Neapolitan Pizza Dough
Nothing beats homemade Neapolitan-style pizza dough. It's fluffy, chewy and has a perfectly crispy crust. Everything what you want in a pizza.
Allow 2 hours for this dough to rest and rise before baking.
What you'll need: Makes 1 large pizza, or 4 personal size
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
2 1/4 cups ‘00’ flour, or bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
How to make it:
Using a glass measuring cup, add warm water, active yeast and honey. Stir to dissolve. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes to make sure the yeast is alive. It should foam and start to bubble. (At this time, make your own pizza sauce.)
Add flour and salt into the mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the yeast mixture and mix on low speed with a dough hook for about 5 minutes. The dough will start to pull away from the sides but still remain soft and slightly sticky at the bottom of the bowl.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm place for 1+ hour or until doubled in size. A good, warm spot is in a cold (off) oven with the light on if you’re on a time crunch.
Scrape the dough onto the counter. Choose to cut into 3 or 4 equal pieces if making small pizzas, or simply reform into one big ball. Allow the dough to proof for an additional 1+ hour. Place the large dough ball back in the bowl and cover again; or place each small ball onto a half-sheet of parchment paper, topped with olive oil to prevent sticking, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
The dough will puff up when ready to use. Preheat the oven to 500° F, and place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven to preheat.
Gently press out each dough ball into a rough circle on the parchment paper.
Add your favorite toppings, then transfer the dough (with the parchment) onto the hot baking sheet or pizza stone.
Bake at 500° F for about 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a pizza peel for easy transfer to and from the oven.
Drizzle the crust with extra olive oil if desired. Slice and serve hot.
Note:The longer the dough rests the easier and relaxed the dough is to stretch, as well as the puffier the crust gets as it cooks.
Make your own Marinara Sauce:
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (celtic, himalayan, kosher, etc.)
2 large sprigs basil (about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
In a medium bowl mix everything together. Whisk until the oil is incorporated into the tomatoes. Set aside to let the flavors marry for 30+ minutes. Use the sauce as desired on your favorite pizzas.
Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; or freeze for 3 months.
