The saying goes, “See Naples and then die,” because after having seen the city, it’s believed you’ve witnessed the most beautiful spot in the world. But what the saying leaves out is that while there, tasting a Neapolitan pizza is also a must-do experience. After trying it, can any of us stop dreaming about that deliciously unmistakable dough?
There are so many versions of pizza: thin and crispy, thick and soft, with or without crusts. And then there’s pizza from Naples. If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Naples or its surroundings and you’re a die-hard fan of that type of pizza, here are our suggestions for making it at home.
The Process
First, try to find a flour with a vegetable protein content corresponding to the W 280 index, which is the best for the dough. Once you have that, gather together 3.5 lbs flour, 3 tbsp salt, and 1 tsp of fresh brewer’s yeast.
Pour 4 cups of water at room temperature (about 68 °F) into a large bowl, then add the salt and let it completely dissolve. Add 1/3 of the flour; knead with your hands from the bottom upwards, keeping your fingers spread out, to get a creamy mixture. Dissolve the yeast in this mixture and continue adding the flour little by little.
Move the mixture from the bowl to a floured surface and fold the dough over itself again and again. After each fold, gently push it down with floured knuckles so that the dough absorbs some air. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, without adding flour. Let the dough rest for 3 minutes while covered with a damp cloth or a sheet of plastic wrap, then knead it again, then cover it and let it rise for 90-minutes at room temperature.
Cut a strip of dough. Hold the strip with one hand, and use the other hand to fold the bottom end a few times, then take the sphere you have formed and roll it in the palms of your hand until you have a perfect ball of dough. Continue with the rest of the dough, splitting it into about 10 balls.
Sprinkle a tray with flour, place the balls on top, cover and let rise for 6 hours.
Take a ball, spread it out slightly, flour both sides, then shake it gently to remove any excess flour. Spread the dough with your fingers, pushing the air that’s inside toward the edges; called “cornices,” these will grow in height because they have the air inside. Turn the dough a few times. Air bubbles may form on the “cornices.” This is normal.
Continue by holding the dough firmly with one hand while with the other pulls it slightly.
Then rest the pulled flap on the hand holding the pizza, lift the dough up from the work surface and place the dough back down, rotating it a quarter turn.
Repeat 2-3 times until you get a disk about 4mm thick. Garnish the pizza as you like and cook. Once you slice it, you will see that the crusts are partly hollow because they’re full of air.
Buon appetito!