If you’ve ever had Naples, Italy’s best pizza, it’s hard to go back to just any pizza. You may remember that in The Matrix, Neo is offered the choice of taking the blue pill (representing continued ignorance) or the red pill (representing the truth). It’s like taking the red pill if you choose to eat pizza in Naples, the city where the dish was born. If you’ve ever had Neapolitan pizza, you won’t be satisfied with any other kind again. You will spend the rest of your life trying to recreate it in your own kitchen. God bless us, we went and did it for you! If you’ve ever wanted to make authentic Neapolitan pizza at home, this is your chance to learn all of our exclusive tips and tricks for doing so.
Neapolitan pizza, what is it?
Neapolitan pizza is pizza made in the style that was developed in Naples, Italy. Just as there are varying opinions on what constitutes “authenticity” when referring to a particularly well-known dish, so too does the definition of that term itself. After trying some of the best pizza in the world in Naples, Alex and I noticed a few distinctive characteristics of Neapolitan pizza.
Basic tastes:
At Da Michele, the finest Neapolitan pizzeria we’ve ever visited, we were only given the choice between Margherita and Marinara. Pizza margherita features tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil whereas pizza marinara just includes tomatoes and garlic. Both were ideally straightforward.
Crust that is both thin and fluffy, baked at a high temperature.
A typical Neapolitan pizza will be prepared in a wood-fired pizza oven at temperatures between 800 and 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. The crust often has thicker edges and a darker, more charred centre than usual, yet it often thins out considerably closer to the fire.
Regular tomatoes:
Neapolitan pizzas often employ tomatoes, especially the San Marzano variety, to just spread the crust. The sauce described in the following recipe is simple and reminds me of the food we ate in Naples.
Mozzarella:
All cheeses made in Italy are of the greatest quality. Pizza from Naples, Italy, is known for its use of fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella cheese.
Instructions for making authentic Neapolitan pizza dough
Important to the success of every Neapolitan pizza is the pizza dough. Alex and I have been working on our recipe for over a decade. As we’ve perfected our dough recipe, we’ve gleaned a few pointers from some of America’s best pizza restaurant chefs who, in turn, learned from those who studied the pizza in Naples.
Make use of Tipo 00 flour. Tipo 00 flour is often used in Neapolitan pizza in Italian restaurants. This method produces a dough that is soft, pliable, and airy. You may get it at any grocery store or on the internet. If you can’t get pizza flour, regular flour may be used to make a delicious pizza.
The dough has to be refrigerated for at least two to three days before it can be baked (optional). Refrigerating pizza dough in an airtight container for up to three days is recommended. Because of this, the dough ferments naturally, developing a deep, nutty flavour.
Why should I invest in a Neapolitan pizza oven?
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone had access to their own Neapolitan pizza oven? To hope! On the contrary, a Neapolitan pizza oven is not required to prepare this meal. Using a pizza stone preheated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, you may cook it in a regular oven. If you don’t already have a pizza stone, here are the best options and how to keep them in good condition.
Still, caution is advised. If you want your pizza crust to have beautiful black char lines like the ones seen above, you’ll need a pizza oven. Why is there a pizza oven here? How about the best one to use?
A pizza oven may become quite hot, especially when compared to a typical oven. In contrast to the average oven’s 550 degrees Fahrenheit, a pizza oven may reach temperatures of up to over 1,000 degrees.
Please recommend a pizza oven. Alex and I often make pizza in our Ooni pizza oven, which is a fantastic piece of equipment. The Ooni is portable and can reach 1,000 degrees in only 10 minutes. Wood Pelle is the fuel source.
What sort of pizza sauce would you recommend for a traditional Neapolitan pie?
Tomatoes are often sprinkled into the pizza crust in Neapolitan pizza recipes. Neapolitan pizza often features San Marzano tomatoes, a kind of Italian tomato. There are now several supermarkets in the United States that stock canned San Marzano tomatoes.
We thought our Neapolitan pizza sauce was good, but Alex and I have discovered a new way to make it that is much better. tomatoes roasted over an open flame. They taste really sugary right out of the can. This easy pizza sauce calls for only five ingredients and is reminiscent of the best pizza in Naples, Italy.
When making a Neapolitan pizza, do you include basil?
Both, in fact. As with any well-known meal, there are a variety of opinions on what makes a pizza a “real” Neapolitan pizza. When making a Margherita pizza, we think basil is essential. A few years ago, when we had Naples pizza, a fresh basil leaf was put on top of the pie. a leaf! It brought in a pleasant hint of basil flavour without overwhelming the dish.
Pizza with fresh basil either before or after baking is ideal. The answer depends on your oven. Only one minute is needed in a traditional Neapolitan pizza oven. In such a little time in the oven, the fresh basil retains its vibrant green colour. Yet, a standard oven requires a baking time of roughly 7 minutes for pizza. In that amount of time, fresh basil turns entirely black. If you’re using a regular oven, add the basil after the dish has finished baking.
According to a traditional Neapolitan pizza recipe, this is the best pizza in all of Naples.
Pictured above is the best pizza in all of Naples, Italy, as prepared and served at Da Michele. It was the finest pizza we’ve ever had, and it will go down in history both here and in the pizza section of our cookbook.
Can you recommend a method for keeping pizzas with fresh mozzarella cheese from becoming soggy?
Mozzarella cheese is notorious for making pizzas soggy due to its high water content. The level of wetness varies from brand to brand. If you want to make authentic Neapolitan pizza, use fresh mozzarella cheese and proceed as follows.
If you want to use mozzarella as a topping, shave it into 14-inch long strips. (When using big chunks, water tends to pool.)
If the product seems to be extremely watery, let it aside on a towel for 15 minutes before attempting to blot it dry.
The tastiest pizza in the world can be found in Naples, Italy, and here’s an easy recipe for making it at home! Provides a video demonstration of each stage.
Ingredients
1x2x3x
- For the Best Homemade Pizza, Use One Ball of Dough
- One-Third Cup Quick Pizza Sauce
- Three ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese (or around 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella)
- Kojic salt
- 2-leaf basil stem
- Use either semolina flour or cornmeal to lightly coat the pizza peel before using.
Instructions
- Take the time to make the dough according to the Best Pizza Dough recipe (follow this video instruction for more). If you have time, follow the dough recipe’s directions for making the dough ahead of time.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a pizza stone inside. Alternately, fire up your pizza oven (here’s the one we use).
- Put together some homemade pizza sauce.
- You should cut the mozzarella into quarter-inch slices. If the fresh mozzarella is very watery (different brands may have different levels of moisture), you can let it drain on a paper towel for 15 minutes and then dab it to remove any remaining moisture.
- As soon as the oven is hot, stretch the dough into a circle (for guidance, see How to Stretch Pizza Dough). Semolina flour or cornmeal may be sprinkled on a pizza peel before the dough is placed on it.
- Evenly coat the dough with pizza sauce. Sprinkle some mozzarella on top. In case the pizza doesn’t taste salty enough, sample some mozzarella and season with kosher salt if necessary.
- When using a pizza oven, basil leaves are a must. If using a conventional oven, add the basil leaves in the last 10 minutes of cooking (the leaves turn black in a standard oven).
- Carefully slide the pizza off the peel and onto the pizza stone; bake for 7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted (or 1 minute in the pizza oven). Cut into slices and serve right away.
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