Why this formula works
The generous vegetable-and-cheese load stays crisp because every preserved ingredient is drained and blotted. One hundred grams of thick tomato keeps the pizza juicy; mozzarella provides melt while 110 g feta stays in salty, creamy crumbles. Soaking thin onion briefly softens raw harshness without cooking away its texture.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 25 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 1 h |
| Cooking / baking | 8 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 33 min |
Ingredients
- mature room-temperature pizza dough ball250 g (8.8 oz)
- thick pizza tomato sauce100 g (3.5 oz)
- well-drained Fior di Latte100 g (3.5 oz)
- feta in brine, drained and crumbled110 g (3.9 oz)
- pitted Kalamata olives, drained and halved60 g (2.12 oz)
- roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and cut into strips100 g (3.5 oz)
- red onion, sliced into 2 mm half-rings70 g (2.47 oz)
- dried Greek oregano2 g (0.07 oz)
- extra-virgin olive oil15 g (0.53 oz)
Equipment
- pizza steel or stone
- pizza peel
- two small sieves
- clean kitchen towel
- small bowl
- digital scale
- pizza wheel
Exact method
- 1. Preheat a steel or stone on the lower-middle rack at maximum heat for 60 minutes.
- 2. Soak onion half-rings in cold water for 10 minutes, drain and blot completely dry. This removes harsh surface compounds while retaining bite.
- 3. Drain feta, olives and roasted peppers in separate sieves. Blot all three, then crumble feta into 1 cm pieces and cut peppers into 1 cm strips.
- 4. Drain torn mozzarella for at least 20 minutes. Stir tomato with half the oregano and 8 g olive oil.
- 5. Open the dough to 28–30 cm with a 1.5–2 cm rim. Move to a lightly dusted peel and confirm it slides.
- 6. Spread all 100 g tomato. Add mozzarella, feta, roasted-pepper strips, olive halves and dry onion in an even pattern, avoiding a heavy center pile.
- 7. Bake at 250–300°C / 482–572°F for 5–8 minutes, rotating once, until the underside browns and feta edges begin to color.
- 8. Rest on a rack for 60 seconds. Finish with remaining oregano and remaining 7 g olive oil; cut so every slice receives feta, pepper and olive.
How to know it is ready
- The center lifts without red pepper or olive brine escaping.
- Feta remains visibly crumbled with lightly golden edges.
- Onion has softened at the tips but retains slight bite.
- Tomato stays juicy beneath the salty toppings without becoming a puddle.
Troubleshooting
- Wet pizza: drain and blot feta, pepper and olives separately; do not blame the 100 g tomato first.
- Overly salty: rinse brined feta briefly and never add automatic salt.
- Harsh onion: slice to 2 mm and complete the cold-water soak.
- Dry feta: use larger crumbles and avoid an unnecessarily long bake.
How to adapt the base recipe
- For more vegetables, add 80 g pre-roasted zucchini only after reducing peppers to 70 g; do not pile raw zucchini on top.
- For a stronger oregano finish, rub fresh dried oregano between your fingers after baking rather than doubling the baked amount.
- For 35 cm, use a 300–320 g dough ball, 135 g tomato, 130 g mozzarella, 145 g feta, 80 g olives, 135 g peppers and 90 g onion.
Storage and food safety
Best fresh. Refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat uncovered until the center is steaming; blot any separated brine before reheating rather than drying the pizza with extra bake time.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), Milk Depending on the selected product, may also contain: Sulphites.
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.