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Neapolitan Pizza Recipe

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4.1 from 5 reviews

This authentic Neapolitan Pizza recipe captures the essence of traditional Italian pizza with its tender, airy dough, tangy homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fragrant basil. The dough undergoes a long slow fermentation for optimal flavor and texture, and the pizza is baked at high heat to achieve the characteristic puffed crust with light charring. Perfect for a classic homemade pizza night with just two servings.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 215 gram water
  • 10 gram fine sea salt (2%)
  • 330 gram Tipo 00 Caputo “Pizzeria” Blue Bag flour (divided: 297 gram & 33 gram)
  • 1 gram instant yeast (≈0.3%)
  • Extra Tipo 00 flour or semolina for dusting

Tomato Sauce

  • 28 ounce whole tomatoes
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings

  • ½ to 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese (torn)
  • High-quality olive oil (for drizzling)
  • Fresh basil (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Make the Dough: In a large bowl, dissolve the salt in the water by hand until completely dissolved.
  2. Mix Flour: Add 33 gram (about 10%) of the flour to the salted water and mix with your hand until the mixture resembles thin pancake batter.
  3. Add Yeast: Add the instant yeast and quickly mix with your hand until fully dissolved in the mixture.
  4. Knead Dough: Gradually add the remaining 297 gram flour, one handful at a time, mixing continuously with one hand until the dough begins to come together.
  5. Turn and Rest: Turn the dough out into the bowl, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 16 hours to ferment slowly.
  6. Divide and Chill: After fermentation, divide the dough into two equal balls (about 250 gram each), place in a covered container, and refrigerate for 24-30 hours.
  7. Make the Sauce: About 24-30 hours before baking, combine whole tomatoes, basil, garlic, and kosher salt in a bowl. Crush tomatoes by hand until slightly chunky, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
  8. Bring Dough to Room Temperature: Remove the dough from the refrigerator two hours before baking to allow it to come fully to room temperature.
  9. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Place a pizza stone inside while preheating if you have one.
  10. Stretch Dough: On a lightly floured surface, gently hand-stretch each dough ball into an 8 to 10-inch (20-25 cm) circle, avoiding a rolling pin to preserve air bubbles.
  11. Bake Dough: Place a few small pieces of crushed ice in the center of the stretched dough. Transfer to the pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes until the crust puffs and the ice melts.
  12. Layer Toppings: Remove the partially baked dough from the oven and spread the tomato sauce evenly on top. Add torn mozzarella, including some basil and garlic from the sauce.
  13. Add Olive Oil: Drizzle lightly with high-quality olive oil.
  14. Broil Pizza: Switch the oven to broil and return the pizza to the oven. Broil for another 3-5 minutes until the crust is golden with light charring and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  15. Garnish and Serve: Finish by adding fresh basil leaves and another drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately while hot for the best flavor.

Notes

  • Using Tipo 00 flour is crucial for getting the authentic soft and elastic pizza dough texture.
  • The long cold fermentation enhances flavor and dough digestibility, so don’t skip resting times.
  • Crushed ice on the dough before baking helps create steam which puffs up the crust.
  • If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a heavy baking sheet preheated in the oven.
  • Broiling at the end mimics the high heat traditional wood-fired oven finishes and gives ideal crust charring and cheese melting.
  • Letting the dough come to room temperature ensures even cooking and better oven spring.

Find it online: https://miracooking.com/neapolitan-pizza-recipe/