Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe with a step-by-step guide to help you achieve optimal results! Neapolitan pizza is largely defined by its pillowy, chewy crust with a simple tomato sauce and puddles of fresh mozzarella cheese. This is a recipe you will make time and time again!
Here is another loved recipe with this pizza dough Pear Honey Walnut Basil Cheese Pizza. [feast_advanced_jump_to]
At first glance, it is unique and recognizable by the slightly charred bubbles and large puddle of red sauce (sugo) with circles of white melted mozzarella and fresh green basil leaves.
Neapolitan-Style Pizza Crust
Our Pizza Flour is milled from 100% American-grown wheat to precise “00” standards: perfect for homemade Neapolitan-style pizza. Its silky smooth texture creates an easy-to-shape dough that yields a wonderfully chewy, crispy crust. This is destined to be your new go-to recipe for pizza night!
Prep: 15min
Total: 1D 30min
Yield: 16
Nutrition Facts: servingSize [‘1 slice’, ‘no toppings (26g)’], calories 50 calories, Carbohydrate 10g, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 2g, Protein 2g, Sodium 180mg, Sugar 0g, Fat 0g, Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (232g) King Arthur ‘00’ Pizza Flour
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) water lukewarm (105° to 115°F)
Instruction:
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then add the water. Stir until just combined, making a rough but cohesive dough. , Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise at room temperature overnight, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. After being mixed (left) this dough probably won’t double in size; instead it will simply become a bit puffy (right). , Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 500°F to 550°F (if your oven goes to 550°F) with a baking steel or stone inside. The position of the rack is important, particularly if you’re using parchment paper — too close to the broiler (you need at least 8″ clearance) and the top of your pizza (and any visible edges of parchment) will burn before the bottom has had time to bake through. Make sure your oven is at the required temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking, so the steel or stone can fully preheat. , Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece at a time, transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. , Stretch and fold it, as follows: holding onto the dough at both ends, pull one end away from the other, then fold it back onto itself. Repeat on the other side. The dough will likely be sticky — don’t worry about it looking neat as you fold. Be sure to keep your hands floured as you work. , Repeat this process on the other side of the dough, so that all four corners of the dough have been stretched and folded. , Next, pull the ends of the dough towards the middle, then turn it over. Using your fingers, pull the dough under itself to make a smooth, round ball with the seams tucked into the bottom. , Repeat with the second piece of dough, and place each ball seam-side down into a floured bowl. , Cover the bowls and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to an hour, while your oven preheats. In colder weather, place the bowls on the stove top (above the preheating oven) to stay warm. , Generously flour a wooden peel, rubbing flour into the board to completely coat. If you’re using a metal peel, or if this is your first attempt at homemade pizza, place a piece of parchment on your peel instead of using flour. , Scoop the risen dough onto a well-floured work surface seam-side down (a bowl scraper is helpful here), using care to shape it as round as possible for easier stretching. If the dough feels wet, use a generous dusting of flour on top. For dough that feels drier, use slightly less flour. , Use your fingertips to gently depress the dough, being careful not to touch the outer edge of the crust. This step is important — leaving the circumference untouched at this stage will result in a beautiful bubbly outer crust post-bake. , Again, using care to not touch the outermost edge of the crust, lift the pizza from the work surface and use your knuckles to gently stretch the dough into a 10″ to 12″ circle. If the dough is at all sticky, use more flour. Use two hands at once to gently move the dough in a circle, allowing gravity to perform the stretch. Gravity is your friend! Let it do most of the work for you, as pulling will stretch the center more than the edges. If you find your dough is difficult to stretch, set it down on a floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. , Move the dough to the floured peel (or floured sheet of parchment) and adjust it so none is hanging off the edge. Remember — if the dough is sticky when you put it on the peel, it will stick to the peel! Make sure it’s well-floured. , If you’re using parchment, trim the excess around the dough to prevent it from burning. To be safe we recommend trimming the paper flush with the dough, especially if your parchment’s heat rating is below 500°F, as many are. , Lightly sauce the dough, then top with the cheese of your choice. Add additional toppings as desired. , Turn on the top broiler in your preheated oven, and transfer the pie to your preheated steel or stone. If you only have a bottom broiler (in a drawer underneath the oven), don’t use it — there’s not enough clearance (see “tips,” below). But no worries; even if you can’t use a broiler you can simply bake your pie for a few minutes longer, and with a steel or stone it will turn out just fine. , If you’re using a wooden peel, jiggle the uncooked pizza back and forth until it moves easily on the peel before quickly transferring it to the steel. If you’re using parchment, gently slide pizza and parchment onto the steel or stone. The parchment will blacken around any edges showing, but remain intact under the pizza. , Bake the pizza for approximately 6 minutes on the steel or 7 minutes on the stone (give or take), until bubbly and charred around the edges. Remove the pizza from the oven, and top it with fresh basil leaves, if desired. , Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza DOUGH RECIPE
Authentic Neapolitan Style Italian Pizza Dough Recipe! Chewy and crisp this is the type of pizza you get when you are in Naples. The pizza dough you’ve been waiting for is here! Jordan, my husband, is the real master behind perfecting this dough. Neapolitan pizza is largely defined by its pillowy, chewy crust.
