Neapolitan pizza dough recipe

4 Cups flour (Antimo Caputo 00 pizzeria flour or use a high protein flour – 11.7% or higher)

2.4 Cups water at room temp (or even slightly cool)

1.2 tsp fine sea salt

.5 tsp instant dried yeast

Directions:

Pour water into mixing bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook

Dissolve yeast in water

Add about ½ of the flour to mixing bowl and begin mixing just until it comes together

Rest for 5 minutes

Add salt and mix for 30 seconds

Add the rest of the flour

Mix for about 10 minutes or until ball is smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. Mixing time may vary depending on the power and speed of your mixer and the humidity. 

You might want to take the temp of your dough at this point with an instant read thermometer. Mixing in a stand mixer generates heat into the dough. It should be about 75 degrees and you don’t want it over 80. If it is too warm, you may want to start with cold water next time

Turn out dough and form one single smooth ball making sure there is no trapped air

Cover with the mixer bowl and bulk ferment for 30 minutes

Divide into 4 equal dough balls. Roll each ball smooth with no seams

Cover dough balls and ferment (ideally in a covered pizza dough box) at room temp for 8 hours depending on ambient air temperature. After fermentation, dough balls should slump, nearly double in size, show some bubbles and be soft

When ready to make pizza, don’t tear away dough balls if they are touching (you don’t want them to degas). Dust edge of dough balls and use bench scraper to cut away and scoop up ball, being careful to not degas

Dust ball and bench with flour

Open dough balls by using fingertips starting at the center to push gas toward edge

Once raised edge is formed, stretch into a 12” round being careful to not degas the edge

Top pizza and transfer to pizza peel

Cook at 800-850 degrees for 60-90 seconds, possibly rotating pizza during cook depending on your oven.