Grandma Pie Pizza is a style of pizza made in a large sheet pan that is baked in the oven for 20 minutes and serves a large crowd in one easy go. The bottom is crispy, crunchy, and coated in olive oil, the middle is light and airy, and the top is saucy and melty.
This style of pizza is great for entertaining or for family pizza night. Much of it can be prepped ahead of time, which is one reason why we love it so much. It does take planning and time management, but if you can do those two things, I find that it makes for a seamless dinner.
You can make the dough the night before (or lunchtime the day of), and the sauce can be made ahead of time too, or just on the spot. It’s simply a few pantry ingredients tossed in a blender. More on the logistics below.
But the real reason we adore this recipe (we make it more than any other recipe on this site, aside from Maple Pecan Granola), is that it is light and fluffy, yet crispy and crunchy on the bottom. The sauce is so bright and fresh, the cheese is melty (but not too heavy), and it is so satisfying to sink your teeth into.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Pizza
Serves a Crowd: You can easily serve 6-10 people with this dinner. We often serve it when having friends over for up to 4 adults and 6 kids. It’s very hands-off for when friends or family are over (or you don’t want to linger over the stove).
Make Ahead: The dough and the sauce can be made ahead of time, leaving day of prep fairly simple. Stretch out the dough, let it rise 40 minutes top with sauce and cheese, and bake.
Fluffy, Crispy, Fresh: The dough is fluffy, the bottom crust is crunchy, and the ingredients are so simple, yet fresh and bright.
💡 Recipe Inspiration
This a recipe that I made over and over again on a weekly basis during the pandemic. It anchored our weeks and gave us a way to celebrate and rally together after a long week. It is inspired by the Grandma Pie recipe at Bon Appétit. I have, however, made this Grandma Pie Pizza well over 60 times over the last four years, changing it and perfecting it little by little and making it our own.
I have made it in 4 different types of pans, in 8 different ovens, at various temperatures, and durations, with different toppings, dough rise times, and other variations. I know this pizza, and I have written all my tips and tricks below!
📒 Planning Logistics
Here is an overview of how I approach the timing of making this pizza, especially when having friends over. My general rule of thumb is to allow 1 hour 20 minutes from the time I start stretching the dough to the time that it is fully baked.
- 12:00pm Day Before: Make the dough around lunchtime the day before. If I run out of time during the day, or I'm just not home or available during the day, I'll make the dough around 8pm after the kids are in bed the night before. Around lunchtime the day before gives you a better first rise, but either way is fine. Even same day is fine.
- 12:00-2:00pm Day Of: Take the dough out of the fridge, and allow it to warm up on the counter or the back of the stove. This only works if you're already around the house or working from home. Otherwise, take it out when you can and warm it up on the back of a warm preheated stove.
- 4:00pm: Preheat the oven to 350°F and leave the pizza at the back of the stove allowing it to warm up even faster.
- 5:00pm: Stretch out the dough. This takes about 10 minutes, which gives me a 40-minute rise time, plus 10 minutes of buffer time (i.e. getting distracted in the kitchen or if it takes longer to stretch the dough). Meanwhile, make the sauce and preheat the oven to 500°F.
- 6:00pm: Add the toppings. Drop the oven temperature to 400°F. Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. In this example, I expect friends to arrive at 6:00pm. I put the pizza in the oven right when they arrive, which gives everyone enough time to chat before having dinner.
- 6:25pm: Pull the pizza out of the oven. Slice and serve.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Grandma Pie Pizza.
Pizza Dough
- Water: Warm, but not hot. Hot water kills yeast.
- Sugar: Just a small amount to help activate the yeast.
- Yeast: Use 1 package of instant yeast.
- Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for better flavor.
- Salt: To bring out the flavor of the dough.
- Flour: Use all-purpose unbleached flour, or use bread flour if you have it.
Tomato Sauce
- Canned San Marzano Tomatoes: Do not substitute for any other tomatoes. Use only imported San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. Check the can to confirm it is imported from Italy. These tomatoes get their unique taste because they are grown in the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius (which I visited when living in Spain).
- Garlic: Kept whole and blended into the sauce.
- Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil (I love Spanish or Italian olive oil from Trader Joe’s or Costco).
- Salt: Just a pinch.
Toppings, etc.
- Olive oil: For coating the baking sheet which creates a crispy bottom crust.
- Mozzarella: Use low-moisture full-fat mozzarella cheese. I have made this with both low moisture and fresh mozzarella. Both are good, but it is easier to create a crispy crust if there is less moisture from the cheese on the top of the pizza.
- Basil: Add fresh basil to the top if you like. This mostly adds color, but also an element of freshness.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How To Make Grandma Pie Pizza
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Grandma Pie Pizza along with a few tips and tricks to make the process easier!
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Make the Dough: In a microwavable measuring pitcher or bowl, microwave the water for 30 seconds. It should be warm, but not hot. Hot water will kill the yeast. Stir in the sugar. Add the yeast and stir. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Add the olive oil, flour, and salt and combine roughly with a spoon.
Knead the Dough: Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter or work surface for 10 minutes. It should come together in a smooth round ball.
