Skillet Neapolitan Pizza (No Kneading or Oven Required!) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you knead Neapolitan pizza dough? ›

After this, it is kneaded for an additional minute or two which makes it elastic and smooth. After that, the dough is covered and it gets a final rest of 8 hours. After this, the dough is ready to be shaped. To learn more about Neapolitan pizza, read Learning from a Maestro: Enzo Coccia's Neapolitan Pizza Traditions.

To explain, Neapolitan pizza oven temperature needs to be screaming hot - so hot, that most kitchen ovens can't compete. You need to hit temps of 800-1000 degrees Fahrenheit to get that masterful Neapolitan crust, whereas a conventional kitchen oven won't get much higher than 550.

Once you have made the Neapolitan pizza dough balls, place them in a flat surface air tight container. Leave this in an ambient location with a temperature between 16°C – 18°C / 60.8°F – 64.4°F for 24hr. After 24hr your dough balls should have risen and are ready to use.

00 Flour. Tipo “00” Flour is the shining star of Neapolitan pizza. A good, quality “00” flour typically has around 12% protein; but more importantly, it's the incredibly fine milling that sets it apart from other flours.

What happens if you under knead pizza dough? Under kneading causes a lack of strength and stretchiness in the pizza dough. The dough will tear easily when stretched and will not hold it's shape as well as a fully kneaded dough.

A hydration level of 60-70% is typically recommended for wood-fired pizza dough, often associated with Neapolitan-style pizzas. The higher hydration helps achieve a soft, airy, and slightly charred crust when exposed to the intense heat of a wood-fired oven.

The general rule is to let pizza dough rise until it has doubled in size, which could take anywhere between 1-1.5 hours. This will give the yeast time to activate and create a light, airy texture in the crust. However, I personally prefer cold-fermenting the dough for 48 hours for extra flavor.

For " Verace Pizza Napoletana” – (Vera Pizza Napoletana) the dough balls must weigh between 200 and 280 g, to obtain a pizza with a diameter between 22 - 35 cm.

Producing a perfect Neapolitan pie is no easy feat, but it's not impossible. Neapolitan pizza is made from a lean dough—that is, it's got nothing but flour, water, salt, and yeast. No oil, no sugar, nothing.

What flour do Italians use in pizza? ›

The secret to the tender yet stretchy pizza crust at your favorite pizzeria is probably 00 flour, a powdery fine Italian flour that you can find online or in specialty grocery stores.

The difference between bread flour and 00 flour is the protein content, and therefore the gluten levels. Strong bread flours tend to have higher levels of gluten compared to 00 flour. 00 flour is also less absorbent than bread flour, meaning less water is required when using 00 flour.

Knead Your Dough Properly

Gluten is what helps create a stretchy texture, allowing the dough to stretch without breaking. Though it's important to knead your dough thoroughly, it's not necessary to knead your dough for long. We recommended kneading your dough for about 4 to 6 minutes!

Neapolitan pizza is made from a lean dough—that is, it's got nothing but flour, water, salt, and yeast. No oil, no sugar, nothing.

The secret is that you should allow your pizza dough to rest before kneading. As soon as you have mixed your ingredients together, let your dough rest for around 30 minutes before kneading. Check out my previous article in this series – mixing Neapolitan pizza dough – to check out how to mix the ingredients.

If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water. Too wet, add a tiny bit of flour. Keep kneading for about 7-8 minutes. The dough should form a large ball onto the dough hook and clean the sides of your bowl.