Homemade Pizza Recipe

Here's the recipe we teach during our homemade pizza classes - it's it's a simple way to make classic pizza napoletana. - whether you're baking it in a wood burning oven or a regular home oven.  

Dough ingredients (makes 6-7 pizzas)

• 1 kg flour (00 or All Purpose) 
• 600-650 g room temperature water (see WATER QUANTITY & OVEN TEMPERATURE note below)*
• 27 gr fine salt
• 1 g (approx 1/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
• (Optional) 20 g of olive oil (see OLIVE OIL note below)*

Toppings (per 250 g pizza)

• 80 gr canned plum or San Marzano tomatoes
• 80 gr fresh mozzarella (also called “for di latte”)
• A handful of fresh basil
• Grated parmigiano QB (optional) 
• Extra virgin olive oil QB

How to make the dough

1. In a mixing bowl, add the yeast to the water and stir thoroughly.
2. Add half the flour, and work with a fork or mixing spoon until the mixture is smooth, no lumps.
3. Stir in the salt.
4. Add about half of the remaining flour, and keep stirring till the mixture is smooth again. 
5. Start adding the remaining flour a little at time until you you have a soft dough. You will likely need to use your hand at this point, as it will be too tough to use a fork or spoon. Use one hand for kneading, the other for holding the bowl. 
6. (If using) add the olive oil and continue to knead until the dough is no longer sticky.
7. Empty the dough onto a work surface and continue kneading for about 5 minutes. The dough will be somewhat smooth but not perfect. 
8. Ball up the dough, cover it, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
9. Fold the dough several times until it's smooth and cover it again.  
10. (Optional) time permitting, repeat step 9 once or twice to build the strength of your dough. 
    
11. Cover and let sit for 1-2 hours  before placing in the refrigerator. (If you don't have time, you can skip this step and refrigerate after steps 9 or 10). 
12. Allow the dough to rest overnight in the fridge. You can leave it there for up to three days.
13. 6-8 hours before you plan to bake your pizzas, remove the dough from refrigerator.
14. After 1-2 hours, cut and ball your pizzas. You can make 7 small pizzas (about 235 g each) or 6 large ones (about 275 g) with this amount of dough. 
15. Store your dough balls in an airtight container, lightly oiled to prevent sticking, until you are ready to make your pizzas.  
    

How to make the pizza - stretch, top and bake 

1. Several hours prior to baking, dice the fior di latte in small pieces, or tear it up with your hands for a more rustic effect. Place the cheese in a colander in the sink or large bowl to drain off the excess water. 
2. Preheat the oven on the highest temperature it'll go, typically about 500°. If using a pizza stone, place it in the mid-to-high position of your oven, about 8 inches below the broiler. Allow approximately 40 mins for it to get hot.
3. Pour your tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands, or run them through a food mill. If they liquid is a little too watery, you can add a little passata to thicken it. Add a little fine sea salt to taste, and set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, begin pressing the dough with your fingers, working out from the centre, so the air in the dough is pushed out the periphery, forming the crust. Do this once per side, then rotate the dough 90° and repeat. (SEE VIDEO BELOW). 
5. Begin lightly stretching and rotating the dough for several minutes until you have a circular dough, 8-10 inches in diameter. When it’s done, give it a shake to get the excess flour, which can cause burning in the oven. 
6. Spoon the tomatoes and spread evenly, spiralling outward with a large spoon. Then evenly spread out the mozzarella and top with basil. Dust with Parmigiano (optional), and finish with swirl of extra virgin olive oil.
7. Carefully slide onto a pizza peel and insert in oven, directly on the pizza stone or pizza steal. 
8. Bake for 6-9 minutes depending on the strength of your oven. Pizza crust and bottom should be slight golden brown when done. (see note on BAKING TIME / ADDING TOPPINGS).
9. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes to cool off. Then slice in four and eat while still hot

Notes

WATER QUANTITY
The traditional Neapolitan pizza recipe calls for 60 % water - i.e. 600 g water for 1,000 g flour. Contemporary recipes often use more water, which makes for a lighter pizza but also a stickier dough that’s harder to handle . That’s why we suggest you use less water when first learning how to make dough; you can increase the amount of water if you like once you’ve mastered the basic process. 

OVEN TEMPERATURE 
The other factor to understand is oven temperature. Wood burning ovens are typically 800°-900°F; whereas home ovens normally only go up to 500°F. Your pizza will loose more moisture when you’re cooking at a lower heat, so ideally you want more water in your dough if you’re using a home oven. But again, more water in your dough means it’s stickier and harder to work with, so be conservative at first and add a little water (if you like) once you really have get comfortable making dough. 

USING OLIVE OIL IN THE DOUGH 
When making pizza for a standard home oven (not a pizza oven) some people add olive oil (or a bit of sugar or honey) to give the crust of the pizza a more brownish "caramelized" look. It is not needed if you're baking in a wood burning / pizza oven. 

BAKING TIME / ADDING TOPPINGS
If you are using a home oven and find the mozzarella is caramelizing (turning a brown) when you bake the pizza, try baking the pizza dough with sauce only for approximately 5 minutes, till pizza is almost finished, then taking it out of the oven and adding basil, cheese, etc. Put the pizza back in the oven and bake till cheese is melted and crust is golden colour.

PANS / PIZZA STONES
Perforated pans work better than regular ones. But for best results we recommend a good quality pizza stone or pizza steal. Heat the stone at 500° for 40-60 minutes before baking and slide the pizza directly onto it. Its a good idea to get a small pizza peel to easily slide pizzas on and off the stone.

PIZZA BIANCA
If you are making a pizza bianca (no tomato sauce) follow the same recipe but add a little extra mozzarella and oil to prevent your pizza from getting dry and brittle