How to make Neapolitan pizza at home: Tips on the dough, sauce and oven

How to make Neapolitan pizza at home: Tips on the dough, sauce and oven

What makes Neapolitan pizza so special?

Classic Pizza Napoletana has its roots in Naples and is known for its soft, airy crust, thin base, short baking time and carefully selected ingredients.

Rather than piling on lots of toppings, the focus is on quality, balance and flavour.

Typical ingredients include:

The perfect dough for Neapolitan pizza

The dough is what defines a truly good pizza. The key factors are:

Ingredients for 4 pizzas:

  • 500 g type 00 pizza flour
  • 325 ml water
  • 10 g salt
  • 2-3 g dry yeast

How to make pizza dough

  1. Dissolve the dry yeast in the water.
  2. Add the flour gradually and mix briefly.
  3. Add the salt and knead the dough for approx. 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  4. Cover the dough and leave to rest at room temperature for approx. 1 hour.
  5. Then leave it to mature in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
  6. Before baking, divide the dough into 4 balls and leave to relax at room temperature for approx. 2 hours.

The long resting time gives the dough more flavour and helps create a light, airy crust.

Insider tip for authentic Neapolitan pizza

A useful trick when shaping pizza dough is to use semola, finely milled durum wheat semolina.

Semola helps prevent the dough from sticking to the worktop or pizza peel when shaping and transferring it. It also adds a lightly crisp texture and helps create a more authentic result, just like in an Italian pizzeria.

Important: Use semola sparingly so the pizza does not pick up too much excess flour during baking.

The right pizza sauce

Less is more: for Neapolitan pizza, the sauce is usually not cooked beforehand.

Simply:

  • Crush high-quality tinned tomatoes
  • Season lightly with salt
  • Add a little olive oil

This keeps the tomato flavour fresh and vibrant.

How to bake pizza properly

Traditionally, Neapolitan pizza is baked at very high temperatures in a brick oven. Excellent results can also be achieved at home with the right method.

Tips for the oven

  • Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes
  • Use the highest temperature setting
  • Use a pizza stone or baking steel
  • Bake the pizza for as short a time as possible

The hotter the oven, the closer the texture will be to a classic Neapolitan pizza.

Which toppings work well on Neapolitan pizza?

Classic versions use just a few ingredients:

  • Mozzarella
  • Basil
  • Tomatoes
  • Olive oil

Modern variations are also popular, with ingredients such as:

Frequently asked questions about Neapolitan pizza

Which flour is best for Neapolitan pizza?
Italian type 00 pizza flour is the best choice.

Why does the dough need to rest for so long?
A long resting time improves the flavour, texture and digestibility of the dough.

Can Neapolitan pizza be made without a pizza oven?
Yes. A very hot oven and a pizza stone can produce excellent results at home.

Conclusion

With high-quality ingredients, a little patience and the right baking technique, you can make a beautiful Neapolitan pizza at home. The airy crust, aromatic sauce and thin base bring the authentic taste of Italy to your table from your own oven.

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