This Italian pizza dough recipe is as close to Neapolitan artisanal pizza as it gets! It has the absolute best texture and taste.
Want to make Italian-style pizza in the comfort of your own home? After more than 10 years of traveling to the best pizzerias in Italy and repeatedly experimenting with the dough, we have the recipe you need. try that Italian pizza dough recipe! This is the kind of pizza dough you’ll find in Naples: soft, chewy, crunchy on the outside and doughy on the inside. Bake it perfectly on a pizza stone and it will taste great nearly as if you were trying a wood-fired pizza straight from Italy. Here are all our secrets!
What does that matter better Italian pizza dough?
Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I have traveled to Italy several times to learn about pizza. We then chatted with some of America’s top Italian pizza chefs (like Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco and Caleb Schiff of Pizzicletta). Here’s what we learned while researching what makes the best Italian pizza dough recipe:
- Use Tipo 00 flour. Tipo 00 flour is the Italian type of flour used by Neapolitan pizzerias. It makes a deliciously soft, fluffy dough that beats regular all-purpose flour. You can find it at your local grocery store or online. You can use all-purpose if that’s all you’ve got, but it’s worth looking for the good stuff.
- Refrigerate dough 2-3 days before baking (optional). That’s what our two pizza dough masters told us. For a next-level Italian pizza dough, place the dough in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days. This naturally ferments the dough and gives the dough a complex nutty flavor. It is optional: sometimes it is not possible to foresee! But he has amazing results.
How to make Italian pizza dough
This pizza dough recipe is quite easy to make, but it does take some practice! We have some videos below to walk you through the process. Here’s what to expect when making dough:
- Measure with a food scale. If you can, use a food scale for your measurements: measuring by weight is more accurate and accounts for environmental changes.
- Knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer. You can do both! We like to use a stand mixer because it’s convenient, but you can also get your hands dirty. In any case, it only takes 8 minutes.
- Let the dough rest for 45 minutes. This is also called “proofing”: it allows the dough to rise, giving it the perfect fluffy texture.
How to stretch the dough: some tips!
Stretching the dough is the hardest part of making Italian pizza dough! You need to stretch it into an 11 inch circle. Here are some notes on the process:
- Invest in a pizza peel if you can. This is a large wooden paddle that you use to place the dough on the pizza stone. We recommend this Standard Pizza Shovel or this Conveyor Pizza Shovel.
- Sprinkle the pizza peel with corn or semolina flour. This allows the paste to slide right onto the stone.
- Follow the stretching instructions outlined in this article: How to stretch pizza dough or watch the video below!
Bake your Italian pizza dough on a pizza stone
The final note on this Italian pizza dough recipe! It’s important to cook it on a pizza stone to get the right crispy outside and soft inside.
- A pizza stone creates the texture of the classic Italian pizza crust because it cooks at an even higher temperature than the oven can reach.
- Which pizza stone to buy? This is the best pizza stone we’ve found.
- How do you clean a pizza stone? Do you keep it in the oven? Check out these pizza stone care tips we learned after years of religious use.
The best toppings for this Italian pizza dough recipe
You probably already have toppings for your pizza in mind! But here are some ideas for classic Italian toppings:
Let us know what you put on this pizza dough and if you have any questions in the comments below!
This Italian pizza dough recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based.
The description
Chefs around the world agree: This is the best pizza dough recipe! It’s a reliable resource for preparing pizza dough with the perfect moist texture, every time.
For the best possible pizza dough, we recommend this pizza stone. Here’s why we love it.
- 500g* Tipo 00 or all-purpose flour (3⅓ cups)
- 8 grams Instant or active dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
- 7 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 338 grams Hot water (1 ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons)
- 13 grams olive oil (1 tbsp)
- Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl or the bowl of your food processor. Stir to combine. Add water and olive oil and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
- Knead the dough by pressing it with the base of your palm, then shape it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes, until dough is fluffy and has a smooth, stretchy surface. If the dough is very sticky, add a little flour while kneading. Alternatively: Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then knead for 8 minutes.
- After kneading, divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. With floured hands, gently form each half into a ball (spherical shape) by folding the dough over itself. Place each ball on a floured work surface and brush the dough with a little olive oil to keep it moist. Cover each ball with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- The paste can be used immediately. However, for BEST flavor, transfer batter to separate sealed containers large enough for batter to double again and refrigerate for 2-3 days. (We still do. But if you think ahead, the result is a remarkably nutty, unique flavor that truly is the best homemade pizza dough you’ve ever had!)
- **If using the dough after chilling: On the day of service, remove the dough from the pans, place on a lightly floured surface covered with a tea towel, and allow to come to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before stretching.
- When the oven is done, dust a pizza peel with corn or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimmed baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is worth the investment!)
- Stretch the dough in a circle; see How to stretch pizza dough or follow these instructions: To stretch the dough, place it on the pizza peel or a lightly floured surface and gently press down in a circle, turning several times and adding a pinch of flour, if it’s too sticky. Once you have a circle of about 8 inches, take the dough and gently drape it over the knuckles of both your hands. Twist it slowly and allow gravity to stretch it into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Do not overwork or fold the dough. When the dough stops stretching, lay it down and let it rest for a few minutes, after which it will stretch more easily.
- We bake our pizzas at 500F and use a pizza peel to transfer them to a preheated pizza stone in the oven: Baking time is around 5-7 minutes. Check out our pizza recipe posts for cooking instructions.
Remarks
*Using a food scale ensures you get consistent results every time! We use this one.
- Category: Essential
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Italian
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Italian pizza dough recipe
