Classic Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Ingredients

Dough

• 500g (4 cups) all-purpose flour (or Tipo 00)
• 325g (1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp) cool water (60-65°F / 15-18°C)
• 10g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• 1g (¼ tsp) instant dry yeast

Total flour: 500g

Hydration: 65%

Pro tip: Cool water slows fermentation and gives you more control. By the time you finish kneading, your body heat brings the dough to the right temperature.

Equipment

Method

Mix the Dough (15 minutes)

Combine ingredients and develop gluten through kneading. No fancy equipment needed.

1. Dissolve salt. Add salt to cool water in a large bowl. Stir until dissolved.
2. Add flour slurry. Add about 10% of the flour (50g) to the salt water. Mix to create a slurry. This prevents direct salt-yeast contact.
3. Add yeast. Sprinkle yeast into the slurry. Mix to dissolve.
4. Add remaining flour. Pour in the rest of the flour. Mix with a stiff spatula or your hand until no dry flour remains.
5. Rest (autolyse). Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes. This lets the flour hydrate.
6. Knead. Turn dough onto a clean surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pass the windowpane test.

Tip: If the dough feels too dry, wet your hands slightly while kneading. Don't add more water directly.

Bulk Fermentation (2 hours)

Room temperature rise to kick-start fermentation before cold retard.

1. Shape into ball. Form dough into a smooth ball by pulling edges underneath.
2. Place in container. Put in a lightly oiled bowl or container. Cover tightly.
3. Ferment at room temp. Let rise at room temperature (70-75°F / 21-24°C) for 2 hours. Dough should look slightly puffy but won't double.

Wait: PT2H

Divide and Ball (10 minutes)

Divide into individual portions and shape into tight balls for cold ferment.

1. Turn out dough. Gently turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
2. Divide. Using a bench scraper, divide into 4 equal pieces (~209g each). That number is an estimate. For an accurate split: weigh your bowl with the dough in it, dump the dough out onto the counter, then weigh the empty bowl. That number will come up negative on your scale — just make it positive. That's your total dough weight. Divide that by however many pizzas you're making, and that's your real target per ball.
3. Shape balls. Working with one piece at a time, pull the edges underneath to create surface tension. Rotate on the counter using cupped hands to form a tight, smooth ball.
4. Place in containers. Put each ball in a lightly oiled individual container or zip-lock bag. Leave room for expansion.
5. Refrigerate. Cover tightly and place in refrigerator.

Tip: Tight, smooth balls = better oven spring and a puffier cornicione (the rim).

Cold Ferment (48-72 hours)

The magic happens here. Cold, slow fermentation develops complex flavor and improves texture.

1. Refrigerate. Keep dough balls in the refrigerator at 38-40°F (3-4°C) for 48-72 hours.
2. Check daily. Balls will slowly expand. This is normal.
3. Don't rush. 48 hours minimum. 72 hours gives deeper flavor.

Wait: PT48H

Tip: Longer cold ferment = more flavor and better leopard spotting. If dough balls over-proof (flatten out, lose tension), they've gone too long.

Warm Up and Final Proof (3-4 hours)

Bring dough to room temperature before stretching. Cold dough won't stretch properly.

1. Remove from fridge. Take dough balls out 3-4 hours before you plan to bake.
2. Keep covered. Leave in containers or cover with a damp towel to prevent drying.
3. Check readiness. Dough is ready when it's relaxed, puffy, and jiggly when you shake the container. Poke test: press gently with a floured finger. It should spring back slowly.

Wait: PT4H

Stretch and Shape (2-3 minutes per pizza)

Gentle hands-only stretching. No rolling pin. Ever.

1. Flour surface. Generously flour your work surface with AP flour or semolina.
2. Transfer dough. Gently flip dough ball onto floured surface.
3. Press center. Using fingertips, press from the center outward, leaving the outer 1" untouched. This creates the cornicione.
4. Stretch. Pick up the dough. Let gravity help. Rotate and gently stretch, passing it hand to hand. Work from the center, not the edges.
5. Target size. Stretch to 10-12" diameter. The center should be thin (almost translucent), edges puffy.
6. Transfer to peel. Place stretched dough on a floured pizza peel. Work quickly. Give it a shake to make sure it slides.

