Pizza lovers, brace yourselves for a game-changing revelation in the world of dough. Say goodbye to bland, lifeless crusts and hello to a pizzeria-style masterpiece, right in your own home kitchen. This is not your average pizza dough recipe, this is a 68% hydration dough fermented for 48 hours, optimized specifically for the home oven. And trust us, the extra time and effort are well worth the wait. With a soft, fluffy interior and crispy exterior, each bite of your homemade pizza will leave you in a state of pure bliss.
Pizza Dough Ingredients
The ingredients portions shown below will yield three dough balls of about 270g to 280g each.
- 500g of 00 flour (100% flour)
- 340g water (68% hydration, warm, but not hot about 80°F)
- 10g salt (2% salt)
- 0.5g Active Dry Yeast (0.1% ADY)
It’s important to use a kitchen scale for this recipe since measuring by volume can lead to varying results.
The 00 flour is a finely ground Italian flour that is traditionally used for making pizza and pasta. It has a lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour, resulting in a lighter, finer texture. Learn more about pizza flour on our flour 101 post.
The water should be room temperature or slightly warm, as hot water can kill the yeast and affect the fermentation process. The 68% hydration level will result in a soft and tender dough, but feel free to adjust it to your liking.
The salt adds flavor and helps regulate the fermentation, while the yeast provides the necessary rise for the dough. Make sure the yeast is fresh, as old, or expired yeast can affect the dough’s rise.
With these simple ingredients, you’ll be on your way to making a mouth-watering pizza dough with a delicate texture.
Equipment Needed for Pizza Dough
- Kitchen scale
- Cooking thermometer (optional)
- Dough scraper/ cutter
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap or cloth for covering the bowl.
Having the right equipment can make the process of making pizza dough easier and more efficient. A kitchen scale is essential for accurate measurements, while a large mixing bowl provides enough space for the dough to rise. A wooden spoon or dough whisk is helpful for mixing the ingredients, while plastic wrap or damp cloth can be used to cover the bowl and keep the dough warm.
A baking stone or pizza pan is necessary for getting that crispy crust, while parchment paper helps with transferring the pizza to and from the oven. A pizza peel can also be used to effortlessly transfer the pizza onto the hot stone or pan.
With these tools at your disposal, you’ll be able to create a delicious pizza with ease.
Pizza Dough Preparation Sequence
Now that you have all your ingredients and equipment ready, it’s time to start preparing your dough. This process is simple but requires patience and precision. By following these steps, you’ll have a beautifully fermented dough that’s ready to be shaped and baked into a delicious pizza.
Step 1
Measure all your ingredients by weight. It is important to be precise on the measurements as the percentages or proportions of ingredients relative to one another may alter your final dough product. Use a kitchen scale to make this easier. As far as the yeast, you might need a scale with higher precision.
The Ooni Scale has both a large scale and a small high-precision scale in a single platform making it convenient for home cooks.
Step 2
With your ingredients ready to go, it’s time to start the assembly process. For this part, take the yeast and mix it with warm water. Let it sit for just a min. Now comes the crucial part. Mix the dough.
Step 3
The dough needs to be mixed well so that the gluten develops, and you have a nice fluffy and crispy delicate crust. The method I use is as follows:
- Add 10% of the flour to your water and yeast mixture. Use your dominant hand to incorporate it thoroughly.
- Once you don’t feel any lumps in the mixture add 1/3 of the remaining flour. Again mix, and incorporate with your dominant hand and occasionally squeeze the mixture with your hand so that the dough mixture comes out between your fingers.
- Once you feel it’s well incorporated, add 1/2 of the remaining flour. At this stage, you are almost done with the flour and the mixture will still feel slightly wet. Proceed to add the salt and mix.
- Finally, incorporate the remaining portion of the flour. Once you are done adding your ingredients, continue to mix the dough for 1 to 2 minutes. Your dough mixture will still look disorganized and slightly sticky. Don’t worry. Trust the process.
- If you removed the dough from the mixing bowl, place it in the bowl again and cover it with a damp cloth or lid. Let the dough rest for 8 to 10 minutes. This helps the dough relax and the gluten to develop further.
- After the 10-minute rest, place the dough on your table or work bench and knead your dough for about 10 more minutes. You will want to perform a series of “stretches and folds” as well.
- Finally, shape the dough into a large ball and place it in a container or mixing bowl for it to rise. Make sure to cover the dough so that it does not dry out.
The Bulk Rise
After you have kneaded your dough it’s time to let it rest so that the gluten structure starts developing. In this step, all you must do is let the dough rest at room temperature (75°F) for approximately 4 hours. During this stage, your dough will grow its volume as the fermentation process takes off.
Proofing the Dough
After the bulk rise is complete, it’s time to shape the dough balls. Grab your kitchen scale and divide the dough into 3 equally sized dough portions. Then simply fold the dough onto itself and form a ball. Then place each dough ball in a lightly oiled and airtight container and let rest in the fridge for 44 hours. This long and slow fermentation at approximately 36°F will help you achieve a delicious fluffy yet crispy crust in your regular home oven. This is what is called cold fermented pizza dough. If you have more time you may also try the bulk rise in the fridge and extend the process to 72 hours. In the end its about finding a dough process that is right for you!
Getting Ready to Bake
Once you are ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the fridge and let them come to room temperature for about 1 hour. I recommend doing this while you preheat your oven and pizza stone. When the dough reaches room temperature you are ready to start baking!
The Baking Sequence for a Home Oven
Home oven pizza baking requires attention to detail and good execution. Here is my recommended sequence that has given me amazing results like the image shown below. It is important to note that when cooking multiple pizzas, you need to maintain the heat of the oven as high as possible so minimize opening the oven door.
Pre-heat the oven to 550°F
The first thing is to pre-heat the oven to 550°F. Let it pre-heat for 45 min to 1 hour with the pizza stone. This ensures that the pizza stone will be hot once you make your first pizza.
Baking Phase 1 – Base and Sauce
When the pre-heating is done. Turn on the broil on high for 5-10 mins while you stretch and launch your first pizza. As soon as you place your pizza in the oven. Turn the oven back to 550°F and let the pizza bake. For this first phase, only stretch the dough ball and top it with sauce to avoid the toppings and cheese from burning.
Baking Phase 2 – Cheese and Toppings
After about 3 to 5 minutes, you will notice your crust starts rising a bit even some browning. At this stage, remove the pizza base from the oven using a pizza peel (make sure to close back the oven door) and add the cheese and toppings. Then place back in the oven using the peel and bake until the cheese melts and the crust is at the desired browning point.
This Neapolitan-style dough recipe and cooking sequence work well for home-based ovens that don’t reach the high temperatures of traditional or home-based pizza ovens. This is why we modified the dough recipe and cooking sequence that will allow you to get the most similar result to a Neapolitan pizza.
