This will be the summer of Pizza al Taglio at Casa Taylor, and it very well may roll right into autumn at the rate we’re going. I’m no stranger to pizza… It is hands down my favorite food. We have our pizza stone in the oven, our fancy countertop pizza oven that gets over 900 F, and I’ve been known to toss some dough on the grill when I’m craving a summertime-inspired pie. But I don’t know what took me so long to start making Roman-style pizza al taglio.

I first came across it decades ago when traveling in Italy. Roman bakeries sell rectangular slabs of pizza by weight as a tasty street food. You simply walk up, hold up your hands to show them the size you want, and they cut and weigh your piece and charge by the gram. It literally translates to “pizza by the cut”, and it is delicious. 

Lately, I’ve been making it for both dinner parties and weeknight dinners, alike. This humble street food translates beautifully to a main dish when accompanied by fresh salads, and I love how creative or simple you can make it. If I’m in a mood for a bit more fuss, I make several different toppings, but if I feel a bit lazier, one simple topping of sauce and cheese will do. Because the dough is pressed out into a large rectangular sheet pan, you can really easily top sections of the same dough with different ingredients, or leave it all the same.

I love working with dough, and so I always make my own for pizza al taglio. It should be a bit more hydrated than a normal pizza dough, more along the lines of a focaccia that is easily stretched and pressed out by hand to fit the sheet pan. You could of course buy your dough from the grocery, making it an even easier meal to prep, but may miss out on that spongy soft texture. 

After it goes in a very well-oiled or parchment lined pan and is evenly stretched out to fit the pan, it should rest for 30-45 minutes to puff up a bit before baking. Then top it to your liking.  During the summer, I adore slow-cooked, thinly sliced zucchini with garlic and mint. And another that I’ve been calling the “olive bar” pizza al taglio- I smear a thin slick of tomato sauce on the dough, then top with marinated sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, mozzarella and sopressata or another cured meat. 

I’ve got a basic recipe to get you started, plus have provided some ideas on how to top your masterpiece. Don’t stop here though… let your imagination run wild. The world is your pizza. 

Pizza al Taglio

PIzza al Taglio is a popular Roman street food sold by weight in bakeries across the city. It is less like a sheet pan pizza and more like a topped focaccia, due to the texture of the dough and difference in how it is topped. The dough is more hydrated than standard pizza dough, making it soft and spongy, so it doesn’t want to be overloaded with lots of sauce and cheese. A thin smear of sauce, or simple cooked vegetables with a smattering of cheese is best. Serve it with grilled or roasted vegetables, or fresh salads to round out the meal.

View Recipe

Topping Ideas for Pizza al Taglio

• Classic Margherita & Cured Meat: Tomato sauce, torn pieces of fresh mozzarella, grated parmigiano. Add any kind of cured meat such as prosciutto, sopressatta, pepperoni, or top with anchovies. 
• Zucchini, Mint & Pecorino: Sauteed thinly sliced zucchini and garlic, fresh mint and pecorino.
• Mediterranean Artichoke: Artichokes, sundried tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella, parmigiano. After it comes out, top with arugula that has been lightly dressed with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Finish it all with a drizzle of olive oil. 
• Fruit & Prosciutto: Fresh fruit of the season, such as apricots, blackberries, or figs, with gorgonzola. Drizzle with honey after it comes out. Prosciutto is also nice on this one. 
• Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese: Sauteed mushrooms and garlic with goat’s cheese. 
• Caramelized Onion & Anchovy: Caramelized onions and anchovies with fresh thyme. 
• Sweet Corn & Crab: Smear of ricotta, charred corn kernels, crab meat, pickled jalapenos. Top with basil after it comes out.