Tip: If dough springs back or tears, let it rest 5 minutes and try again. Fighting the gluten never works.

Shaping Options

Choose your pizza size based on preference

Classic Round (10-12") (recommended)

1. Step 1. Press center with fingertips, leaving 1" rim untouched
2. Step 2. Pick up dough, rotate and stretch using gravity
3. Step 3. Pass hand to hand, gently pulling from center
4. Step 4. Place on floured peel, adjust shape as needed

Personal Size (8-9")

1. Step 1. Divide dough into 6 balls instead of 4 (~175g each)
2. Step 2. Follow same stretching technique
3. Step 3. Great for kids or appetizer-sized pizzas

Proof test: Press a floured finger gently into the dough ball. If it springs back slowly and leaves a slight indent, it's ready. If it snaps back quickly, let it proof longer. If it doesn't spring back at all, it's over-proofed.

Baking Methods

Choose based on your equipment

Oven: 288°C / 550°F.

Home Oven with Baking Steel/Stone (recommended)

Equipment: Baking steel or pizza stone,Pizza peel

1. Position rack. Position rack in upper third of oven
2. Preheat. Place steel/stone on rack. Preheat oven to maximum (500-550°F / 260-288°C) for at least 45-60 minutes
3. Broiler boost. Turn broiler to high for the last 5 minutes of preheat
4. Top and launch. Stretch dough, add toppings sparingly. Slide pizza onto steel/stone using a quick shimmy motion
5. Bake. Switch between broiler and bake as needed. Bake 6-8 minutes until crust is golden with some char, cheese is bubbling
6. Remove. Remove with peel, let rest 1 minute before slicing

Pizza Oven (Ooni, Gozney, Wood-Fired)

Equipment: Pizza oven,Pizza peel,Turning peel

1. Heat. Heat pizza oven to 800-900°F (425-480°C) stone temperature
2. Launch. Stretch dough, add toppings (less is more). Launch pizza onto stone
3. Rotate. Rotate every 15-20 seconds using turning peel
4. Bake. Bake 60-90 seconds until leopard spotted and cheese is bubbling
5. Remove. Remove immediately, rest 1 minute

Cast Iron Skillet + Broiler

Equipment: 12" cast iron skillet,Oven with broiler

1. Preheat skillet. Preheat cast iron on stovetop over high heat for 10 minutes
2. Preheat broiler. Preheat broiler with rack 6-8" from element
3. Add dough. Place stretched dough in hot skillet
4. Top quickly. Add toppings quickly
5. Stovetop cook. Cook on stovetop 60-90 seconds until bottom chars
6. Finish under broiler. Transfer skillet under broiler for 45-60 seconds until top is spotted and bubbly
7. Serve. Slide pizza out, rest 1 minute

Storage

• Room temperature: Not recommended for raw dough
• Frozen: Up to 3 months. Freeze after shaping into balls but before final proof. Thaw overnight in refrigerator, then warm at room temp 4-5 hours before use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose?

You can, but the crust will be chewier and tougher. Bread flour has more protein, which develops more gluten. All-purpose or 00 flour gives that tender, soft Neapolitan texture.

My dough is too sticky to work with. What went wrong?

Use more flour on your hands and work surface. The dough is naturally tacky. If it's unmanageably wet, your flour may have absorbed less water. Next time, hold back 10-15g of water and add as needed.

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?

Yes. Use the same amount, but dissolve it in a few tablespoons of lukewarm water first. Wait 5 minutes until foamy, then add to your salt water.

What if I can't wait 48 hours?

You can do a same-day dough by increasing yeast to 3g and fermenting at room temperature for 6-8 hours. It won't have the same depth of flavor, but it works.

How do I know if my dough is over-proofed?

Over-proofed dough balls will be very flat, spread out, and the poke test won't spring back at all. The dough will be slack and hard to stretch without tearing. If this happens, it's still usable but expect a flatter, denser crust.

Why no sugar or oil in the dough?

Traditional Neapolitan pizza uses only flour, water, salt, and yeast. Sugar and oil are sometimes added in American-style recipes, but they change the texture and browning. Trust the fermentation.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 dough ball (209g)): 485 calories, 98g carbohydrates, 14g protein, 2g fat, 4g fiber, 580mg sodium. Makes 4 servings.