There’s nothing like creating your own pizza masterpiece from scratch! After testing (and tasting!) dozens of pies, we’ve perfected the recipe so that you, too, can nail it at home. From dough making tips to topping techniques, delicious pizza is just a few steps away! Ready to get baking?
Classic Neapolitan Pizza
Makes (4) 12-inch pizzas
Dough Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2-3/4 cups (319 g) double zero flour
2-1/2 cups (300 g) 11.7% protein content unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon sea salt
Olive oil, for lightly coating dough balls
Semolina flour, for forming crust
Sauce Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz) whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 handful of fresh basil leaves, (removed from stem)
1 large garlic clove
1 teaspoon honey
Directions:
1. Add warm water and yeast to a bowl and whisk until fully combined. Set aside and let sit for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.
2. Mix together the double zero flour with the all-purpose flour and salt in a large bowl, then pour in half of the yeast water. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixed together. Add the other half of the yeast water and continue mixing with a wooden spoon until a rough dough starts to form. Finish mixing using your hands until the dough comes together into a ball.
3. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Knead and stretch the dough with both hands until it becomes firm and stretchy without any clumping. This will take about 8-10 minutes of kneading.
4. Once a smooth, uniform dough ball is formed, place the ball of dough back into the mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm area of your home for at least 2 hours or up to 3 hours depending on the warmth of the room. The dough should be doubled in size.
5. Once the dough has risen, use a dough cutter to divide it into 4 even pieces. Drizzle some olive oil onto your hands and lightly and evenly coat each piece of dough while forming it back into a ball. Place each olive oil-coated dough ball into a separate cereal-sized bowl. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours, (or up to 72 hours), to allow the dough to go through a cold fermentation cycle.
6. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Plan to use about 1/4 of the sauce for each pizza.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge 2 hours before baking, or long enough for it to warm to about 60 F. Place a ball of dough on a clean, lightly semolina-floured surface, and, working from the center, use your fingertips to form the dough into a 12-inch flat circle. You can start this process by holding the dough in your hands and pinching it from the center outward while spinning it slowly in a circle to keep it uniform. Place it on a flat surface to finish forming once it gets too large to continue holding it up. The final result should be a thin and uniform circle with a slightly thicker crust at the outer edge. Be cautious and take your time to avoid any holes in the thinner, center portion of the crust.
8. Add a light layer of sauce and toppings and bake according to your pizza oven instructions.
Tip: If using a pizza oven like an Ooni, rotate while baking, and bake until the dough is cooked and the cheese is evenly melted!