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How to make Neapolitan-style pizza dough

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In short

For four 250 g dough balls at 62 % hydration, mix 606 g Tipo 00 or strong white bread flour, 376 g cold water, 17 g fine salt and about 1.2 g dried yeast. Knead until smooth, rest for an hour or two, divide into 250 g balls and cold prove in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours. Bring to room temperature for a few hours before stretching.

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Close-up of hands kneading pizza dough on a floured countertop, indoors
Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

Neapolitan-style pizza uses just four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. The skill is in the proportions and the time you give the dough. This recipe uses baker's percentages, where every ingredient is a share of the flour weight, so you can scale it up or down easily. It is written for UK kitchens with ingredients you can find in a supermarket, and it suits a hot outdoor pizza oven or an electric pizza oven. Use digital scales: cups and spoons are not accurate enough for small amounts of salt and yeast.

Ingredients and baker's percentages

In baker's percentages, the flour is always 100 %. Water at 62 % means 62 g of water for every 100 g of flour. Salt at around 2.8 % and dried yeast at around 0.2 % suit a slow, cold prove. These are the defaults in our pizza dough calculator, which works out exact grams for any number and size of dough balls.

One 250 g dough ball

Flour
151.5 g · 100 %
Water
93.9 g · 62 %
Salt
4.2 g · 2.8 %
Yeast
0.3 g · 0.2 %
Baker's percentages: every ingredient as a share of the flour weight. Rounded to 0.1 g.
IngredientBaker's %Grams
Tipo 00 or strong white flour100 %606 g
Cold water62 %376 g
Fine salt2.8 %17 g
Dried yeast0.2 %1.2 g (or about 3.6 g fresh yeast)
Four 250 g dough balls (1,000 g of dough)

Choosing flour and hydration

Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour is finely milled and gives the soft, puffy crust associated with Neapolitan pizza. UK strong white bread flour also works well and is easier to find. It usually has a little more protein, so the dough may feel slightly firmer and chewier. Plain flour is too weak for a stretchy dough.

Hydration between 60 and 65 % is a good range. At 60 % the dough is firmer and easier to handle, which suits beginners. At 65 % it is softer, stickier and gives a lighter crust, but takes more practice to shape. Start at 60 or 62 % and increase as you get confident. If the dough fights you, our pizza dough tearing or sticky guide can help.

HydrationFlourWaterSalt
60 %613 g368 g17 g
62 %606 g376 g17 g
65 %595 g387 g17 g
1,000 g of dough at different hydrations

Mixing and kneading

The short rest after mixing lets the flour absorb the water, which makes kneading easier. Keeping salt and yeast apart at the start is a common habit, as concentrated salt can slow the yeast.

  1. 1

    Pour almost all the water into a large bowl and dissolve the yeast in it.

  2. 2

    Add about two thirds of the flour and stir to a thick batter.

  3. 3

    Dissolve the salt in the remaining water and add it, then add the rest of the flour.

  4. 4

    Mix until there is no dry flour left, then cover and rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

  5. 5

    Knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes, or 5 to 8 minutes with a stand mixer on low, until smooth and slightly springy.

  6. 6

    Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for one to two hours.

Balling and cold proving

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 250 g pieces with a scraper and scales. Shape each into a tight ball by folding the edges under and rolling it against the worktop with a cupped hand until the surface is smooth. A 250 g ball makes a pizza of roughly 12 inches; see pizza dough ball sizes for other diameters.

Place the balls in a lightly oiled lidded container or individual tubs with room to spread, and put them in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours. The cold slows the yeast, so flavour develops without the dough over-proving. Our guide on how long pizza dough keeps covers storage and freezing.

Bringing the dough back up to temperature

Take the dough balls out of the fridge around two to four hours before cooking, still covered, so they warm up and relax. Cold dough springs back when you stretch it. The balls are ready when they have softened, spread a little and feel airy when pressed gently.

Flour the worktop, lift a ball with a scraper and press from the centre outwards, leaving a rim for the crust. Stretch it over your knuckles rather than using a rolling pin, which flattens the air out of the crust. Then top it lightly and launch. For oven technique, see how to use an outdoor pizza oven. If you are choosing an oven to cook it in, our best outdoor pizza ovens and best electric pizza ovens for indoors guides list current options.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use strong white bread flour instead of 00? Yes. UK strong white flour makes good pizza dough. The crust is often a little chewier than with Tipo 00, but the method is the same.

Can I make the dough on the same day? Yes. Use a little more yeast and leave it at room temperature for several hours until it has roughly doubled. Cold proving gives more flavour, but a same-day dough still works.

What hydration should a beginner use? Start around 60 to 62 %. The dough is easier to shape, and you can move up towards 65 % once stretching feels comfortable.

How much dough do I need per pizza? About 250 g for a roughly 12 inch Neapolitan-style pizza. Use our dough calculator for other sizes and quantities.

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