Prep: 24h20min
Total: -467170h18min51sec
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
- 600 ml – 2.5 cups water (room temperature) + 1 teaspoon warm water
- 1 kg – 35 oz Pizza Flour, Tipo 00
- 30 g – 5 teaspoons of salt
- 1-2 g – half teaspoon of dry yeast
Instruction:
- Pour water and add salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix well with your hands to help dissolve the salt. Add 100g (10% flour) to the water and mix it through with your hands until the flour dissolves. This will result in a crepe/pancake consistency. Next, add the yeast to the salt, water, and flour mixture helping it melt in the water using your fingers. Mix with your hands until completely combined.
- Important: start adding the flour a little at a time. Add flour with one hand and mix to combine with your other hand as you go. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure no flour is wasted.
- Once the dough has started to come together really well, flip it out on to a bench and start to knead it with both hands absorbing all the remaining flour. Keep working the dough until you find it has come together and has a smooth consistency. Knead the dough by stretching it and fold it over itself to strengthen the gluten strands, and to add air into the dough. But be careful not to stretch the dough so much that it tears. This will develop the gluten in the dough, and make it elastic and stretchy. The kneading process will take around 15-20 minutes. To check if your dough is ready to rest: press down on the dough ball with one finger and if it bounces back, chances are, it’s ready!
- Once ready, place the dough aside to rest on a flat surface, covering it with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. Leave this to rest for at least 2hr.
- Once 2hr have passed, it’s time to make your dough balls. To do this, cut a piece of your dough and weigh it on a scale aiming for 250g/8.8oz. You should have about 8 dough balls. To make the dough ball, the easiest way, “pinch and tuck method”: place small dough chunk on floured surface push down on four corners of the dough with thumb and index fingers.
- Pinch thumb and index finger together grabbing the dough. Lift the dough up off the floured surface and tuck and pinch the corners together on the underside of the dough. As you do this, the dough on the upward facing portion should stretch creating a smooth surface. Place the pinched side facing down on the floured surface and rotate the dough a quarter turn. Repeat 4-5 times until a nice ball has formed
- Once you have made the dough balls, place them in a flat surface covered in plastic wrap, or air tight container. Leave at room temperature for 24hr. IT IS WORTH THE WAIT!
- After 24hrs your dough balls should have risen and are ready to use. Sprinkle flour on to the bench, placing the dough on top and starting an inch from the bottom and working your way an inch from the top, press down using your fingers. Then stop, turn it over and repeat until you have a small round base with a “cornicione” (crust).
- Gently stretch this by then picking up the dough and slightly stretching it onto one forearm then flipping it onto the bench. Repeat this before shaping it into a circle and then resting it on your bench.
- Heat Oven to hottest setting 550 degrees F with pizza stone in the middle rack, or heat your professional pizza oven to 750-900 degree F. If using your regular oven, let it heat for 30 minutes with the stone to get the stone really hot.
- Add tomato puree as desired onto the flattened dough and put pizza in the middle rack of the oven on a pizza stone, baking at 550 degrees F. about 10-15 minutes. If using a real high heat pizza oven of 900 degrees F the cooking time is 5 minutes. Add the fresh mozzarella half way into the baking time in the regular oven. Other ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil and basil should be added at the end of cooking about 1 minute before taking out of the oven, or simply add after baking. If desired you can add the fresh mozzarella after the pizza and sauce are completely done cooking and the cheese will remain “fresh”. MANGIA! MANGIA! (EAT!)
Neapolitan Pizza Dough for Beginners
Ingredients:
- 1 kg “00” flour (35.27oz. + extra for dusting)
- 1 tsp Dry yeast
- 600 ml Water (2.5 cups)
- 5 tsp Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO. Drizzle)
Instruction:
- For this easy Neapolitan pizza dough recipe, pour 2.5 cups of water into the bowl from your stand mixer and add 10%/100g flour.
- Mix this well using your stand mixer (or in a bowl with your hands).
- Next add the yeast and mix again for around 2 minutes.
- Then, add 50% of your leftover flour (approx. 450g).
- Mix this at a low speed and allow it to become creamy and smooth. Increase the speed and while this is mixing, add some more flour just a bit at a time until there is none left.
- Once you have added the final amount, increase the speed again and knead this for 5 minutes.
- Switch off the mixer then remove the attachment and touch the dough; it should be nice and sticky but completely combined.
- Sprinkle some flour on your kitchen bench/wooden board then remove the easy neopolitan pizza dough from the bowl and place it on top.
