Fennel Sausage & Caramelised Red Onion Roman-Style Pizza

October 2, 2026 · Version 1 · Main Course

Crisp, airy Roman-style base topped with fennel sausage, sweet red onion, mozzarella, and pecorino

Preparation

Scaling basis: Bread flour · 400 g

Combine flour, 300 g water, and yeast until no dry flour remains. Rest for 20 min.
Dissolve salt in remaining 20 g water and work it into the dough, followed by olive oil.
Perform four stretch-and-folds at 20 min intervals. Refrigerate, covered, for 18 h–24 h.
Bring dough to room temperature for 2 h. Stretch gently into a well-oiled 300 mm x 400 mm tray.
Proof for 45 min–60 min until aerated.

Technique	Controls	Purpose
Folding	Four stretch-and-folds at 20 min intervals	Develop dough structure.

Key	Phase Output	Description
proofed-dough	Proofed dough	Prepared intermediate for a later Phase. Use all dough; 744 g is the recorded nominal dough input total, not a measured finished weight.

Cook onion, oil, and salt over medium-low heat for 25 min–30 min until soft and deeply coloured. Deglaze with balsamic vinegar and cool.
Brown sausage in 20 g–30 g pieces over medium-high heat until nearly cooked; cool.

Key	Phase Output	Description
caramelised-onion	Caramelised onion	Prepared intermediate for a later Phase. Use 240 g; retain any remainder.
browned-sausage	Browned sausage	Prepared intermediate for a later Phase. Use all, cooled.

Measure 240 g caramelised onion for the topping and retain any remainder.
Heat oven and baking steel or stone to 275 C, or the oven’s maximum temperature, for 45 min.
Distribute mozzarella, onion, sausage, fennel seed, and Pecorino over the proofed dough.
Bake for 12 min–16 min until the underside is crisp and the top is browned.
Finish with olive oil and parsley. Rest for 3 min before cutting.

Keep the onion and sausage cool before topping to protect the proofed dough.

Recorded alternatives (no separate variation-specific testing observations were supplied):

Bianca: Use as written, without tomato.
Sharper finish: Replace 10 g finishing oil with 10 g red-wine vinegar dressed through 30 g rocket.

Phase Output	Use
Proofed dough	Use `proofed-dough`. Use all dough; 744 g is the recorded nominal dough input total, not a measured finished weight.
Caramelised onion	Use `caramelised-onion`. Use 240 g; retain any remainder.
Browned sausage	Use `browned-sausage`. Use all, cooled.

Symptom	Likely cause	Corrective action
Dense base	insufficient proofing	allow dough to aerate
Pale underside	insufficient oven preheat	fully preheat steel or stone