How to Make Authentic Neapolitan Pizza

Overview

This video demystifies authentic Neapolitan pizza, breaking down the precise rules defined by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana since 1984. It covers the specific dough recipe, a crucial 24-hour fermentation process, required San Marzano tomatoes and Mozzarella di Bufala, and the intensely high, fast cooking methods.

Ingredients

• 1000 grams Tipo 00 flour
• 650 milliliters water
• 30 grams salt
• 3 grams fresh yeast
• San Marzano tomatoes
• Salt
• Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (sliced 6 millimeters thick)

Instructions

1. Combine 1000 grams Tipo 00 flour, 650 milliliters water, 30 grams salt, and 3 grams fresh yeast to form the dough.
2. Knead the dough by hand for exactly fifteen minutes.
3. Let the dough rest and ferment for twenty-four hours at twenty degrees Celsius.
4. For the sauce, hand-crush San Marzano tomatoes and season with a little salt; do not cook or blend.
5. Slice Mozzarella di Bufala Campana six millimeters thick and drain in the fridge for four hours at 4 degrees Celsius.
6. If using a wood oven, preheat it to 485 degrees Celsius (905 degrees Fahrenheit) and cook the pizza for exactly ninety seconds, turning once at forty-five seconds.
7. If using a home oven, preheat a baking steel for 60 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, then bake the pizza for 6 minutes, and finally broil for 2 minutes.

In this video

• The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana has strictly defined authentic Neapolitan pizza since 1984.
• The official dough recipe requires 1000 grams of Tipo 00 flour, 650 milliliters of water, 30 grams of salt, and 3 grams of fresh yeast.
• Dough must be kneaded by hand for exactly fifteen minutes and fermented for twenty-four hours at twenty degrees Celsius.
• The 65 percent hydration and long fermentation at 20 degrees Celsius develop optimal gluten structure and nuanced flavors.
• Toppings are simple: hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes with salt and six-millimeter-thick Mozzarella di Bufala Campana.
• Mozzarella must be drained in the fridge for four hours at 4 degrees Celsius to prevent a soggy base during baking.
• Authentic pizza is cooked in a wood oven at 485 degrees Celsius (905 degrees Fahrenheit) for precisely ninety seconds.
• For home ovens, preheat a baking steel for 60 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, bake for 6 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes.
• The intense heat causes water in the dough to flash into steam, instantly inflating the *cornicione* and creating *leopardo* spots.

Frequently asked questions

What defines authentic Neapolitan pizza?

Authentic Neapolitan pizza has been strictly defined by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana since 1984, adhering to precise rules for dough, ingredients, and cooking methods.

What are the exact ingredients for Neapolitan pizza dough?

The official recipe calls for 1000 grams of Tipo 00 flour, 650 milliliters of water, 30 grams of salt, and 3 grams of fresh yeast. The dough must be kneaded by hand for fifteen minutes.

How long does Neapolitan pizza dough need to ferment?

The dough must rest and ferment for twenty-four hours at twenty degrees Celsius. This long, slow fermentation develops deep flavors and the characteristic airy crust.

What kind of tomatoes and cheese are used for authentic Neapolitan pizza?

Only San Marzano tomatoes from the agro Sarnese-Nocerino, hand-crushed with salt, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, sliced six millimeters thick and drained for four hours, are permitted.

How hot should the oven be for Neapolitan pizza?

A wood oven should be 485 degrees Celsius (905 degrees Fahrenheit) and cook the pizza in ninety seconds. A home oven can approximate this with a baking steel at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, baking for 6 minutes, then broiling for 2 minutes.