A capricciosa pizza recipe starts with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then adds ham, mushrooms, artichokes and olives. The pizza was first made at a Rome restaurant in 1937, and the steps below use the dough and per-pizza amounts from a published Ooni recipe.
The amounts below are for one 12-inch pizza, and the dough needs a schedule that starts a day ahead. This capricciosa pizza recipe works best when you judge the bake by the crust color, not by the timer alone.
What Is Capricciosa Pizza?
Capricciosa is an Italian pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, artichokes and olives, first made at a Rome restaurant in 1937.
The name comes from La Capricciosa, the Rome restaurant where the pizza was invented, according to the Wikipedia article on pizza capricciosa. The Italian word means “capricious” or “whimsical”, but the name refers to the restaurant rather than to the toppings.
The same article lists the standard toppings as mozzarella, prosciutto, mushrooms, green and black olives, artichokes and tomatoes. One variant adds anchovies, and the pizza uses ingredients similar to quattro stagioni, arranged in a different order.
Capricciosa Pizza Recipe Ingredients
For one 12-inch pizza, the Ooni recipe uses about 74 g of tomato sauce, 80 g of mozzarella, 56 g of cooked ham and 40 g of black olives.
The per-pizza amounts come from the Ooni recipe by Attilio Bachetti, which makes eleven pizzas from one dough batch. A capricciosa pizza recipe scaled this way lets you plan a full batch without guessing each topping. Its batch totals of 880 g mozzarella, 616 g ham and 440 g olives divide into exactly 80 g, 56 g and 40 g per pizza.
| Ingredient | Amount per 12-inch pizza | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza dough | About 250 g (one ball) | Made from one batch of eleven balls |
| Tomato sauce | About 74 g | Crushed San Marzano tomatoes with salt |
| Fior di latte mozzarella | About 80 g | Cut into strips |
| Cremini mushrooms | Under 70 g, sautéed | Sliced, with garlic and chili flakes |
| Cooked ham (prosciutto cotto) | 56 g | Sliced thick |
| Black olives | About 40 g | Pitted Gaeta olives in the Ooni batch |
| Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano | About 4.5 g of each | Grated |
| Fresh basil | 5 to 6 leaves | Added after baking |
| Artichokes | No quantity given in the recipe | Add to taste, drained |
The two sources use different cheese. The Ooni batch calls for fior di latte cut into strips, while Vincenzo’s Plate uses one buffalo mozzarella, shredded or diced.
Artichokes are the one standard topping without a quantity in this recipe. Add a modest amount of jarred artichoke hearts to taste, and drain them well, because surplus oil and liquid soften the crust.
The Dough for This Capricciosa Pizza Recipe
Ooni’s dough uses 1,700 g of 00 flour, 1,000 g of water, 50 g of fine sea salt and 1 g of active dry yeast, rested for four hours before it is divided.
The full batch makes eleven balls of about 250 g each. Dividing the totals by eleven gives roughly 155 g of flour and 91 g of water per ball, which works out to a hydration of about 59 percent. The source does not state that figure, so it comes from the calculation.
- Combine 1,700 g of 00 flour, 1,000 g of room-temperature water, 50 g of fine sea salt and 1 g of active dry yeast.
- Rest the dough at room temperature for 4 hours.
- Divide it into 11 balls of about 250 g each.
- Let the balls rise at room temperature for about 20 hours, or until doubled.
If you use instant dried yeast, the Ooni recipe lists 0.5 g instead, and fresh yeast is 2 g. Plan the dough a day ahead, because the rest and rise add up to about 24 hours in that recipe. For other timing options, see our guide to how long to proof pizza dough.
Making the Tomato Sauce and Mushrooms
Ooni’s sauce uses 800 g of peeled San Marzano tomatoes with 14 g of fine sea salt, and its mushroom topping uses 770 g of sliced cremini mushrooms.
The mushrooms are sautéed in olive oil with one diced garlic clove, chili pepper flakes and fine sea salt, according to the same Ooni recipe. Vincenzo’s Plate takes a simpler route with passata seasoned with two pinches of salt.
