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Ingredients
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Dough (Neapolitan-style)
Tomato Sauce
Topping & Finish
Method
Dough (Neapolitan-style)
- 1
Activate yeast & mix
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water (room temperature, about 70–75°F / 21–24°C) and active dry yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until slightly foamy. Add the 00 flour and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon or by hand until a shaggy dough forms.
- 2
Add salt & knead
Add the 2 teaspoons fine sea salt and incorporate. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. If using a stand mixer, knead on low with a dough hook for 6–8 minutes.
- 3
- 4
Divide & cold ferment (recommended)
Punch down gently and divide into 3 equal portions (each about 250–300 g). Shape into tight balls. Place balls on a tray, cover, and refrigerate for 12–48 hours for improved flavor. If short on time, you can proceed immediately after the first rise.
- 5
Bring to room temperature
If cold-fermented, remove dough balls from the fridge 1–2 hours before baking to come to room temperature.
Tomato Sauce
- 6
Prepare sauce
Pour the canned San Marzano tomatoes into a bowl. Crush them by hand or pulse gently in a blender for a few seconds to retain a rustic texture — do not overblend. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano if using. Taste and adjust salt. No cooking required for authentic Neapolitan-style sauce.
Topping & Finish
- 7
Preheat oven / prepare surface
Place a pizza stone or steel in the oven and preheat to the highest temperature possible (500–550°F / 260–290°C) for at least 45 minutes. If you have a pizza oven, preheat according to manufacturer instructions. Lightly dust a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet with the cornmeal or semolina.
- 8
Shape the dough
Working with one dough ball at a time, gently press from the center outward on a lightly floured surface, leaving a 1/2–1 inch rim. Use your knuckles to stretch the dough to a 10–12 inch round (Neapolitan pizza is thin in the center with a puffy rim). Do not use a rolling pin — hand-stretching preserves air in the crust.
- 9
Assemble pizza
Place the stretched dough on the prepared peel. Spoon 1/3 of the tomato sauce (about 1/3 cup) onto the center and spread thinly, leaving the rim bare. Distribute approximately 2.5–3 ounces (about 1/3 of the 8 oz) of fior di latte in small pieces across the pizza. Drizzle lightly with a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 tsp). Sprinkle a pinch of the 1/4 tsp fine sea salt evenly.
- 10
Bake
Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or steel. Bake for 5–8 minutes at 500–550°F (or 60–90 seconds in a very hot pizza oven) until the crust is blistered, leopard-spotted, and the cheese is melted and slightly browned in places. Rotate the pizza halfway through if your oven has hot spots.
- 11
Finish & serve
Remove the pizza and immediately scatter 4 fresh basil leaves across the hot pizza. Drizzle with a little more extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 tsp) and tear/lay the remaining basil leaves as desired. Let rest 1 minute, then slice and serve. Repeat assembly and baking for remaining dough balls and toppings.
