This Calabrese pizza highlights the wonderful flavors of Southern Italy – olives, anchovies and capers with a hint of heat. It’s the perfect combination!
With an easy homemade crust, you can make this Calabrese pizza in your own home without the need of a fancy pizza oven. And you don’t have to wait for days for the dough to rise
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you adore the robust flavors of southern Italy, you’ll love this Calabrese pizza. Black olive, anchovies, capers along with a touch of heat combine to make this so flavorsome!
This recipe is what Italian food is all about – simple ingredients and great flavors. It’s like the tasty goodness of my Eggs in Purgatory recipe, this zesty Italian Pasta Salad and delicious homemade Pesto Gnocchi. Recipes that are never bland or boring!
This Calabrese pizza is a little different to a Neapolitan pizza. You’ll love the crispy crust that comes together quickly and rises in just an hour. The pizza itself is topped with a flavor packed tomato sauce.
Traditionally, Calabrese pizza doesn’t include cheese before baking. But lots of Parmesan cheese is scattered over after baking. Add a drizzle of garlic olive oil and basil. Amazing!!
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card bottom of the page.
Ingredients
This Calabrese pizza dough starts with the same basic ingredients as all pizza doughs –
- bread flour – preferred but if you don’t have it just use all purpose/plain
- dried active yeast – even instant yeast is fine but the dough may rise more quickly
- warm water – hot water will kill the yeast so make sure it’s just warm
- salt – I use fine sea salt
This recipe also has a little honey and olive oil.
The toppings are full of flavor and easy to find in most supermarkets.
- extra virgin olive oil – use abundantly
- garlic – fresh is best
- canned tomatoes in tomato puree – preferably San Marzano but definitely buy good quality because it will be less watery
- black olives – be sure to get stone-in olives which they have must more flavor
- capers – the ones in vinegar are fine
- anchovies – buy the best quality you can find
- oregano – dried
- red pepper (chilli) flakes – can’t be Calabrese pizza without heat
Variations
- add grated mozzarella
- included hot Calabrese salami or ‘nduja (hot Calabrese spreadable salami)
Instructions
Firstly prepare the pizza dough and while it is rising, prepare the topping.
How to make the dough
- Mix together warm water, yeast and honey. Stand until bubbly.
- Add flour and mix well. Rest for 5 minutes then add oil and salt. Knead well.
- Form into four equal balls.
- And allow to rise
To finish the pizza
- Gently fry chopped garlic in olive oil then add tomatoes and crush with a fork. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining topping ingredients to then skillet and simmer 5 minutes.
- After the dough has doubled in size, press out.
- Top with tomato and bake Calabrese Pizzas until golden brown.
Tips for success
- The key to this Calabrese pizza is the tomato sauce. Unlike most pizzas, all the toppings are cooked together together with the tomato. This means that all the flavors really combine and each mouthful has is complete.
- Don’t be afraid to crank up the heat. This will ensure a crispy crust. If you have a pizza stone, put it in and heat for about 30 minutes.
- I recommend you shape the dough by pressing and stretching it into shape. Don’t use a rolling pin.
- Use some semolina to dust the dough. Then press down each ball of dough, leaving the edge puffy. Gently pull and stretch until about 9 inches (23cm).
- There are two ways I like to bake Calabrese pizza. The first way is to prepare the pizza on a flat, aluminium pizza pan. Aluminium conducts heat very well. Alternatively, prepare the pizza on parchment (non stick baking) paper then using a baking sheet, you can slide the pizza together with the paper onto the preheated pizza stone in the oven..
- Whatever you do, don’t overload the toppings otherwise the crust will be soggy. Don’t forget to brush the crust with the garlic oil, you’ll lovely flavor and color.
- Most ovens don’t cook evenly, so check halfway through and spin the pizza if necessary.
- Finally, be generous with the grated Parmesan, drizzle with garlic oil and just before serving add a scattering of basil.
FAQ’s
There could be a few reasons. The yeast may be stale. Don’t miss the first step where we mix the yeast with the water and honey. The bubbly mixture means the yeast is active. Otherwise the dough may not have been in a warm spot. This means the dough will take longer to rise. Just shift to a warmer spot and wait.
That’s fine. Just put the dough in the fridge to slow down the rise.
Sure! After forming the balls, arrange on the baking sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (4-5 hours). Then keep going from Step 5.
Yes. After the first rise, deflate and reform into four balls. Coat lightly in olive oil and pop into a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, take out of the bags, set on baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature and begin rising. This will take much longer than you think – 4-5 hours. If the dough is cold it won’t rise. Continue with the recipe from Step 5.
If you happen to have leftovers, these are best reheated in a covered skillet or cover in the oven. Microwave is fine if you don’t mind soft crust.
