How to Make Traditional Neapolitan Pizza

Pizza Oven

To learn more about Neapolitan pizza visit: https://www.pizzanapoletana.org/

Ingredients for dough:

  • 1000g flour (Caputo Pizza Flour) - reserve a handful or 2 for dusting your pizza peel when cooking
  • 555g water (cold water if hot out or room temp, never hot)
  • 27g salt (salt and yeast should never be in direct contact)
    • Salt gives the pizza color/flavor and reinforces the gluten
  • 1.11g fresh yeast or .55g dry yeast

Ingredients for sauce :

  • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes (whole, not drained)
  • 1g salt per 100g tomatoes

Ingredients for traditional pizza toppings:

  • Whole peeled canned tomatoes, not drained for the sauce
    • 100g-110g tomato for one 16 inch pizza
    • 75g-83g tomato for one 12 inch pizza
  • Buffalo mozzarella (cut into one finger width slices, then stack and thinly slice side-to-side)
    • 60g-70g cheese for one 16 inch pizza
    • 45g-53g cheese for one 12 inch pizza
  • 2 Garlic cloves, halved
  • Fresh basil
    • Keep damp cloth over basil between pizzas to keep fresh
  • Dried oregano

Notes:

  • The longer you let the dough sit and proof, the more digestible the dough will become
  • If you using that day, dough needs to proof for 10 hours at 20°C (68°F) or 8 hours at 28°C (83°F)
  • If you want to use the dough later, proof it for 4 hours then put it into the fridge. Remove it from the fridge 1 hour before use (for the first 10 minutes remove the top of the container to let the moisture escape)
  • For sauce, San Marzano tomatoes are the best because they are sweeter and have less seeds
  • Dough for 12 inch pizza should be 180g-225g
  • Dough for 16 inch pizza should be 250g-280g

Making the dough:

  1. Get out bowl large enough to fit all the dough and water with room to slightly knead the ingredients
  2. Add all 555g water (room temperature or cold water if it is really hot out)
  3. Mix in all 27g of salt into the water
  4. Place three handfuls of flour into the bowl of water (about 100g)
  5. Place three handfuls of flour onto your kneading surface (about 100g)
  6. Start a 20 minute timer (this is the activate amount of time you will spend in total working with and kneading the dough)
  7. Break up the lumps of dough until the flour is mixed in with the water
  8. Mix yeast into a small amount of flour and then mix that flour into your remaining flour (about 800g)
  9. Add all remaining flour (with the added yeast) into your bowl of water
  10. Use your hand like spoon to pick up the flour and then squash it with an open palm
  11. Continue doing this until the dough begins to stick together.
  12. As the dough sticks to your hands, add dry flour from your kneading surface to remove it
  13. For 3 minutes scrape the flour from the sides of the bowl while lifting and scraping
  14. After the dough gets some structure (while still in the bowl) fold from back to front and then punch. Use the punches to add dry flour into the middle of the dough. Use your thumb in your fist to continue adding dry flour to the middle of the dough.
  15. While folding and punching, continue to clean the sides of the bowl.
  16. When the dough is homogenous, take it out the bowl and place on your kneading surface
  17. Use your palms to push from the bottom of the dough to top 3 times, then twist the dough 90 degrees. Fold the dough down from the top to the bottom and again use your palms to push from bottom to the top 3 times before rotating 90 degrees (dough will look like a sausage before you rotate it). Dough should always be soft, but not sticky (keep adding flour as it gets sticky). If it is hot out, you can leave the dough a little harder. Use your weight to compress the dough, not just your hands and arms.
  18. Continue kneading until your 20 minute timer goes off. You should start to hear a little squeak and pop in the dough as you are kneading it as the gluten is becoming elastic. Your dough should feel elastic and smooth, not sticky.
  19. After your timer goes off, form your dough into a ball. Using flat hands under the dough, compress and turn to seal the bottom.
  20. Once the dough is sealed on the bottom (use a bit of pinching if you need in order to complete the seal), flip the bowl upside down on top of the dough and rest for 20-30 minutes
  21. After 30 minutes fold your dough one time. To fold, push the dough from the sides towards the bottom to form a log, then fold it in half. Seal off the bottom using the same technique as above
  22. Rest the dough for another 20-30 minutes
  23. Form the dough into a sausage loaf again (using your hands to press on the sides towards the bottom of dough) and stretch into a long log.
  24. Cut into desired pizza size (use a knife of bench scraper)
    1. Dough for 12 inch pizza should be 180g-225g
    2. Dough for 16 inch pizza should be 250g-280g
  25. Fold pieces with ragged edges into the middle of the dough. Using your left hand, make a “C” shape with your thumb and forefinger and use this to pinch and twist the bottom ⅓ of the dough to seal the bottom.
  26. Place the dough into a proofing box (or some container with rigid sides and a top that won’t restrict the dough from rising. You can sprinkle a little bit of flour on the dough or where its touching other dough balls so they don’t stick together.
  27. If using the dough that day, the dough needs to proof for 10 hours at 20°C (68°F) or 8 hours at 28°C (83°F) and is then ready to be used immediately
  28. If not using the dough until the following day (can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, let the dough proof for 4-6 hours and then place in the fridge. Take the dough out of fridge 1 hour before use (remove the lid for the first 10 minutes to let the moisture escape)

