Pizza NightNeapolitan pizza dough recipe
A soft, puffy rim with leopard spots and a thin, tender middle. Made for a very hot oven, but it works at home too.
- 62% hydration
- 250 g per ball
- 24 h in the fridge
For 4 Neapolitan balls of 250 g with a 24 hour cold rest: 617 g flour, 382 g water, 19 g salt and 2.37 g fresh yeast (0.78 g instant). Start the day before, about 25 hours ahead.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Grams | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 617 g | 100% |
| Water | 382 g | 62% |
| Salt | 19 g | 3% |
| Fresh yeast | 2.37 g | 0.38% |
Baker's percentages are relative to the flour. Neapolitan usually sits between 55% and 68% hydration: lower is easier to handle, higher is airier and stickier.
Method
- Mix. Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the flour, then the salt (and oil). Mix until no dry flour is left, about 15 minutes with rests.
- First rise. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Shape. Divide into 4 balls of 250 g and shape them tight. For a pan style, oil the pans and press the dough in.
- Fridge. Cover and refrigerate for about 20 hours.
- Back to room temperature. Take the dough out 3 hours before baking, longer in a cold kitchen. It is ready when a gentle poke springs back slowly.
- Bake. Heat the oven as hot as it goes: 30 minutes for a tray, an hour for a stone or steel. Then stretch, top and bake.
Times are a guide. Check the dough, not the clock: a warmer kitchen speeds it up, a colder one slows it down. See how much yeast to use for other temperatures and times.