Name: Homemade Neapolitan Pizza Crust - As Close As It Gets
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 200 g flour (type 00); 1 tbsp dry active yeast; 2 tsp salt; 100 ml water (for the yeast); 100 ml water (for the dough); 150 g flour (type 00)

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Neapolitan pizza is one of the most iconic and delicious dishes in the world. It originated in Naples, Italy, and has a thin crust, fresh tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Making your own Neapolitan style pizza might sound time-consuming, but it is straightforward, and most of the time spent is waiting time, so it is the ideal dish to make on weekends or even mid-week if you got around 3 hours in total from the time you start making the dough. Now that we covered the basics, let's start with the fun part—the actual making of the dough. It’s easier than you think!

Neapolitan style pizza is a class on its own. To me, it is THE pizza and let me explain the difference. While there are many varieties like the New York-style pizza, for example, which features a thin pizza crust, the texture of the two is very different throughout. Neapolitan pizza has a very thin crust at the base, with dough puffing up beautifully around the sides, which provides a very airy crust. The exceptionally thin base of the Neapolitan style pizza is cooked rapidly and is the main reason why the pizza remains light and airy in texture but still leaves a great base that doesn't break or tear.

I tend to make this one the most during the summer months when the days seem so much longer and I get to enjoy it with my favourite watermelon lemonade.

Ingredients

Pizza is more than just a dish, it’s a celebration of life. It’s the ultimate comfort food that brings people together. It’s so simple to make, yet so satisfying to eat. You only need a few basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt, oil, tomato sauce, and cheese. But with these humble ingredients, you can create a masterpiece of flavor and texture.

Believe it or not, you only need a few ingredients that you most likely already have at home.

Flour type 00
Dry active yeast
Salt
Water

I highly recommend using this type of flour for the best result, as it contains the right amount of gluten necessary for this pizza style.

Instructions

The instructions are long because they are technical, not difficult, so don’t let this scare you away. Once you get the hang of it, home-made pizza could easily turn into a weekly staple.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour for the dough. Create a well in the center and pour in 100ml of water. Add 1 tablespoon of dry active yeast to the water and stir gently with a fork. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining 100ml of water and salt to the bowl. Mix roughly with the fork.

Generously dust a clean and dry surface with some of the flour needed for kneading. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto the surface. Add half of the kneading flour and work it into the dough.

Generously dust a clean and dry surface with some of the flour needed for kneading. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto the surface. Add half of the kneading flour and work it into the dough. Gradually add more flour until you have a smooth and non-sticky ball of dough. Usually, about 1 tablespoon of flour is left at this point.

The dough is ready when you can press a finger into the surface, and it bounces back to its original shape. This process takes approximately 10 minutes, or less if using a kitchen machine.

Place the dough ball onto a damp proofing cloth and cover it. Using a damp cloth prevents it from drying out. Allow it to rest for 2 hours.

After two hours the dough will have expanded significantly and may slightly stick to the cloth. Don't worry about this. Scrape off the dough from the cloth and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Use the remaining 2 tablespoon of flour for this step. Divide the dough and roughly shape it into balls.

The dough should be very elastic and easy to shape at this point. Continuously pull the dough to the bottom and tuck it under to form firm little balls. It's time for the second round of proofing.

Place the dough balls in sealable containers sealable containers, cover with a lid, and let them rest for another hour.

Now is the time to preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside to ensure it's thoroughly heated.

After the second resting phase, the dough should be very elastic and not sticky. Lightly flour a surface and place the dough ball on it. Shape the pizza by gently pressing and pulling.

Begin by forming a small disc with your fingertips, pushing down from the center towards the edges. Lightly stretch the dough while rotating it. The dough is highly elastic, so you can make it quite thin without worrying about tearing.

Transfer the pizza dough onto a pizza peel or thin cutting board lightly coated with semolina. Add the tomato sauce and vegan cheese as desired.

Add the tomato sauce and vegan cheese as desired.

Carefully slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone and keep a close eye on it, as it cooks in less than 5 minutes and can quickly go from perfect to burnt.

Hint: Now this is your pizza and I am not going to tell you what you can and cannot put on it but do keep in mind to not overload it. Too much sauce, cheese, or other ingredients can make your pizza wet and heavy, and ruin the texture and flavor.

Variations

Pizza is very forgiving when it comes to different preferencs since everyone can have their own choice of topping, the main work is done hours ahead, and you can, in fact, run two pizza stones at once without a problem.

Spicy - You can in fact have a friery pizza by adding some fresh chilies or another Italian invention which is Olio Santo. Italy's version of a chili oil.
Calzone - You can put toppings on just one half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal.
Kid friendly - Keep the toppings simple or let the little ones decide what they want on it. You can of course surprise them with mini calzones since they're easy to eat and make a delicious cold snack. Bake the calzones the same way you would bake a regular pizza but keep in mind the filling will be very hot so let it sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Equipment

A pizza stone is a great tool for making delicious and authentic pizzas at home. It can mimic the effect of a brick oven and give you a restaurant-quality result. If you don’t have one already, you might want to invest in one and try it out. You will be amazed by the difference it can make not just for pizza but a lot of other things. You can bake breads, bagels, biscuits, cookies, pies, and other pastries on a pizza stone, which will give them a nice crust and even browning.

Storage

While cold pizza can be a fun midnight snack I would highly recommend to always eat it fresh but if you do have leftovers they can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days - depending on the topping. Line an airtight container with paper towels and stack the pizza slices on it. This will help absorb the excess moisture and prevent the pizza from becoming soggy.

Top tips

Use a pizza stone to create a high-heat environment in your oven. This will help your crust to cook faster and become crispier. Preheat the oven with the stone inside for at least 30 minutes before baking your pizza

The speedy cooking time makes this a perfect dish for parties since everyone can have their own choice of topping, the main work is done hours ahead, and you can, in fact, run two pizza stones at once without a problem.

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Pairing

Pizza is a standalone dinner in my house, I serve no sides with it but we do go for delicious deserts and cold drinks in the summer.