Tip: Kneading can be done by hand or with a stand mixer. I've done it both ways and either is fine, though I prefer kneading by hand.
First Rise: Place the dough in a large mixing bowl and coat it with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap or a dishcloth and let the dough rise until doubled in size. This can be done either overnight in the fridge (if placing it in the fridge, it is best if the dough can rise for a full 24 hours), or on the counter if making it the same day (roughly 1-2 hours).
Letting the dough rise in the fridge overnight lets the flavor of the dough develop more, and it frees up your hands the day of. This is completely optional, same-day is great too.
Tip: If you are letting the dough rise at room temperature and your room is on the chilly side, you can either let the dough rise in front of a sunlit window or preheat your oven to 350°F and let the dough rise on top, back of the stove (this works if you have a stove/oven combo, not wall ovens).
Step 2. Make the Tomato Sauce: In a blender combine the San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Blend for 5-10 seconds until fully pureed.
Tip: I have made this sauce with the extra tomato sauce in the can and without and I do not notice any significant difference. You can also blend a few pieces of torn basil into the sauce if you like.
Step 3. Preheat the Oven & Prep the Pan: Set a rack on the lowest rung in your oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F or as high as your oven will go. This gets dropped to 400°F right before adding the pizza.
Add ½ cup of olive oil to a standard half-sheet sheet pan. Add the dough to the sheet pan.
Step 4. Stretch the Dough: Use your hands to gently press and stretch the dough to fill the sheet pan. Your hands will get messy and coated in olive oil. That is okay.
Tip: If the dough is tight and difficult to stretch, let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the dough to relax. Then stretch the dough again all the way to the corners.
Step 5. Seconds Rise: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 40 minutes in a warm place (on top of a preheated oven works well). The dough should rise to roughly the height of the side walls of the pan.
Tip: Do not let the dough rise higher than the sides of the baking sheet. If it does, it will become too light, and it will not be able to support the weight of the cheese. If you were to top it with cheese and bake it, the cheese would be heavy enough to sink through the dough (delicious, but not the texture we're going for).
Step 6. Toppings: Add the tomato sauce, one spoonful at a time, almost like placing dollops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet. You do not need to cover the entire pizza in sauce, nor do you need to spread out the sauce.
Add 8 ounces of shredded low-moisture mozzarella. Do not be tempted to add more. While I love cheese, adding too much to the pizza also gets in the way of a crispy crust.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. This is optional but SO good.
Tip: Covering the entire pizza in sauce, or adding too much cheese does not allow excess water to evaporate from the dough, which prevents a crispy crust. Go light on the toppings to facilitate a crispy crust.
Step 7. Bake: Reduce the temperature to 400°F and place the pizza on the lowest rack in the oven. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until the edges and the cheese start to brown.
🪄 More Tips and Tricks
The trick to getting this just right is balancing the right temperature and time so that the bottom crust gets crispy but the cheese does not burn.
- Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose: It helps to use bread flour, but it doesn’t help that much. If you have it, use it. If not, don’t worry about it.
- San Marzano Tomatoes: The San Marzano tomatoes, however, are important. Do not accept any substitutes.
- Second Rise: It’s important to get the second rise just right so that the dough becomes light and airy, but not so much so that it collapses under the weight of the cheese or other toppings. To achieve this, don’t let the dough rise too much on the second rise. It should come to about the top of the edge of the baking sheet. I find this usually takes 40 minutes in a room that is at a slightly warm room temperature (i.e. if you like to keep your house at a cool temperature, this will take longer).
- Toppings: Very lightweight toppings are best, like cheese and pepperoni. Heavier toppings will sink through the dough.
- Oven Temperature: This pizza is baked at 400°F degrees after fully preheating it to 500°F and then dropping it down. 400°F is lower than you would expect for pizza, but it helps to get that crispy crust, yet not burn the cheese or dry out the dough. Bake the pizza on the lowest rack and start checking at around 20 minutes, remove when the cheese browns.
✏️ Grandma Pie FAQs
Yes, absolutely. I like to knead the dough by hand, but I have also done it with a stand mixer and it comes out well that way too.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and bake it in the oven at 400°F for roughly 10 minutes. It's a great way to get an even crispier crust.
You can, but I would not recommend it. I have done it and the dough just never turns out as well as when you make it fresh. Instead, I would recommend making the pizza and freezing slices to reheat.
🍕 A Quick Guide to Pizza at Elle & Pear
Neapolitan Pizza: In addition to making Grandma Pie Pizza, we also love to make this Neapolitan Poolish Pizza Dough. It is easier than it sounds, but like Grandma Pie it requires some planning ahead, requiring you to make a poolish the night before. Poolish is just a small amount of dough made ahead that is incorporated into the dough the day of.
Pizza Types: We use the poolish dough to make all sorts of pizzas including Potato Rosemary Pizza inspired by my time in Rome and Broccolini Pizza with the most amazing savory cherry tomato sauce.
