Roman-Style Pizza Recipe: How to Make Roman Pizza

Roman-style pizza is a rectangular style of pizza commonly found on the streets of Rome, but it’s easy to recreate at home. Known as pizza al taglio (“pizza by the cut”) or pizza romana in Italy, this pizza is often cut with scissors and sold by weight in bakeries and street food carts. Like focaccia, pizza al taglio is rectangular and works with a wide variety of toppings. Unlike focaccia bread, Roman-style pizza does not proof in the tray it is baked in, making for a crispy, airy crust, as opposed to a spongy, tall one.

Pizza napoletana and pizza al taglio are both bread-based dishes that hail from Italy, but the similarities stop there.

• City of origin: Neapolitan pizza hails from Naples, while Roman pizza is from Rome. Although the two cities are a mere two-and-a-half-hour drive from each other, they are culturally distinct.
• Crust: Neapolitan pizza is round with a paper-thin crust. Roman-style pizza has a slightly thicker crust and a rectangular shape.
• Cook time: Pizza napoletana cooks in mere minutes, traditionally in a stone or brick oven. Pizza al taglio takes a bit longer to cook, in order to achieve the balance of crisp exterior and chewy yet light crust.
• Serving method: In Naples, pizzerias typically serve one whole pizza per person, which is eaten with a knife and fork. In Rome, pizza al taglio is often sold in bakeries, where large, rectangular pies with a variety of toppings can be found in the display case. You’ll order your pizza by weight, and the baker will cut the pizza using scissors, and package it in a paper bag.
• Toppings: Neapolitan pizza is usually served with classic toppings, as in the case of the ubiquitous margherita pie (tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil). A bakery selling Roman-style pizza will typically offer an array of toppings, from pizza bianca (white pizza) to potato pizza to sausage and pesto pizza.
• Dough: Unlike Neapolitan pizza dough, which contains just flour, water, sea salt, and yeast, Roman-style dough is made with olive oil for a richer and more pliable dough that becomes extra-crispy as it bakes.
  

Here’s how to make the best Roman-style pizza at home.

1. 1. Use fresh dough. Fresh pizza dough is an essential base for any pizza recipe. If you’re in a pinch, local pizzerias often sell ready-made pizza dough, which has better flavor than the frozen supermarket varieties.
2. 2. Source quality ingredients. Pizza doesn’t require a long list of ingredients, so make sure your cheese and toppings are the best and freshest you can find. Local Italian delis are a great place to find the freshest mozzarella, ricotta, and other cheeses, as well as quality meats, tomatoes, and extra-virgin olive oil.
3. 3. Don’t be afraid of the heat. While most Italian breads and pizzas are baked in very hot stone or brick ovens, Roman-style pizza is often baked in commercial electric ones. In order to recreate this in a home oven, you’ll need to crank the heat to achieve a crisp crust.
4. 4. Less is more when it comes to toppings. While your instinct might be to really pile on the toppings, weighing down your crust with too much moisture or weight will result in a heavy, soggy pie. Make sure there is a bit of everything in each bite, but leave space between the toppings so the crust can rise and crisp as it bakes.