Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe
True Neapolitan dough is four ingredients and two days of patience. Here is the full method.
Neapolitan dough: 100% 00 flour, 60 to 65% water, 2.5 to 3% salt, 0.2 to 0.3% instant dry yeast. Mix, knead 10 minutes, cold ferment 24 to 48 hours, ball 4 hours before baking. Bake at your oven's absolute maximum, 60 to 90 seconds.
The formula
For four 250-gram balls: 596 g 00 flour, 387 g water (65%), 14.9 g fine sea salt (2.5%), 1.8 g instant dry yeast (0.3%). Dissolve salt in the water, add flour, mix to shaggy, rest 20 minutes, knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
The ferment
Bulk ferment 2 hours at room temperature, then divide into balls and refrigerate 24 to 48 hours. Cold fermentation builds the complex flavor and the digestibility Neapolitan pizza is known for. Pull the balls 3 to 4 hours before baking so they reach room temperature.
Shaping
Press from the center outward, leaving a 1-inch puffy rim (the cornicione). Never use a rolling pin: it crushes the air you spent two days building. Stretch over your knuckles to 10 to 12 inches, letting gravity do the work.
The bake
True Neapolitan bakes at 850 to 900 F for 60 to 90 seconds. Home ovens max around 550 F: use a pizza steel preheated a full hour, bake 4 to 6 minutes, and finish under the broiler for leopard spotting. It is not Naples, but it is excellent pizza.
Skip the arithmetic
Scale this recipe to your pizza count with the calculator.
Neapolitan dough questions
What flour is best for Neapolitan pizza?
Caputo 00 or another finely milled Italian 00 flour. Its fine grind and moderate protein give the tender, puffy, leopard-spotted crust.
How long should Neapolitan dough ferment?
A 24 to 48 hour cold ferment in the refrigerator, then 3 to 4 hours at room temperature in balls before shaping and baking.
What temperature for Neapolitan pizza?
Wood-fired Neapolitan ovens run 850 to 900 F for a 60 to 90 second bake. At home, use your oven's maximum with a preheated steel and finish under the broiler.
Why is my Neapolitan dough tough?
The usual causes are under-fermentation, overworking the dough when shaping, or a cool oven that dries the crust before it puffs.