Italian Pizza Dough Recipe

As close as you can come to authentic Neapolitan handmade pizza is with this Italian pizza dough recipe. I can’t think of anything better in terms of texture or taste.

Do you want to prepare pizza in the manner of Italy without leaving your house? We’ve spent the last decade or more travelling to the finest pizzerias in Italy and experimenting with dough until we’ve perfected the recipe. Put this Italian pizza dough recipe to the test. Naples-style pizza dough is soft and chewy, with a crisp outside and soft inside. If you cook it on a pizza stone long enough, it will take on the flavour of a pizza cooked in an Italian wood oven. The whole list of our secrets is here.

Table of Contents

In your opinion, what makes the greatest Italian pizza dough?

Alex and I from A Cozy Kitchen have been to Italy on many occasions to research the local pizza culture. Then, we’ve had some of the top Italian-style pizza cooks in America here for a round of interviews (like Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco and Caleb Schiff of Pizzicletta). As a result of our investigation, we have come to the following conclusions on the ingredients and methods that comprise the ideal Italian pizza dough recipe:

Make sure you’re using Tipo 00 flour. Neapolitan pizza is traditionally made using a special sort of Italian flour called Tipo 00. It’s a step higher from conventional all-purpose flour, producing dough that is more attractive, pliable, and airy. It’s available at most supermarkets and supermarket websites. In a pinch, you could use all-purpose flour, but it’s worth it to track down the good stuff.
Put the dough in the fridge for two or three days before baking (optional). Our two pizza dough experts concurred on the same thing. You can take your Italian pizza dough to the next level by refrigerating it for two or three days in a covered container. This results in a naturally fermented dough with a nutty, rich taste. This is not required since it’s not always feasible to plan ahead. However, it yields astonishing outcomes.

A traditional recipe for Italian pizza dough

It doesn’t take much skill to master this pizza dough recipe. Check out the movies down below for some visual aids as you go through this procedure. So, here’s what you can anticipate from the dough-making procedure:

Use a food scale for accurate measuring. Use a food scale to measure ingredients whenever possible; doing so is preferable since it provides a more precise result and takes into consideration any fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
Put the dough through a kneading cycle, either manually or with a kitchen mixer. You have two options. Although getting your hands filthy is encouraged, we recommend using a stand mixer since it eliminates that need. It takes just 8 minutes regardless of the scenario.
Allow 45 minutes for the dough to rest. The dough is given time to “proof,” or ferment, so that it may achieve the right level of lightness and fluffiness.

Some suggestions for elongating the dough.

The most challenging component of creating Italian pizza dough is stretching the dough. Create a circle that’s 11 inches in diameter by stretching it out. In this regard, some further information is provided below:

If you can afford it, get yourself a pizza peel. To transfer the dough to the pizza stone, use this massive wooden paddle. You can’t go wrong with either the Standard or Conveyor pizza peels.
Spread cornmeal or semolina flour on the pizza peel. That way, the dough may easily be transferred to the stone.

Pizza stones are ideal for baking authentic Italian pizza dough.

This is the last word on the Italian pizza dough recipe! In order to get the ideal balance between crispiness on the crust and chewiness on the inside, baking on a pizza stone is essential.

A pizza stone’s ability to cook at temperatures greater than an oven’s is what gives pizzas their signature chewy, charred crust in Italy.
In need of a pizza stone recommendation. The pizza stone shown here is the finest one we’ve seen.

Delicious pizza sauce, cheese, and other toppings, made with authentic Italian dough.

Surely you have some ideas for pizza toppings already! Nonetheless, consider the following traditional Italian toppings:

Here is our recommendation for the greatest homemade Margherita pizza: our most basic pizza sauce, mozzarella, and basil.
How well-known is it that there is no cheese on a Pizza Marinara? Spicy Pizza Diavola is a classic Neapolitan pizza topping. We had a variation of it in Rome.
Very classic, our Best Anchovy Pizza is delicious.
In the comments, tell us what you plan to add on this pizza crust, and ask any questions you may have!

Authentic Italian pizza dough, made using this recipe.

Non-meat, no-animal products, and based on plants.

Ingredients

Three and a half cups (about 500 grammes) of all-purpose flour (Tipo 00)
8 grammes of rapid-rise or rapid-acting dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
Seven grammes of table salt (1 teaspoon)
338 g of hot liquid (1 1/4 cups + 3 teaspoons)
The Olive Oil Reference Table (1 tablespoon)

Instructions

In a large basin or the container of your stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and yeast together. Make sure everything is mixed together. To make a shaggy dough, add the water and olive oil and mix. Spread some flour on a work area and dump the dough out.
Make a ball out of the dough and knead it by pressing down on it with your hand. Repeat this process for another 8 minutes, or until the dough is pillowy soft and has a smooth, flexible exterior. Add a pinch of flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. An alternative method is to use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and set it to medium-low speed; let it knead for 8 minutes.
After the dough has been kneaded for a while, cut it into thirds. Use greased hands to form each piece into a ball by folding the dough under itself and rolling it gently. In order to prevent the dough from drying out, I brushed each boule with olive oil before placing it on a floured board. Allow the boules to rise under a moist towel for 45 minutes to an hour, or until they have doubled in size.
The dough is ready for use at once. However, for the BEST taste, divide the dough into plastic containers big enough to allow it to double again, and chill for 2 to 3 days. We always do this. In any case, if you plan ahead, you’ll have the greatest handmade pizza dough you’ve ever eaten, with a nutty, distinctive flavour. Pizza dough that won’t be used the same day may also be frozen.
When working with dough that has been refrigerated: The day of serving, remove the dough from the containers, place it on a lightly floured surface covered with a towel, and allow it to come to room temperature before stretching, 30 to 45 minutes.
Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour and place it in the oven when it is ready. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!)
Form a circle by stretching out the dough; Learn how to make pizza using stretchy dough or refer to these guidelines: To stretch the dough, place it on the pizza peel or a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a circle, flipping several times and adding a pinch of flour if it is too sticky. Once you have about an 8-inch circle, pick up the dough and gently drape it over the knuckles on both of your hands. Slowly rotate it around, allowing gravity to stretch it into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Do not overwork or fold the dough. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily.
We bake our pizzas at 500F and use a pizza peel to transfer it to a preheated pizza stone in the oven: the bake time is around 5 to 7 minutes. See our pizza recipe posts for baking instructions.

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