Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe That Will Make You Drool

Welcome to our authentic Neapolitan pizza dough recipe! If you’ve ever dreamed of creating the perfect pizza in your own kitchen, this recipe is for you. Using high-quality ingredients and traditional techniques, we’ll show you how to make a pizza that is sure to impress even the most discerning Italian foodie.

To start, you’ll need to make a batch of pizza dough using Italian 00 flour, water, salt, and yeast. Once your dough is ready, you’ll need to source some San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella di bufala to make the sauce and toppings. Fresh basil and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil will add the finishing touches to your pizza.

If you have a wood-fired oven at home, you’re in luck! This is the traditional way to cook Neapolitan pizza, and it will give your crust a deliciously smoky flavor. If you don’t have a wood-fired oven, don’t worry – we’ll provide instructions for cooking the pizza in a very hot home oven as well.

With a little patience and attention to detail, you’ll be able to create a Neapolitan pizza that is every bit as delicious as the ones you’ll find in Italy. Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need to Make This Neapolitan Pizza Dough at Home

• Pizza dough: The base of any pizza, the dough should be made with high-quality, finely ground Italian 00 flour, water, salt, and yeast.

• San Marzano tomatoes: These tomatoes, grown in the region of San Marzano in Italy, are considered by many to be the best tomatoes for making pizza sauce due to their sweet, fruity flavor and low acidity.

• Mozzarella di bufala: Authentic Neapolitan pizza is traditionally made with mozzarella di bufala, which is made from the milk of water buffalo raised in specific regions of Italy. It has a creamy, slightly tangy flavor that pairs well with the sweet tomato sauce.

• Basil: A key ingredient in Neapolitan pizza, fresh basil adds a bright, herbaceous flavor to the dish.

• Olive oil: A small amount of high-quality olive oil is used to finish the pizza, adding flavor and moisture to the crust.

• High-heat oven: Authentic Neapolitan pizza is traditionally cooked in a wood-fired oven, which reaches extremely high temperatures and imparts a smoky flavor to the crust. If you don’t have a wood-fired oven at home, you can try to recreate the effect by cooking the pizza on a very hot baking stone or steel in your home oven.

• Pizza peel: A pizza peel is a long-handled wooden or metal spatula used to slide the pizza into and out of the oven. It’s an essential tool for making Neapolitan pizza at home.

• Food Scale: A food scale is essential to get the right proportions of ingredients.

Neapolitan Pizza Dough Preparation

This Neapolitan pizza dough recipe is a same-day 68% hydration dough that will be perfect to cook in traditional home ovens. We have tweaked the hydration to help with the reduced temperatures of home ovens, about 550F.

Dough Ingredients

Ingredient	For 2 Pizzas	For 4 Pizzas
Type 00 Flour	328 grams	656 grams
Lukewarm Water	223 mL	446 mL
Sea Salt	9 grams	18 grams
Active Dry Yeast	0.6 grams	1.2 grams

Dough Preparation Instructions

The first step is to measure the ingredients in the proportions above depending on how many dough balls you are trying to make.

Then, in a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 10% of the flour and mix until a uniform mixture is formed. At this point add the salt and slowly incorporate the remaining portion of the flour until a dough forms.

Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic.

To start the bulk fermentation place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. At this stage, the yeast will quick start the fermentation process releasing gasses into the dough helping it double in size.

Once the dough has risen to about double its size, it is time to form the dough balls. Divide it into equal pieces of about 250-280 grams each. Place the dough balls in a lightly oiled air-tight container and let ferment for an additional 6 hours.

After a total of 8 hours of bulk and dough ball fermentation, your pizza is ready to bake.

Baking Neapolitan Pizza in a Home Oven

With the dough ready to bake it’s time to execute this delicious pizza and enjoy it.

Pizza Ingredients

• San Marzano DOP Tomato Sauce
• Fior Di Latte or Mozzarella di Bufala
• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
• Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Preheat your oven to its highest setting (ideally around 550°F). Place a baking stone or steel in the oven to heat up and let it preheat for about 30-45 minutes. Once ready at 550°F, switch to broil on high while you stretch and shape the dough. This will help provide the maximum amount of heat to the pizza stone.

On a floured surface, stretch and shape each piece of dough into a thin, round pizza. Top it with your San Marzano tomato pizza sauce but still do not add the cheese. Transfer the pizzas to a floured pizza peel.

To perfect your pizza stretching technique and reach the Neapolitan pizzaiolo level watch this great video on how to stretch pizza dough by Enzo Coccia.

Check out our Ultimate San Marzano Pizza Sauce Recipe.

Before launching your pizza into the oven, return your oven to 550°F and turn off the broil. Using the peel, carefully slide the pizzas onto the hot baking stone or steel. Bake for about 3 minutes, or until the crust is puffed and lightly browned.

Remove the pizzas from the oven and top them with grated cheese and mozzarella plus your choice of toppings. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Enjoying This Neapolitan Pizza Recipe

Finally, after removing the pizza from the oven it’s best to eat it within 10 to 20 minutes for the best flavor and texture. But before serving, add a few basil leaves and a light drizzle of olive oil. Cut it into four slices and enjoy!