Neapolitan Pizza Dough
A classic Neapolitan dough made for the home pizza oven — blistered, chewy, and light with that signature leopard-spotted char. This recipe is written for a home cook with a pizza oven, using a long cold ferment to develop deep flavour and a beautifully extensible dough.
Makes: 4 dough balls (28–30cm pizzas) | Prep: 30 mins | Ferment: 24–72 hours
Ingredients
- 500g tipo 00 flour
- 325ml lukewarm water (around 30°C)
- 12g fine sea salt
- 2g active dried yeast (or 1g instant yeast)
- Extra tipo 00 flour, for dusting
Method
Step 1 — Activate the yeast
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Stir gently and leave for 5 minutes until slightly foamy. If using instant yeast, skip the wait and mix straight in.
Step 2 — Mix the dough
Add the flour to a large bowl. Dissolve the salt in a tablespoon of water separately, then add both the yeast water and the salt water to the flour. Mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms — no dry flour should remain. Do not add the salt directly to the yeast; salt kills it.
Step 3 — Knead
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10–12 minutes until smooth, elastic, and soft as an earlobe. The dough should spring back slowly when poked. Neapolitan dough has 65% hydration, so it will feel slightly tacky — resist adding extra flour.
Step 4 — Bulk ferment
Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover tightly with cling wrap. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge for a cold ferment of 24–72 hours. The longer the cold ferment, the more complex and flavourful your dough will be.
Step 5 — Ball up
Remove the dough from the fridge 3–4 hours before baking. Divide into 4 equal portions (roughly 210g each). Using a bench scraper, fold each piece under itself to form tight, smooth balls with surface tension. Place on a lightly floured tray, cover with a damp cloth, and rest at room temperature.
Step 6 — Fire up the oven
Preheat your pizza oven to 450–500°C for at least 30–45 minutes. If your oven has a stone or deck floor, make sure it's fully saturated with heat. A properly heated stone is the key to an airy, puffed cornicione.
Step 7 — Shape the base
Dust your bench generously with flour. Working from the centre outward, press each dough ball flat with your fingertips, leaving a 2cm border for the crust. Stretch gently over your knuckles, rotating and letting gravity do the work. Aim for a round about 28–30cm wide and 3–4mm thin in the centre. Never use a rolling pin — you'll knock out all the air.
Step 8 — Top and bake
Transfer to a lightly floured peel. Top quickly (wet toppings make the dough stick — work fast!). Slide into your oven and bake for 60–90 seconds, rotating the pizza halfway through. The cornicione should puff and blister, and the base should have leopard-spot charring underneath.
Tips & Notes
Flour matters
Tipo 00 flour is finely milled and gives Neapolitan dough its signature soft, extensible texture. Look for it at Italian delis or good supermarkets across Australia — Caputo Pizzeria is the gold standard.
Hydration tip
At 65% hydration, this dough is wetter than most home recipes. The extra water creates steam during baking, giving you that open, airy crumb. If you're new to high-hydration doughs, start by reducing water to 300ml and work your way up.
Cold ferment flexibility
24 hours is good. 48 hours is great. 72 hours is exceptional. Plan ahead and your dough will reward you with deep, complex flavour and a crisp yet chewy bite.
Freezing
After balling, dough balls can be frozen individually. Thaw overnight in the fridge and come to room temperature for 4 hours before shaping.
Stone temperature
If you have an infrared thermometer, aim for 430–480°C on the stone surface before your first launch. Baking on an under-heated stone leads to a pale, soft base — the enemy of a true Neapolitan.