Focaccia: Another fun way to use the Grandma Pie dough is to use it for a Sheet Pan Focaccia. Or if you have a cast iron pan, you can make an ultra-crispy Cast Iron Focaccia with Rosemary and Sea Salt with a dough that I designed to be extra light and airy.
If You're Looking for More Pizza Recipes, You May Love These:
If you tried this Grandma Pie Pizza Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Grandma Pie Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 package yeast
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
Tomato Sauce
- 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch salt
Toppings, etc.
- ½ cup olive oil
- 8 oz low moisture mozzarella, shredded
- fresh basil, optional
- pinch flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- Microwave the water in a large bowl for about 30 seconds or until warm, but not hot. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to bubble.
- Add the olive oil, salt and two cups flour and combine roughly with a spoon. Add the remaining two cups flour and again combine roughly with a spoon. Turn out onto a flat surface and knead the dough for ten minutes.
- Place the smooth ball of dough back in the bowl and cover in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in the fridge for 24 hours, or at a warm room temperature until doubled in size 1-2 hours.
Tomato Sauce
- Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes, the garlic cloves and olive oil to a blender. Blend until smooth. This will make enough sauce for 3-4 pizzas. You can freeze the remaining sauce for later use.
Assembling the Pizza
- If you made the dough overnight, remove the dough from the fridge a couple of hours before you plan to make the pizza to allow it to warm up to room temperature.
- Pour ½ cup olive oil onto a large baking sheet. Move the dough from the bowl to the baking sheet and using your hands gently start to spread the dough out to fill the shape of the rectangular baking sheet. The dough will be elastic and will pull back towards the center. If it is particularly difficult to stretch, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then stretch it again.Keep working the dough and stretch it all the way to the edges and corners of the baking sheet. This will take a little persistence and you’ll get lots of olive oil on your hands – that’s part of the fun!
- Once the dough is stretched out to cover the baking sheet, cover it in plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 40 minutes in a warm place. I put it towards the back of the stove with the oven on 350°F so that it warms up that part of the kitchen especially in cooler months.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F or as high as it will go. You will drop the temperature down to 400°F before baking the pizza.
- Once the dough has risen to about the top of the rim of the baking sheet, remove the plastic wrap. Using a spoon, place dollops of the tomato sauce on the pizza. You do not need a lot of sauce and you do not need to spread it over the dough. It will do that on its own in the oven. I place spoonfuls of sauce down on the dough similarly to how I would arrange cookie dough on a baking sheet.
- Top the pizza with the grated fresh mozzarella. Resist the temptation and do not add too much cheese. It will weigh the dough down and cause it to collapse when baking. One of the best parts of the pizza is how light and fluffy it is, so protect that by limiting the cheese that you put on top or any other toppings that you are considering using. This also helps to keep the bottom nice and crispy, the second best part of the pizza.
- Reduce the temperature to 400°F and bake on the lowest rack for 20-25 minutes. The crust should be medium brown in color and the cheese should brown, but not burn.
Notes
- Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose: It helps to use bread flour, but it doesn’t help that much. If you have it, use it. If not, don’t worry about it.
- San Marzano Tomatoes: The San Marzano tomatoes, however, are important. Do not accept any substitutes.
- I have made this sauce with the extra tomato sauce in the can and without and I do not notice any significant difference. You can also blend a few pieces of torn basil into the sauce if you like.
- Kneading: Kneading can be done by hand or with a stand mixer. I've done it both ways and either is fine, though I prefer kneading by hand.
- First Rise: Letting the dough rise in the fridge overnight lets the flavor of the dough develop more, and it frees up your hands the day of. This is completely optional, same-day is great too. If you are letting the dough rise at room temperature (same day) and your room is on the chilly side, you can either let the dough rise in front of a sunlit window or preheat your oven to 350°F and let the dough rise on top, back of the stove (this works if you have a stove/oven combo, not wall ovens).
- Stretching the Dough: If the dough is tight and difficult to stretch, let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the dough to relax. Then stretch the dough again all the way to the corners.
- Second Rise: Do not let the dough rise higher than the sides of the baking sheet. If it does, it will become too light, and it will not be able to support the weight of the cheese. If you were to top it with cheese and bake it, the cheese would be heavy enough to sink through the dough (delicious, but not the texture we're going for).
- Topping the Pizza: Covering the entire pizza in sauce, or adding too much cheese does not allow excess water to evaporate from the dough, which prevents a crispy crust. Go light on the toppings to facilitate a crispy crust.
- Oven Temperature: This pizza is baked at 400°F degrees after fully preheating it to 500 and then dropping it down. 400°F is lower than you would expect for pizza, but it helps to get that crispy crust, yet not burn the cheese or dry out the dough. Bake the pizza on the lowest rack and start checking at around 20 minutes, remove when the cheese browns.
Cassie says
This pizza is insanely delicious and the recipe is so precisely written, which makes it a breeze to cook. I did some thinly sliced pepperoni, jalapeños and red onion and cant wait to make this again and experiment with different toppings! Definitely a show stopping pizza!
Lauren says
Hi Cassie! Thanks so much for leaving a comment and for your kind words! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the pizza and that the recipe was easy to follow. Those toppings sound amazing!!