The best ever pizza dough and quick tomato sauce recipes – all you need for beautiful bases

Every cook needs to master the basics which starts with great recipes. These pizza dough and tomato sauce recipes will become your go-tos every time you want to fire up the best pizza ovens. Although you have to plan ahead, this dough recipe is far superior to hastily proved bases and may be frozen for later use, if you want to make it in batches..

It's meant to be a wet, loose dough, so don’t add lots of extra flour. Instead, take tips from the things pizza chefs always do: oil your hands and the work surface so that it doesn’t stick. The recipe makes six rounds of dough, perfect for six individual pizzas.

We’ve also included a simple, classic, and delicious tomato sauce recipe to top your pizza bases – bringing together everything you need for the perfect homemade pizza night.

Ingredients for the dough

• 22 oz 00 flour or strong white flour
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 heaped (one 0.25 oz packet) instant yeast (or 12g fresh yeast)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
• 15.5 oz cold water

The Homes & Gardens method

1. Combine the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of a food mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and water and mix with the dough hook at low speed for 8 minutes to form a sticky, elastic dough. Alternatively, combine the wet and dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then knead on a kitchen surface with oiled hands for about 10 minutes.
2. Oil a work surface and your hands.
3. Tip the dough out and divide into 6 with an oiled knife.
4. Shape each piece into a ball, tucking the edges under to make a smooth top. One dough ball will make one pizza.
5. Pop each dough ball into an oiled freezer bag and secure the top. If you prefer, you can space the dough balls out in an oiled roasting tin and cover with oiled cling film.
6. Chill for 1-3 days to prove and develop the flavour. At this stage the dough can be frozen for up to 6 months and defrosted in the fridge overnight when needed.
7. Once proved, remove the number of dough balls required from the fridge and leave, still bagged or covered, to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours. Shape and cook, as directed in the following recipes.

Ingredients for the sauce

• 25 oz bottle of tomato passata (or smooth tomato pasta sauce)
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée
• 1 whole garlic clove, bruised
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt (added at the end)

The Homes & Gardens method

1.  Empty a 25 oz bottle of tomato pasta into a saucepan with 1 tbsp of sun-dried tomato purée, 1 whole, bruised garlic clove, a handful of basil leaves, and 2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil. 
2. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer very gently for 30 minutes, stirring often, until thick. 
3. Remove the garlic cloves and season to taste.

A pizza stone is worth investing in for anyone passionate about homemade pizza. These stones offer superior heat retention and distribution, helping to helps to absorb moisture from the dough, resulting in a perfectly cooked crust every time.

If you're in the market for one, we recommend this 5-piece round pizza stone set from Amazon. It can be used in both ovens and grills, and is rated 4.5 stars.