- If there is any excess flour remaining, add it to the top of the dough and mix it in by folding the dough over then add the salt and knead it again.
- Put the dough back into the stand mixer bowl and mix it again using your preferred attachment for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, peel the dough from the hook and place it onto a bench you have already dusted with flour.
- Shape the easy neopolitan pizza dough into a ball and then move it around using the palm of both hands on each side of the ball to finish it off.
- To check if the dough is ready, press down using just one of your fingers. If it quickly bounces back, it’s ready – if not, you might need to knead it a little more.
- Now place it into a large stainless steel bowl and cover it tightly using plastic wrap.
- Leave the dough to rest at approx. 15-16°C/59/60°F for between 16-20hr/overnight. If it is too warm in your house, leave it in a cool place then place it in the fridge before you go to bed and by morning it should be just perfect.
- Once the dough is ready, remove the plastic wrap, dust your hands with flour and slowly pull at each of the edges to remove it from the bowl then place it on a surface dusted with some flour too.
- Get the tray you are using to rest your dough balls and sprinkle some flour on the bottom.
- Cut pieces from your dough (or break them using your hands) and measure them to be 250g/8.8oz.
- Create a ball like shape by folding your fingers into the bottom of the dough and turning it around. Repeat until you’re happy with the shape, then place it on your table/bench and you’re done!
- Repeat steps 18- 19 then place each ball in the container/tray leaving room on either side of them.
- Cover this well then wait at least 4 hour before using the balls.
- Dust flour onto the surface you are using and place a ball on top. Gently press down into the dough using your fingers, turning the dough in a circular motion as you begin to stretch it out – but don’t touch the edges!
- Press down to create a crust all the way around and once it has increased in size, lift the pizza, turn it and slap it down on to the table. This motion needs to be swift and confident. Repeat a few times then finalise the shape – don’t overwork it and don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle!
- OPTION #2 TO STRETCH THE DOUGH:
- Turn your large mixing bowl upside down and place the dough over the top. Gently stretch it and turn the bowl until it has dropped down and then turn it over and onto your bench – make sure you leave the edges alone so they create a crust once cooked.
- Remove any excess flour from your bench, place the dough (stretched out) on top and add tomato/basil sauce and your favourite ingredients.
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Recipe
The most authentic, perfect Neapolitan pizza recipe!
Prep: 20min
Total: 24h
Yield: 4
Nutrition Facts: calories 600 calories, Fat 20 grams fat
Ingredients:
- Flour – 640g
- Water – 360g
- Salt – 14g
- Yeast – 0.3g
- 300g tin of plum tomatoes
- Tomato puree (optional) – a tablespoon
- Salt – sprinkling of table salt or sea salt
- Pepper – freshly ground black pepper
- Mozzarella – 2 x 125g bags of fresh Mozzarella balls
- Parmesan – about 30g
- Olive Oil – a few glugs
- Basil – hand full of fresh leaves
Instruction:
- Mix all the ingredients into a shaggy mass in a large bowl
- Cover the bowl with cling film
- Leave the dough to rest for around 1 hour
- Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for around 5 minutes
- Place the dough back into the bowl and cover
- Leave the dough to prove for around 20 hours
- About 4 hours before you intend to cook the pizza, divide the dough into 4 equal parts
- Place each dough ball into a small bowl and cover
- Leave the dough balls to prove again for about 4 hours
- Blend a tin of quality plum tomatoes into a smooth sauce
- Cook the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness
- Add a tablespoon or 2 of tomato puree
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Ensure that you baking stone/tray is inside your oven
- Get your oven up to temperature
- Dust a dough ball with plenty of flour and remove from the container
- In the bowl, press down from the centre of the dough towards the edges
- Keep turning the dough as you work the air towards the edges
- Turn the dough over and repeat this process in the bowl
- Remove from the bowl and place on the counter
- Stretch the dough outwards
- Repeat this until you have a base which is about 9 to 10 inches in diameter
- Top the base with around 2 soup spoons of tomato sauce
- Spread about a handful of Mozzarella evenly across the pizza
- Slide the pizza onto a peel
- Load straight onto baking stone/tray
- Cook pizza
- Remove pizza from the oven and place on a chopping board
- Grate parmesan on top and add some torn basil. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of black pepper
- Let the pizza cool a little and tuck in!
How to Make NEAPOLITAN PIZZA DOUGH like a World Best Pizza Chef
FAQ
What makes Neapolitan pizza dough different?
It is the traditional large, round pie made with a flat, thin bottom and a wide, airy edge. The traditional recipe for this crust includes extra-finely ground, high-protein flour, water, salt and yeast. It is how the dough is made that gives it its great texture and airy crust.
How to make Neapolitan pizza dough like a world best pizza chef?
What is the difference between Neapolitan and Sicilian pizza dough?