Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

Variety is the spice of life, and life has given us lots of options when it comes to pizza. In America, pizza is often loaded up with more toppings than you can count, unlike authentic pizza in Italy. Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for Neapolitan pizza dough and says, "Having an Italian background and grandparents actually from Italy meant we often had authentic versions of pizza at home. They were much simpler, smaller, and so much fresher. I love Neapolitan style pizza because the crust is light and thin. It's made from a special flour that is very fine, and gives Neapolitan pizza a unique taste. There are longer wait times when making this type of dough, but if you plan ahead, it's worth the extra time." Read on to learn how to make this famous pizza dough that originated in Naples, Italy — the (supposed) pizza capital of the world.

To make this recipe, the preferred type of flour is 00 pizza flour, which has a fine consistency. It will allow you to stretch the dough very thin without tearing, and is also ideal for baking at a high heat. "If you don't want to buy special flour to make this dough, using bread flour is workable here. You may have to be a little more careful working with the dough to avoid tearing, but it will still taste great," Hahn shares. You'll also need some salt, sugar, Italian seasonings, garlic granules, instant dry yeast, warm water, and oil. "I like to toss in a small amount of Italian seasonings and garlic granules (or powder) to season the dough, but it's not necessary if you would rather keep things plain and simple," Hahn remarks.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic granules, instant dry yeast, and water. "Make sure the water you are using is lukewarm and not too hot, or it will kill the yeast," Hahn warns. When you begin combining the ingredients, a shaggy dough will form. At that point, remove it from the bowl, put it on a board or work surface, and knead it for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed if it is too sticky. Form it into a ball, and place it into a glass bowl that has been coated with oil. Cover tightly with saran wrap, and leave it to rest at room temperature for 12 hours. "If it sits for longer than 12 hours, that is fine as long as it isn't longer than 24 hours," Hahn shares.

When the dough is done resting, divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Place each half in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500 F. To shape each ball of dough, place it on a floured work surface, and add a light dusting of flour to the top of the dough. "To make Neapolitan pizza dough, we won't be using a rolling pin because that will pop the [air] bubbles that have formed during fermentation and give us a flat, dense crust," Hahn remarks. 

Flatten the dough with your hands to form a circle, then use your fingers to gently press the dough, forming a raised, 1-inch think edge around the dough. Work your way around the dough, rotating it to form this edge. "Don't worry about the size of the pizza at this point — stretching the dough to the correct size is next," Hahn tells us.

The ideal size for a Neapolitan pizza is between 10 and 12 inches, so we will be stretching it accordingly. Place the dough on top of one open hand, then toss it to the opposite hand. Keep going back and forth, and with each toss, the dough will gently stretch to the desired size. "If you have used the 00 flour, you shouldn't have any issues with the dough tearing. If you are using bread flour and get any holes, you can patch those up when your dough is on the baking pan," Hahn explains.

After about 5 to 8 tosses, check to see if the dough is about the right size, then lay it on a pizza pan or pizza stone. Repeat the process with the second dough ball, or wrap it up in saran wrap and store it in the fridge for 3 days. If you do this, just bring the dough to room temperature before shaping and stretching. Layer on your desired sauce and cheese to finish off your pizzas, and pop them in the oven for about 8 minutes. Optionally serve with any type of salad.