a rolling pin and cooked in a rectangular tray. The Neapolitan style is handstretched, does not contain olive oil and has a more ‘bready,’ base which is not crispy but has a slight chew.
Also Neopolitan pizza is cooked at high heat for around a minute, and Roman style pizza is baked at moderate heat and takes longer to make.
If you like a bigger crust you might enjoy our article on Chicago Style pizza in the Ooni Recipe.
Roman-Style Pizza Ooni
Ooni have a great recipe for Roman Style Pizza here:
https://uk.ooni.com/blogs/recipes/roman-style-pizza
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