Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Debney
May 14, 2024
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

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The secret to great pizza is the dough. An authentic Neapolitan-style pizza dough is very simple: just water, flour, a little salt, and yeast. This recipe is an accelerated, same-day version for delicious thin-crust pizzas. For the best flavor, try our Authentic Neapolitan Biga Dough recipe. Watch my how-to video HERE.

An important part of baking is accurately measuring the ingredients. It's best to measure the ingredients by weight with a scale. Measuring by volume with measuring cups can lead to inconsistent amounts depending on how compacted or hydrated they are.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED (scroll to full ingredient list)

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1: HYDRATE

Add water to a large mixing Bowl. The water will cool a bit in the bowl and should be no hotter than about 110°F max, but 90-95F is sufficient.
Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 2: MIX

Add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl and combine.
The ideal dough temperature at this stage should be about 80°F.
Once most of the flour is incorporated, transfer the dough to your work surface and cover to allow the dough to relax for 5-10 minutes.

STEP 3: KNEAD

Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- NOTE: The dough will be very sticky at first-- this is normal. Do not add any more flour to the dough because this will change the hydration level of the dough.

STEP 4: FIRST RISE

Transfer the dough ball to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
- NOTE: Room temperature is considered to be about 70F (21C). If the ambient temperature is warmer, the dough will rise faster. In contrast, cooler temperatures will result in a slower rise.

STEP 5: DOUGH BALLS

Separate the dough into 6, 270g-ish dough balls.
Place the dough balls in the Proofing Box with an inch or two of space in between to give them room to rise.

STEP 6: SECOND RISE

If making this for same-day use, let the dough balls sit at room temperature for 6 hours, covered, after forming into dough balls.
For the best flavor, transfer the dough balls to the refrigerator, covered, for 1-3 days.
- Note that refrigerated dough will need to sit at room temperature for about 2-3 hours before stretching.
Lightly dust the dough with semolina flour and stretch the dough to about 10 inches in diameter. Begin stretching the dough by pressing your fingers into the center of the dough, working the trapped air outwards to the crust. Avoid pressing the crust so that the perimeter can remain airy and light.

NOTES

OVEN: Ideally, this style of dough should be cooked in a Pizza oven (800-900F) for about 1-2 mins. If using a traditional oven, about 550F for 7-8 mins with a preheated pizza steel helps get a similar texture. Preheat the pizza steel for 45 minutes before adding pizza.
BIGA: This recipe is an accelerated version so it does not use a biga. At home, I will typically make a biga and allow for a 72-hour fermentation using my Neapolitan Biga Pizza dough recipe. This process significantly improves the flavor of the crust.
FREEZING: After the individual dough balls have been formed in STEP 5, they can be frozen for 1 week (or up to 2 weeks max). Before use, thaw the dough balls, covered, for 24 hours in the fridge and then let them sit 2-3 hours at room temp before use.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 medium pizzas

1000g of ’00 flour (fine-ground flour or substitute with bread flour)
630g warm water
1g Instant dry yeast
28g sea salt, fine

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