More recipes you’ll love
Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice
Bagna Càuda
Eggs in Purgatory
Eggplant Involtini
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Calabrese Pizza recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1½ cups (350mls) warm water
- 2 teaspoons dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- semolina or extra flour for pressing out pizzas
Topping
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (14oz/400gram) can whole tomatoes preferably San Marzano
- 15 (1 cup/150 grams) black olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 10 anchovies in oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper (chilli) flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
Garlic oil
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
To serve
- Parmesan or Romano pecorino cheese
- red pepper (chilli) flakes optional
- fresh basil
Instructions
Make the dough
- Mix together warm water, yeast and honey. Set aside 10 minutes or until bubbles form.
- Using the dough hook on the stand mixer (or use your hands), add flour to the water/yeast mixture and combine until mixture comes together. Stand 5 minutes.
- Add oil and salt and continue to mix for 5 minutes (or 7 minutes by hand) until smooth and elastic. The dough should just stick to the bottom of the bowl but not the sides. If it sticks to the sides, it's too wet – a a little extra flour. If it lifts from the bottom of the bowl, it's too dry – add a little water.
- Remove from stand mixer onto work surface and split into four. Knead each piece by hand for a couple of minutes and then shape each into a ball. Place balls onto a large, oiled baking sheet. Turn the dough over so all surfaces are oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place.
- If you are using pizza stones, put them in the oven. Preheat oven to 480ºF/250ºC.
- The dough balls may have joined but that's ok. Use a plastic dough scraper or butter knife to carefully separate and lift one of the balls.
- Use some semolina to dust the dough and the work surface to stop it sticking. Then with your fingers, press down each ball of dough, leaving the edge puffy. Gently pull and stretch until about 9 inches (23cm).
- There are two ways I like to bake pizzas. The first way is to prepare the pizza on a flat, aluminium pizza pan. Aluminium conducts heat very well. Alternatively, prepare the pizza on parchment (non stick baking) paper then using a baking sheet, you can slide the pizza together with the paper onto the preheated pizza stone in the oven.
- Whichever method of baking you choose, carefully pick up the dough and place onto either aluminium pizza pan or parchment (non stick baking) paper. You may need to reshape it a little.
- Repeat with remaining dough balls.
- Brush pizza bases with garlic oil and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Divide topping among the four bases.
- Cook two pizzas at a time for 10-13 minutes until golden brown and the crust is crispy (if you have a larger oven you may be able to do more). After 5 minutes, check if they are cooking evenly. If not spin pizzas around.
- Once the pizzas come out of the oven brush the crust with garlic oil. Then scatter with lots of grated Parmesan cheese, drizzle with extra garlic oil and red pepper (chilli) flakes, if desired. Cut into wedges and scatter with fresh basil.
Tomato topping
- Peel and finely chop the garlic. Add to a skillet with extra virgin olive oil and gently cook over low-medium heat.
- When the garlic is aromatic but still pale (don't let it color or burn), add canned whole tomatoes and crush well with a fork. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, coarsely chop the anchovies and de-stone olives and cut in half.
- Add remaining topping ingredients and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes. Don't let it reduce too much.
Garlic oil
- Combine oil with garlic. Set aside until needed.
Notes
- The key to this Calabrese pizza is the tomato sauce. Unlike most pizzas, all the toppings are cooked together together with the tomato. This means that all the flavors really combine and each mouthful has is complete.
- Don’t be afraid to crank up the heat. This will ensure a crispy crust. If you have a pizza stone, put it in and heat for about 30 minutes.
- I recommend you shape the dough by pressing and stretching it into shape. Don’t use a rolling pin.
- Use some semolina to dust the dough. Then press down each ball of dough, leaving the edge puffy. Gently pull and stretch until about 9 inches (23cm).
- There are two ways I like to bake these Calabrese pizzas. The first way is to prepare the pizza on a flat, aluminium pizza pan. Aluminium conducts heat very well. Alternatively, prepare the pizza on parchment (non stick baking) paper then using a baking sheet, you can slide the pizza together with the paper onto the preheated pizza stone in the oven.
- Whatever you do, don’t overload the toppings otherwise the crust will be soggy. Don’t forget to brush the crust with the garlic oil, you’ll lovely flavor and color.
- Most ovens don’t cook evenly, so check halfway through and spin the pizza if necessary.
- Finally, be generous with the grated Parmesan, drizzle with garlic oil and just before serving add a scattering of basil.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, take out of the bags, set on baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature and begin rising. This will take much longer than you think – 4-5 hours. If the dough is cold it won’t rise. Continue with the recipe from Step 5.
What a great pizza! The dough was very delicious, with a great crust. And the topping is going to be my new favorite!
This looks so good! Love these flavors on pizza.
Thanks!
This pizza dough is amazing, all the family absolutely loved it, my personal favourite topping is the anchovies and olives, lush 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!
So pleased that you loved this pizza, Kay!
My godfather is from Calabria, and so I had to make this for him! We enjoyed it with a glass of red wine and we were very happy with how delicious it was!
Alex, I’m so glad you and your godfather loved the pizza. My mother was from Calabria and made amazing pizzas – always with these ingredients. She has passed away but friends still talk about how good her pizza was.
This looks amazing! I adore the combo of flavours and that crust is bomb!
Angie
You’re right, Angie, this crust is great!