Make Authentic Neapolitan Pizza With This Simple and Delicious Recipe (2024)

While you might not be able to make a truly authentic Neapolitan pizza at home without a wood-fired oven, this recipe will get you pretty close. The pizza pie originating in Naples, Italy, is known for its simple and fresh recipe; the fluffy, somewhat thin crust is topped with more sauce than cheese, which are pieces of fresh mozzarella that are dotted on, versus shreds that are sprinkled over the entire pie. Basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil are the only toppings, this simplicity being a signature characteristic of Neapolitan pizza. Because of this, make sure to use high-quality ingredients for the best possible results.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

4 cups Italian tipo "00" flour, or bread flour, or more as needed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water
Cooking spray, or olive oil

For the Sauce:

1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled Italian tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

For the Toppings:

12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices or torn into small chunks
2 ounces fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Steps to Make It

Make the Dough

Gather the ingredients.
Combine the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Mix to combine.
Add the water and mix to combine.
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Knead the dough on low speed for 10 minutes. The mixture should come together into a unified mass that barely sticks to the bottom of the bowl as it kneads. If the dough is sticking, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixer while it is running, until the mass barely sticks to the bowl. If the mixture is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the running mixer.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 72 hours.
When ready to make the pizza, transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Divide the pizza dough into 4 even sections.
Coat 4 small containers or bowls with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil.
With floured hands, form each section into a ball.
Place 1 dough ball into each coated container or bowl. Lightly spray the top of each dough ball with nonstick cooking spray or coat with olive oil.
Cover each container or bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Each dough ball should double in volume.

Make the Sauce

Gather the ingredients.
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Make the sauce by either pushing the tomatoes through a food mill or simply pulsing them in a food processor until a chunky liquid is formed.

Assemble the Pizzas

Gather the ingredients.
Heat the oven to at least 475 F,higher if your oven allows. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to heat as well.
Onto a well-floured surface, stretch out each ball of doughinto a 10-inch circle. Use a floured rolling pin if you need to. Don’t worry about the dough being a perfect circle.
Lightly flour a pizza peel making sure to cover where the dough will sit. Place one rolled-out piece of dough onto the peel and shake gently to ensure that the dough is not sticking.
Spread about 1/3 cup of sauce over the dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch of the edge bare.
Top the sauce with 1/4 of the mozzarella slices. Tear a few basil leaves and place them on top (according to your liking), and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. You can also add the basil and olive oil after the pizza is cooked.
Transfer the pizza from the peel to the hot stone by gently shaking the peel back and forth until the pizza slides completely onto the stone.
Bake about 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is charred in places.
Repeat with the remaining dough balls and ingredients.
Enjoy.

Why Is 00 Flour Better for Making Pizza?

The number, whether 00, 0, or 1, signifies the texture of the flour; 00 is extremely fine, which results in a soft pizza crust. This wheat flour also has a gluten content of 12 1/2 percent, making a chewy crust with puffy edges, ideal for a Neapolitan pizza. When using 00 flour in the dough, the pizza needs to bake at a high temperature, so if your oven won't go higher than 450 F, it may not be worth spending the extra money on this pricy flour.

How to Transfer the Dough From Peel to Stone

Sliding the pizza from the peel to the stone can be tricky at times. If you're finding simply flouring the peel isn't working, you can add cornmeal, which will create a coarser barrier between the dough and the peel. An even easier method is to place a piece of parchment paper under the dough on the peel and then it will effortlessly slide onto the stone. Halfway through cooking time, remove the paper by gently pulling out from under the pizza.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
225	Calories
8g	Fat
28g	Carbs
9g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10to 15
Amount per serving
Calories	225
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	11%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 15mg	5%
Sodium 316mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 28g	10%
Dietary Fiber 2g	5%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 4mg	20%
Calcium 115mg	9%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 115mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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