Making the Sauce:

  1. Open can of San Marzano tomatoes into a bowl (including the liquid)
  2. Sprinkle 1g of salt per 100g of tomatoes
  3. Using your hands, squish the tomatoes until you have broken them all up (There is no need to cook the sauce. The high heat of the oven will remove enough of the liquid to create a good consistency for the sauce).
  4. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

Forming dough into pizza

  1. After the dough has reached room temperature, scoop out a dough ball w/ a spatula and flip it into your other hand.
  2. Using this hand, place the dough on a lightly floured surface (use your pizza flour. Semolina flour will burn and cause your crust to cook unevenly)
  3. Starting in the middle of your circular shaped dough, use the four fingers on each hand to push the north and then south and continue around the pizza to maintain the circular shape and break out all of the bubbles
  4. Once you can fit both hands on the dough, use your right hand to hold the middle of the dough and your left hand to stretch it outward. Then using your left hand, flip the dough onto your right wrist. Use your right hand (with the dough draped over your wrist) to rotate the dough 90 degrees. Continue doing this until the dough is the width of your two open hands side by side.

Topping and Cooking Traditional Pizza

  1. With your dough stretched to your desired width, move your dough onto your lightly floured pizza peel. Reshape your pizza into a circle if it becomes deformed.
  2. Add your sauce first starting in the middle and using a circular motion, spread the sauce around your pizza.
    1. 100g-110g tomato for one 16 inch pizza
    2. 75g-83g tomato for one 12 inch pizza
  3. Add your cheese. If using buffalo mozzarella, cut into one finger width slices, then stack and thinly slice side-to-side.
    1. 60g-70g cheese for one 16 inch pizza
    2. 45g-53g cheese for one 12 inch pizza
  4. Add your garlic clove halves
  5. Drizzle the pizza the some high quality olive oil
  6. Once all of your desired toppings have been added, test to make sure your pizza is loose and ready to be launched into the oven. Holding the pizza peel by the handle, I give the pizza a little shift forward and backward to make sure it will slide freely. If there are any parts that are sticking, carefully lift the corner and add a sprinkling of flour.
  7. Make sure your oven has reached a temperature of 700°F - 800°F
  8. Take your pizza peel by the handle and with it slightly angled place it into your oven about ¾ of the way back. Using a motion similar to sifting ingredients in a pan, launch (or wiggle launch) your pizza onto the pizza stone.
  9. Watch your pizza carefully. Most pizza ovens heat source is at the back of the oven, and will cook the pizza most quickly at the back. Watch for the crust to turn golden brown. As soon as it does, use your pizza turner to rotate the pizza to the next uncooked portion.
  10. Continuing rotating until the entire crust is golden brown and the bottom of the pizza resembles leopard spots
  11. Remove your pizza from the oven and sprinkle it with dried oregano and leaves of basil
  12. Cut and serve immediately