Few dishes in the world are as iconic — or as loved — as Neapolitan pizza.

Born in the heart of Naples, Italy, this pizza is a true symbol of simplicity, tradition, and craftsmanship.

Made from just four humble ingredients — flour, water, salt, and yeast — the authentic Neapolitan pizza dough transforms into a light, soft, and beautifully charred crust when baked at high temperatures.

This isn’t just any pizza dough. It’s the official recipe recognized by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), which protects the tradition of real Neapolitan pizza. Every step — from mixing to shaping to baking — follows the original Italian method, ensuring that unmistakable taste and texture only a true pizza napoletana can deliver.

🧑‍🍳 What Makes Neapolitan Pizza Dough So Special

Simple Ingredients, Ancient Technique

While the ingredients are few, the process is everything. The dough rests for hours, allowing slow fermentation and maturation — a natural process that gives Neapolitan pizza its light, airy interior and soft yet elastic crust.

The long rise time means the yeast has time to break down complex proteins and starches, making the pizza easier to digest and giving it that signature aroma and chew.

The Secret Is in the Flour and Hydration

Authentic Neapolitan pizza uses Tipo “00” flour, a finely milled Italian flour with a high gluten content. This gives the dough strength and elasticity — essential for shaping the pizza by hand without tearing it.

The hydration (water content) is also crucial: roughly 60–65%, which means 1 quart of water to about 6¾–7¾ cups of flour. This perfect balance creates a supple, easy-to-work dough that puffs beautifully in the oven.

🔥 Tradition Meets Science: The Perfect Bake

The Magic of the Wood-Fired Oven

In Naples, pizza isn’t baked — it’s kissed by fire.
A traditional wood-fired oven reaches temperatures between 850°F and 900°F (430–480°C), baking the pizza in just 60–90 seconds.

The result is a crust that’s soft and chewy on the inside, yet perfectly blistered and smoky on the outside.

Each pizza comes out with a raised, leopard-spotted edge known as the cornicione — slightly crisp, beautifully airy, and full of flavor.

Home Oven Adaptation

Don’t have a wood-fired oven? Don’t worry! With a pizza stone or steel and a very hot home oven (500°F or higher), you can get remarkably close to the real thing.

The trick is preheating your stone for at least 45 minutes, baking the pizza quickly, and finishing under the broiler to mimic that wood-fired char.

🕰 A Recipe Rooted in Time and Love

For Neapolitans, pizza is more than food — it’s culture, history, and family.

This same dough has been passed down for generations, made in tiny neighborhood bakeries and family kitchens across southern Italy. Every bite carries the flavor of Naples: warm, honest, and full of life.

By following this recipe, you’re not just making pizza — you’re keeping a centuries-old tradition alive. Whether you use it for a classic Margherita, a Marinara, or your favorite topping, this is the foundation of every true Italian pizza.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Authentic AVPN-approved method — true to the Neapolitan standard

• Soft, airy, and light texture — not heavy or doughy

• Naturally fermented for 8–24 hours — better flavor and easier digestion

• Perfect for wood-fired or home ovens

• Ideal base for any Italian pizza topping

🍕 Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough

This is the original dough recipe for true Neapolitan pizza — light, soft, and beautifully blistered when baked in a wood-fired oven.

The quantities below are based on 1 quart (about 4¼ cups) of water, yielding about 6–8 pizzas depending on their size.

🧂 Ingredients (for about 1 quart / 4¼ cups of water)

• Water: 1 quart (4¼ cups)

• Fine sea salt: 1½–2 tablespoons (about 1.4–2.1 oz / 40–60 g)

• Fresh yeast: ¹⁄₃–⅒ teaspoon (0.004–0.1 oz / 0.1–3 g)
  OR
  Active dry yeast: ⅛–¼ teaspoon (⅓ of the fresh yeast amount)
  OR
  Sourdough starter: 5–20% of the flour weight (about ½–2 cups, if using)

• Flour: 6¾–7¾ cups (1.6–1.8 kg) Tipo “00” or all-purpose flour

🥣 Preparation

1. Start with the water:
   Pour the quart of water into your mixer bowl. Dissolve the sea salt completely.

2. Add flour gradually:
   Mix in about 10% of the total flour (¾ cup). This forms a light slurry.

3. Add yeast:
   Stir in the yeast (or sourdough starter). Avoid direct contact between yeast and salt for more than 5 minutes, as salt can damage yeast cells.