Spread about 74 g of sauce per pizza, as the Ooni recipe describes, and keep the layer thin. Cook the mushrooms for about 3 to 5 minutes, until their liquid is gone, because wet mushrooms release water onto the dough during the bake.
Assembling and Baking the Pizza
Spread the sauce first, then add mozzarella, mushrooms, ham and olives in that order, and bake on a stone at about 480 °C (950 °F) for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes.
- Spread about 74 g of tomato sauce over the stretched dough.
- Add about 80 g of mozzarella.
- Scatter the mushrooms, under 70 g.
- Lay 56 g of cooked ham over the surface.
- Add about 40 g of black olives, plus artichokes if you use them.
- Sprinkle about 4.5 g each of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano.
- After baking, finish with 5 to 6 basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
For a capricciosa pizza recipe at a dedicated pizza oven, the Ooni recipe bakes the pizza on a stone at about 480 °C (950 °F) for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes, turning it with a peel about every 20 seconds. Most home ovens cannot reach that heat, so expect a longer bake at a lower setting.
Vincenzo’s Plate gives a home method of about ten minutes at 250 degrees. The page does not state the unit, so treat that figure as a starting point and check the crust for color before you take the pizza out.
Capricciosa Pizza Variations
Every capricciosa pizza recipe is a little different, but the main variation is artichokes: the Wikipedia article lists them as standard, but the Ooni recipe leaves them out, and one variant adds anchovies.
If you prefer a simpler topping set, start with our Margherita pizza recipe or the mushroom pizza recipe. Pizza quattro stagioni uses similar ingredients in a different arrangement, so it is the closest relative to check when you compare recipes. Anchovies have no stated amount in the sources reviewed here, so use a light hand and drain them first.
Dough resting times and pizza stone care are separate topics that also change the final result, so they deserve their own guides before you rely on a single recipe. Use this capricciosa pizza recipe as the base, then change one topping at a time so you can taste the difference.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistake in a capricciosa pizza recipe is overloading the center, because wet toppings keep the middle of the crust soggy.
- Using undrained artichokes or wet mushrooms, which release liquid into the dough.
- Spreading more sauce than the 74 g per pizza amount, which leaves the base soft.
- Starting the dough too late, since the recipe needs about 24 hours of rest and rise.
- Judging the bake by the timer alone instead of the crust color.
Avoiding these four errors is the simplest way to improve any capricciosa pizza recipe you make at home, since none of them needs special equipment.
Start with the sauce and the mushroom moisture, because those two decide how wet the middle of the pizza gets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is capricciosa pizza the same as quattro stagioni?
No. According to Wikipedia, the two pizzas share similar ingredients, but the ingredients are arranged in a different order. Compare the toppings, the arrangement and the bake time of each capricciosa pizza recipe before you choose which capricciosa pizza recipe to follow.
Can I make the dough a day ahead?
Yes. The Ooni recipe rests the dough for four hours at room temperature, divides it into eleven balls of about 250 g, then lets the balls rise for about 20 hours until doubled. That schedule is why you should start the dough a day before you plan to bake, and the same timing applies to any capricciosa pizza recipe that uses this batch size.
What oven temperature do I need?
The Ooni recipe bakes on a stone at about 480 °C (950 °F) for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. Most home ovens cannot match that heat, so bake longer at a lower setting and judge doneness by the crust color. The same check works for any capricciosa pizza recipe you bake in a conventional oven.
Are artichokes required?
No. The Ooni recipe leaves them out, while the Wikipedia article lists them among the standard toppings. Add them to taste and drain jarred artichokes well before placing them on the dough, because a capricciosa pizza recipe with extra liquid bakes soggier in the middle.
Which cheese should I use?
The Ooni recipe uses fior di latte mozzarella cut into strips, with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano on top. Vincenzo’s Plate uses one buffalo mozzarella, shredded or diced, for a single pizza.
Start with the Ooni amounts and the dough schedule, then adjust the toppings to your taste. Keep the sauce thin and the mushrooms dry, and the result will be closer to the balanced pizza that a capricciosa pizza recipe is meant to produce.