🧂 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.