4. Mix the dough:
   Start your mixer (use a fork, spiral, or diving-arm mixer) and add the rest of the flour little by little. Mix until you get a single, smooth, elastic dough ball — this is called “punto di pasta” (the perfect dough point).

5. Rest the dough:
   Cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent the surface from drying. Let it rest until it relaxes — about 30–60 minutes at room temperature.

⏱ Fermentation & Maturation

• First rise: Let the dough rest, covered, for 2 hours.

• Shape dough balls: Divide into 7–10 oz (200–280 g) balls (for 9–13 inch / 22–35 cm pizzas). Shape each ball by hand — the motion is similar to shaping mozzarella.

• Second rise: Place dough balls in covered containers or food boxes. Let rise for 8 to 24 hours depending on temperature and humidity.
  During this time, enzymes break down starches and proteins, creating that perfect light texture.

🍞 Stretching the Pizza

Flatten each dough ball on a floured surface using your fingers, pressing from the center outward and turning the dough several times.
The center should be no thicker than ⅛ inch (0.1 inch / 0.25 cm), leaving a raised rim (the cornicione).

🍅 Toppings (Classic Neapolitan Style)

Use high-quality, preferably Campania-origin ingredients:

• Crushed peeled tomatoes: Hand-crush whole peeled tomatoes until chunky but not too thick.

• Fresh tomatoes: Slice into wedges.

• Mozzarella di Bufala (buffalo mozzarella): Slice and drain well.
  or
  Fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella): Cut into strips.

• Grated cheese (optional): Sprinkle lightly in a circular motion.

• Fresh basil leaves: Add on top of the sauce.

• Extra virgin olive oil: Drizzle in a spiral motion.

🔥 Baking

• Wood-fired oven temperature: 800–900°F (430–480°C)

• Baking time: 60–90 seconds

Bake directly on the oven floor until the pizza is evenly cooked, puffy, and slightly charred around the edges.

💡 Tips for Home Bakers

• If using a home oven, set it to its highest temperature (500°F or higher) and preheat a pizza stone or steel for at least 45 minutes.

• Bake the pizza for 6–8 minutes, finishing with 1 minute under the broiler for that Neapolitan char.

• Use Tipo “00” flour for authentic texture, but bread flour works well too.

🧮 Nutritional Facts (per pizza, approx. 10 oz / 280 g)

🍅 Authentic Margherita Pizza (Traditional Neapolitan Style)

The Pizza Margherita is the heart of Neapolitan cuisine — simple, colorful, and bursting with fresh flavor.

With the red of the tomato, the white of mozzarella, and the green of basil, it represents the Italian flag in every delicious bite.

🧂 Ingredients (for 1 pizza, about 12 inches / 30 cm)

• Dough ball: 1 (7–10 oz / 200–280 g), prepared from the Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe

• Whole peeled tomatoes: ½ cup (about 4 oz), hand-crushed

• Sea salt: 1 pinch

• Mozzarella di Bufala (buffalo mozzarella): 3½ oz (100 g), sliced and drained
  or
  Fior di Latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella): 3½ oz (100 g), cut into strips and drained

• Fresh basil leaves: 3–4

• Parmigiano Reggiano (optional): 1 tablespoon, freshly grated

• Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tablespoon

🥣 Preparation

1. Preheat your oven:

   • If using a wood-fired oven, heat it to 850°F (450°C).

   • For a home oven, place a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes.

2. Prepare the tomato base:
   In a bowl, crush peeled tomatoes by hand. Add a pinch of sea salt — no need to cook the sauce.

3. Shape the dough:
   On a lightly floured surface, press the dough ball outward with your fingertips, from the center toward the edge, keeping a small raised rim (cornicione).
   The center should be about ⅛ inch thick.

4. Assemble the pizza:

   • Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the base.

   • Lay the mozzarella slices evenly on top.

   • Add basil leaves.

   • Sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.

   • Drizzle olive oil in a spiral motion over the entire surface.

