It’s difficult to return after experiencing Naples, Italy’s greatest pizza. You recall how Neo is given the option to choose between blissful ignorance and the truth when he is given the blue or red pill in the movie The Matrix? Eating pizza in Naples, the birthplace of the dish, is akin to selecting the poisonous red pill. After trying Neapolitan pizza, you’ll never want anything else. The rest of your life will be spent attempting to duplicate it at home. Thank goodness we did that for you. Here are all of our exclusive secrets for making the greatest Neapolitan pizza at home, so you may enjoy it for the rest of your life!
What is Neapolitan pizza?
Pizza created in the manner that originated in Naples, Italy, is known as a Neapolitan pizza. What is meant by “authenticity,” like any well-known food, is subject to different interpretations. Here are some features of Neapolitan pizza that Alex and I discovered after tasting some of what is regarded as the greatest pizza in the world in Naples:
Simple flavours: Margherita and Marinara were the only flavours offered at Da Michele, the greatest Neapolitan pizza joint we’ve ever been to. Pizza marinara just has tomatoes and garlic, whereas pizza margherita contains tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Both had the ideal amount of simplicity.
a thin, soft crust prepared in a very hot oven: The majority of Neapolitan pizzas are cooked at temperatures between 800 and 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in a wood-fired pizza oven. The crust normally has bulging borders, is blackened by the fire, and becomes quite thin in the centre.
Typical tomatoes: Typically, tomatoes, primarily of the San Marzano kind, are used to simply spread the dough on Neapolitan pizzas. The sauce in the recipe below is straightforward and evokes the tastes we had in Naples.
Mozzarella: Italian cheese is of the highest quality. Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella cheese are often seen in Neapolitan pizza.
How to make Neapolitan pizza dough?
The pizza dough is a fundamental component of Neapolitan pizza. We’ve been developing our formula for more than ten years, Alex and I. We’ve picked up a few tips from some of America’s top pizza restaurant cooks who themselves studied the pizza in Naples as we’ve refined our dough recipe.
Utilize flour Tipo 00. Italian restaurants serving Neapolitan pizza often utilise tipo 00 flour. It results in a lovely, flexible, and fluffy dough. It is available online or at your neighbourhood supermarket. Next level pizza can still be made using all-purpose flour if you can’t get it.
2–3 days before baking, put the dough in the refrigerator (optional). If possible, we advise storing your pizza dough in the refrigerator for two to three days in a sealed container. This causes the dough to organically ferment, giving it a nutty, rich flavour.
Do I need Neapolitan pizza oven?
If everyone could possess a Neapolitan pizza oven, wouldn’t that be nice? We hope! No, you can make this dish without a Neapolitan pizza oven. It may be prepared in a conventional oven with a warmed pizza stone inside at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If you lack one, Here is the top pizza stone and some maintenance advice.)
But beware! You will need a pizza oven if you want your crust to have the stunning black char markings shown in these pictures. How come a pizza oven? And which one is ideal for use?
In comparison to a standard oven, a pizza oven may become quite hot. A pizza oven can achieve temperatures of up to approximately 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, when your typical oven can only reach 550 degrees.
Which pizza oven should I buy? The Ooni pizza oven is a brilliant invention that Alex and I use. The Ooni can heat up to 1,000 degrees in only 10 minutes and is portable. It is run on wood pelle.
For Neapolitan pizza, what kind of sauce should I use?
The majority of recipes for Neapolitan pizza call for sprinkling tomatoes directly on the dough. Italian tomatoes of the San Marzano cultivar are most often used in Neapolitan pizza. Nowadays, a lot of supermarket shops in the US carry canned San Marzano tomatoes.
However, Alex and I just learned an even better method for preparing tomato sauce that was more reminiscent of the sauce on our Neapolitan pizza. the use of tomato fire roasting! Right out of the can, they have an incredibly sweet taste. With just 5 ingredients, this simple pizza sauce creates a flavorful sauce that brings to mind the greatest pizza in Naples, Italy.
Does basil appear in Neapolitan pizza?
No and yes! There are many different views on what constitutes a genuine Neapolitan pizza recipe, as there are for any well-known dish. Basil is a must if you’re creating pizza in the Margherita style, in our opinion. A fresh basil leaf was placed on the pizza when we had Naples pizza a few years ago. a leaf! It managed to introduce just the appropriate amount of basil flavour.
Basil should be added to pizza either before or after baking. Your oven will determine the solution. The bake time for a Neapolitan pizza oven is just one minute. The fresh basil remains green since it’s in the oven for such a little period of time! However, you must bake pizza for about 7 minutes if using a regular oven. Fresh basil completely turns black within that period. So be sure to add the basil after baking if you’re using a normal oven.
Best pizza in Naples, Italy, according to a Neapolitan pizza recipe
Here is a picture of the greatest pizza in Naples, Italy, as it is served at Da Michele. It is forever remembered here and in the pizza chapter of our cookbook as our best pizza experience ever!
How can I prevent fresh mozzarella cheese from becoming wet on my pizza?
The high moisture content of mozzarella cheese sometimes causes a wet pizza. Depending on the brand, the moisture changes. For this Neapolitan pizza recipe, if you’re using fresh mozzarella cheese, do the following:
To top your pizza, shave the mozzarella into pieces that are 14 inch thick. (Using large pieces results in a buildup of water.)
Allow the product to rest on a towel for approximately 15 minutes if it looks very watery, then blot out the excess moisture.
Here’s a recipe for simple Neapolitan style pizza you can make at home, inspired by the best pizza in Naples Italy! Includes a step-by-step video.
Ingredients
1x2x3x
- 1 ball Best Homemade Pizza Dough
- ⅓ cup Easy Pizza Sauce
- 3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (or about ¾ cup shredded mozzarella)
- Kosher salt
- 2 basil leaves
- Semolina flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
Instructions
- Prepare the dough using the Best Pizza Dough recipe (follow this video instruction for more). Follow the preparation instructions in the dough recipe if prepared in advance.
- Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we have!).
- Make the Homemade Pizza Sauce.
- Slice the mozzarella into ¼ inch thick pieces. If it’s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
- When the oven is ready, stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Sprinkle a pizza peel with semolina flour or cornmeal, then carefully place the dough on top. Spread the pizza sauce across the dough. Top with mozzarella cheese. Taste a bite of the mozzarella cheese; if it does not taste salty, add a few pinches of kosher salt to the pizza.
- If you’re baking in a pizza oven, add the basil leaves. For baking in a standard oven, add the basil leaves after you bake (the leaves turn black in a standard oven).
- Transfer the pizza to the pizza stone on the pizza peel, then bake until the cheese is melted, about 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in the pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
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