Neapolitan Pizza Dough
Servings: 3 pizzas
- 3½ cups (500 grams) pizza flour we recommend Caputo pizza flours. Substitute all-purpose flour, 00 flour, or bread flour.
- 1⅓ cups (320 grams) lukewarm water best if at around 77°F or 25°C.
- ½ teaspoon (1½ grams) dry yeast we recommend Red Start active dry yeast, Red Star saf instant, Caputo dry yeast, and Dr. Oetker instant yeast.
- 1½ teaspoons (8 grams) sea salt
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) sugar if cooking the pizza in a home oven. Omit the sugar if cooking the pizza in a pizza oven.
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) olive oil if cooking the pizza in a home oven. Omit the oil if cooking the pizza in a pizza oven.
- Dissolve ½ teaspoon dry yeast with 1⅓ cups lukewarm water and 2 teaspoons sugar.
- In a large bowl, mix 3½ cups pizza flour with 1½ teaspoons sea salt. Add the yeast-water mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir one more minute until combined.
- Knead dough on a clean worktop for 3 minutes then put it in a mixing bowl brushed with oil and cover with plastic wrap.SAME-DAY PROOFING: set aside for 6 hours until doubled in volume.OVERNIGHT PROOFING: Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes then put in the fridge overnight or for 8 to 12 hours.
- Cut dough into three pieces and shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Transfer balls on baking tray lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm corner of your kitchen for:-> 1 hour if you did the quick proofing.-> 4 to 6 hours if you did the overnight proofing in the fridge.The dough balls should expand and be very soft.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven.HOME OVEN: Preheat to 480°F or 250°C. Put a pizza stone in the center of the oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upside down baking tray.PIZZA OVEN: Preheat to 750°F or 400°C.Transfer the dough ball to a well floured worktop, sprinkle it with flour, and flatten it with your fingertips leaving about ¾ inch or 2 cm of rim.
- Put the pizza disc over your knuckles and gently stretch it while rotating it.
- Transfer the pizza disc on a lightly flour pizza peel and rock the peel back and forth making sure the pizza disc is not sticking.
- Top the pizza with tomato sauce, a few basil leaves, fresh mozzarella chunks, and a drizzle of olive oil.Adjust the shape of the pizza by pulling the rim and making it round.
- Slide the pizza in the center of the pizza stone and cook it for:HOME OVEN: 480°F or 250°C: 5 to 7 minutes rotating it once or twice.PIZZA OVEN: 750°F or 400°C: 90 to 120 seconds, rotating it two to three times.Add fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
