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Neapolitan Pizza
February 5, 2023

How to Make the Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Classic Neapolitan Pizza
Makes six ~260g balls
    
Equipment (Recommendations and notes below)
  • Large bowl
  • Plastic proofing bin with lid
  • Stand mixer with dough hook (optional but highly recommended)
  • Immersion blender (or food processor)
  • Kitchen scale
  • Kitchen thermometer
  • Bench scraper (or metal spatula) 
Ingredients
  • 660 grams type 00 flour
  • 280 grams all purpose unbleached flour
  • 23 grams sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
  • 610 grams water (temperature 75-80 F in summer, 95-100 F in winter)
  • 13 grams extra virgin olive oil
Directions
  1. Portion and mix dry ingredients.
  2. Portion wet ingredients into stand mixer bowl.
  3. Pour dry ingredients into wet. Note that the hydration is about 66%, so the dough will be very sticky!
  4. Mix in stand mixer for ONE minute. Or if you don't have a stand mixer, blend with a wooden spoon or spatula, then place onto a sanitized lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding a little flour if it gets too sticky. Form into a large ball.
  5. Place dough in a large bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap.
  6. Proof at room temperature for 18-24 hours (stretch dough after 4-5 hours).
  7. Pour dough onto a sanitized surface, cut into 260 g balls with Bench Scraper, roll to form a tight skin, and place in proofing bin. Check out this YouTube video on how to properly form the balls.
  8. Leave at room temperature for 2-4 hours. Shorter if warm/hot weather and longer if cool/cold weather.
  9. Use immediately or refrigerate up to three days for the best flavor and texture.
Red Sauce
  1. Place 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes in a large bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Excellent grocery store brands are Cento, DiNapoli, and Mutti, but Alta Cucina via Amazon is the best (see below).
  2. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth or if no immersion blender, use a food processor.
Stretching and Topping
  1. Dust a surface with semolina or AP flour and stretch a dough ball to 13"-14" diameter. See this YouTube video for the best method.
  2. Spread on a few ounces of sauce, but not too much or the pizza will be soggy. Leave about 1 inch uncovered around the edge (cornicione) so it can rise properly.
  3. Add 3-4 ounces of high quality fresh mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings!
Bake
Fire up your Blackstone Pizza Oven and bake according to the directions. Here is the user manual.
            
Recommended Products
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Proofing Bins
If you just plan on making six or fewer dough balls at a time, we recomend:
Chef Pomodoro Pizza Dough Proofing Box, $29.99 , 14 x 11-Inch, Pizza Dough Container, Fits 4-6 Dough Balls
If you plan on making more than six dough balls at a time and want multipurpose boxes that may last forever, this option is best:
GSM Brands Pizza Dough Proofing Box $49.99, Stackable Commercial Quality Trays with Covers (17.25 x 13 Inches) - 2 Trays and 2 Covers
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Large Bowl
This one will give a batch of dough for six pizzas enough room to rise, and has a tight fitting lid:
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Mixers
Here is a great deal on an entry level stand mixer with a large capacity and high power:
Zuccie 3-IN-1 Stand Mixer, $114.99, 660W Mixers Kitchen Electric Stand Mixer include 8.5 QT Bowl, Dough Hook, Beater, Whisk & Splash Guard, 6-Speed Dough Mixer for Most Home Cooks (Black)
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00 Flour
While classic Neapolitan recipes call for imported Italian 00 flour such as Caputo brand, there is really no difference if you use this fine American flour:
King Arthur 00 Pizza Flour, $6.99 ($0.15/ounce), Non-GMO Project Verified, 100% American Grown Wheat, 3 lb
If you must have it the classic way, this is the best deal on Caputo 00 flour. You can also buy it in smaller packages in most premium grocery stores:
Antimo Caputo Pizzeria 00 Flour $18.99 ($0.27/ounce) 2.2 lb - Pack of 2 (Total 4.4 lbs)
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Unbleached All Purpose Flour
While classic Neapolitan recipes call for 100% Italian 00 flour, using our recommended proportion of AP flour adds texture and flavor, and results in a less floppy center. Any good quality all purpose unbleached flour will work, but the best is King Arthur because it contains 11.7% protein which is great for thin Neapolitan crusts. Gold Medal or Pillsbury will work fine as well, but they have a lower protein percentage.
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Tomatoes
While the classic Neapolitan recipe calls for imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes, these  Alta Cucinas by Stanislaus are simply the best and routinely beat San Marzanos in taste tests:
Stanislaus Alta Cucina Whole Tomatoes, $19.25 ($0.19/ounce), 6.43 Pound  (Not available in 28 oz grocery store size, but they freeze very well)
If you must have it the classic way, you can buy 28 oz cans of imported San Marzano tomatoes in most grocery stores.  Cento and DiNapoli are among the most popular and tasty brands whether San Marzanos or U.S. grown.
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Scale
This one is best because the pull-out display allows larger & wider objects to be weighed without hiding the display, which is very convenient:
OXO Good Grips 5-lb Food Scale with Pull-Out Display, $32.94 
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Thermometer
This one is best because its dual probes allow different items to be monitored, and can be left unattended. While it's called a grilling thermometer, it works perfectly fine for pizza water:
ThermoPro TP717 Digital Meat Thermometer for Grilling, $21.99, Backlit, Oven Safe with 2 Meat Probes, Temp Alert for Smoker, BBQ, Oven
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Bench Scraper
Ideal for cutting pieces from the bulk dough to form into balls, cleaning up surfaces after dough-making and balling, and extracting balls from the proofing bin while making pizzas. We like this model because it has handy rulers and is printed with standard measures:
ALLTOP Bench Scraper & Chopper, Stainless Steel Blade Knife, Pastry Cutter for Pasta Dough Bread Cake Baking, Multi-purpose Kitchen Tool with Scale Ruler - Set of 2 Pack, $10.99
Filed in: Blackstone
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