Best Easy Homemade Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

Neapolitan pizza, or pizza Napoletana, is a type of pizza that originated in Naples, Italy. This pizza is a celebration of simple ingredients using basic dough, raw or fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. In Naples, no fancy ingredients are allowed, but you are in charge at home.

The most significant distinguishing factor in good Neapolitan pizza is the crust. It is defined as a pillowy chewy thin crust baked in a wood-fired oven, usually between 500 to 900 °F if not more. This baking is done in one or two minutes, so there can’t be too many toppings or too much sauce, or the pizza won’t cook correctly. In addition, its crust is marked with dark charred spots referred to as leopardine (having the spots of a leopard).

The fermentation process maters.
The crust has a remarkable flavor because it is slowly fermented over several days in a cold environment. In our recipe, the chef has used a long slow fermentation popular with some of the top world pizza champions. We think it makes a massive difference in how the pizza turns out. This also makes the dough convenient since it can be used for several days without losing quality.

The flour is vital.
Wood fire pizza flour makes the dough thin and soft and the crust crispy from the wood-fired stone pizza oven. It has a delicate flavor that is not overwhelming with the right amount of protein (12.5-13%) for optimal gluten formation. This makes a perfect dough for enhancing the flavor of the tomatoes, bufala mozzarella, and any other toppings you may desire on it.

What about the Cheese?
In Naples and traditional Neapolitan pizza, only two types of mozzarellas are used: fior di latte made from cow’s milk; or mozzarella di bufala, made from the milk of the water buffalo that live in the country’s Campania and Lazio regions. In America, it is common to use low moisture part-skim or whole milk mozzarella and fresh mozzarella.

Here’s our recipe.

Best Easy Homemade Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

570 g (20 oz) Panhandle Milling Wood Fire Pizza Flour

370g (13 oz) water (approx. 110°F)

17 g (.6 oz) salt

15 g (.5 oz) oil

3g (.1 oz) dry yeast

Procedure:

• In a 4-quart mixer with a dough hook, combine the water, yeast, and half of the flour.
• Mix for 5 minutes at medium speed. Add the remaining flour, salt, and oil. Mix an additional 5-7 minutes.
• Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.
• Portion Dough and form into balls (see below). Place in a lightly oiled covered container at least 2 inches apart. Transfer to refrigeration within 1 hour of portioning. Allow fermenting under refrigeration for 24-48 hours (up to 4 days). Only remove trays from refrigeration as needed for service at least 1 hour before baking.
• Bake 800-900° F with toppings in a wood fire oven for 2-4 minutes. This is best achieved when the crust is very thin, and the toppings are less ample. 2 oz of sauce at most, spread thinly, and then topping.
• Lower temperature baking, 650° F bake 5-6 minutes. More toppings may be used, but the crust must still remain thin for best baking.

Yield approx. 975 g or 34 oz dough

5— 6.5 oz dough balls (10-inch pizzas)

3 10 oz dough balls (12-14 inch pizzas)