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Chewy Neapolitan Style Pizza at Home (Beginners Guide) Recipe

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3.9 from 5 reviews

This Chewy Neapolitan Style Pizza recipe is a detailed beginner's guide to crafting authentic pizza dough with a long cold fermentation for optimal flavor and texture. It includes preparing a poolish pre-ferment, slow fermenting the dough over days, shaping, stretching, topping, and baking either in a home oven or a professional pizza oven. The result is a light, chewy crust with a perfect crust-to-toppings balance, reminiscent of traditional Italian pizza.

  • Total Time: 2-3 days plus 30 minutes active prep and 5-10 minutes baking per pizza
  • Yield: 3 pizzas (servings)

Ingredients

Poolish

  • 200 g water (room temperature/cold)
  • 5 g instant dry yeast
  • 5 g honey
  • 200 g Tipo 00 bread flour

Pizza Dough

  • 265 g water (room temperature/cold)
  • 465 g Tipo 00 bread flour
  • 15 g fine salt
  • 8 g olive oil

Pizza Sauce

  • 200 g passata (Mutti brand recommended)
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 clove garlic, freshly minced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Good pinch of fine salt

Toppings

  • Low moisture mozzarella, cut into 1 cm cubes

Instructions

  1. Prepare Poolish: In a medium bowl or lidded container, combine 200 g bread flour with 5 g instant dry yeast. Stir to mix, then add 200 g water and 5 g honey. Mix until a thick, sticky paste forms. Cover with plastic wrap.
  2. First Rise: Refrigerate the poolish for 24 hours to ferment slowly and develop flavor.
  3. Make Dough: Using a stand mixer on medium-low speed, add the poolish, 265 g water, 465 g bread flour, 15 g salt, and 8 g olive oil. Knead for 5 minutes until rough dough forms.
  4. First Rest: Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes to allow gluten to relax and strengthen.
  5. Second Knead: Knead again on medium-low speed for 10-15 minutes until smooth, tacky dough pulls away from bowl. Add 1-2 ice cubes in last 3 minutes to keep dough cool and enhance texture.
  6. Second Rise (Cold Fermentation): Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 days (max 3 days) to enhance flavor and chewy texture.
  7. Shape Dough Balls: Remove dough from fridge and divide into three equal portions. Shape each into balls by rolling the base between your hands until smooth and tight.
  8. Third Rest: Lightly oil three lidded containers. Place dough balls inside and rest at room temperature for 2-4 hours until doubled in size and soft to touch but springy.
  9. Preheat Oven: For home oven, place a pizza stone or steel on the top third rack and preheat to highest fan setting for at least an hour (around 280°C/536°F). For pizza oven, preheat to around 400°C/750°F for 30-40 minutes.
  10. Prepare Sauce: Mix passata, dried oregano, minced garlic, olive oil, and salt in a bowl. No cooking needed; can be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
  11. Cut Cheese: Cube low moisture mozzarella into approx. 1 cm pieces for even melting.
  12. Shape and Stretch Dough: Dust work surface with flour or semolina. Place dough ball on bench, dust top and bottom. Press center gently with fingers leaving rim untouched. Flip and repeat. Stretch dough using the heel of your hands and rotate until about 20 cm (8 inches) diameter.
  13. Transfer to Peel: Slide half the dough onto a floured pizza peel, then carefully transfer the other half. Reshape gently if it distorts from round shape.
  14. Add Toppings: Spread a moderate amount of sauce on dough, topping with mozzarella cubes. Avoid overloading to keep Neapolitan style balance.
  15. Bake Pizza: In home oven, bake pizza for 5 minutes, then turn with tongs for even cooking. Once done, transfer to a tray to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. In a pizza oven, slide pizza onto the hot surface, briefly let it settle, then gently shake peel back and forth to slide pizza onto oven floor. Turn oven temperature down to medium and rotate pizza frequently for even baking until crust is colored and cooked. Remove with peel and let cool briefly before serving. Repeat with subsequent pizzas.

Notes

  • Use instant dry yeast for the poolish to ensure proper fermentation.
  • Tipo 00 flour is preferred for authentic texture but bread flour can be substituted.
  • Low moisture mozzarella is important to avoid excess water making the pizza soggy.
  • Knead on medium-low speed to prevent overheating of dough which affects texture.
  • Adding ice cubes during kneading helps maintain cool dough temperature and improves flavor.
  • Long cold fermentation (2-3 days) is key to develop the chewy texture and complex flavor.
  • Use a pizza stone or steel in a home oven for best crust results.
  • If using a pizza oven, practice is required to judge timing and turning for even cooking.
  • Author: Amelia
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes active prep over multiple days
  • Cook Time: 5-10 minutes per pizza
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Find it online: https://recipesvibe.com/chewy-neapolitan-style-pizza-at-home-beginners-guide-recipe/