5. Bake the pizza:

   • In a wood-fired oven: bake for 60–90 seconds, turning once for even cooking.

   • In a home oven: bake for 6–8 minutes, then switch to broil for 1 minute to achieve that blistered Neapolitan finish.

6. Serve immediately:
   Slice and enjoy while hot — the crust should be soft, elastic, and slightly charred at the edges.

💡 Tips from Nonna

• Always drain the mozzarella for at least 30 minutes before using — excess moisture can make the pizza soggy.

• Use San Marzano DOP tomatoes if possible for authentic flavor.

• A light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil after baking enhances aroma and shine.

🧮 Nutritional Facts (per pizza)

NEAPOLITAN PIZZA CRUST & MARGHERITA

A slice of Naples right from your oven! Soft, airy crust, melted mozzarella, sweet tomato, and fragrant basil — pure Italian perfection.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Bread, pizza

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Notes

🧂 Ingredients (for about 1 quart / 4¼ cups of water)

• Water: 1 quart (4¼ cups)
• Fine sea salt: 1½–2 tablespoons (about 1.4–2.1 oz / 40–60 g)
• Fresh yeast: ¹⁄₃–⅒ teaspoon (0.004–0.1 oz / 0.1–3 g)
  OR
  Active dry yeast: ⅛–¼ teaspoon (⅓ of the fresh yeast amount)
  OR
  Sourdough starter: 5–20% of the flour weight (about ½–2 cups, if using)
• Flour: 6¾–7¾ cups (1.6–1.8 kg) Tipo “00” or all-purpose flour

---

🥣 Preparation

1. Start with the water:
   Pour the quart of water into your mixer bowl. Dissolve the sea salt completely.
2. Add flour gradually:
   Mix in about 10% of the total flour (¾ cup). This forms a light slurry.
3. Add yeast:
   Stir in the yeast (or sourdough starter). Avoid direct contact between yeast and salt for more than 5 minutes, as salt can damage yeast cells.
4. Mix the dough:
   Start your mixer (use a fork, spiral, or diving-arm mixer) and add the rest of the flour little by little. Mix until you get a single, smooth, elastic dough ball — this is called “punto di pasta” (the perfect dough point).
5. Rest the dough:
   Cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent the surface from drying. Let it rest until it relaxes — about 30–60 minutes at room temperature.

 

 

Ingredients (for 1 pizza, about 12 inches / 30 cm)

• Dough ball: 1 (7–10 oz / 200–280 g), prepared from the Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe
• Whole peeled tomatoes: ½ cup (about 4 oz), hand-crushed
• Sea salt: 1 pinch
• Mozzarella di Bufala (buffalo mozzarella): 3½ oz (100 g), sliced and drained
  or
  Fior di Latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella): 3½ oz (100 g), cut into strips and drained
• Fresh basil leaves: 3–4
• Parmigiano Reggiano (optional): 1 tablespoon, freshly grated
• Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tablespoon

---

🥣 Preparation

1. Preheat your oven:
   • If using a wood-fired oven, heat it to 850°F (450°C).
   • For a home oven, place a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes.
2. Prepare the tomato base:
   In a bowl, crush peeled tomatoes by hand. Add a pinch of sea salt — no need to cook the sauce.
3. Shape the dough:
   On a lightly floured surface, press the dough ball outward with your fingertips, from the center toward the edge, keeping a small raised rim (cornicione).
   The center should be about ⅛ inch thick.
4. Assemble the pizza:
   • Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the base.
   • Lay the mozzarella slices evenly on top.
   • Add basil leaves.
   • Sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.
   • Drizzle olive oil in a spiral motion over the entire surface.
5. Bake the pizza:
   • In a wood-fired oven: bake for 60–90 seconds, turning once for even cooking.
   • In a home oven: bake for 6–8 minutes, then switch to broil for 1 minute to achieve that blistered Neapolitan finish.
6. Serve immediately:
   Slice and enjoy while hot — the crust should be soft, elastic, and slightly charred at the edges.

Keyword Margherita pizza recipe, Neapolitan pizza, authentic Italian pizza, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, pizza napoletana, wood fired pizza, homemade pizza dough