We all have our own idea of the perfect pizza, but, one thing we can all agree on is the importance of a delicious pizza dough. Neapolitan pizza dough comes from Naples in Italy and was invented some time in the 1700 or 1800s. Its dough is crisp, thin and delicious, with a slight yeasty tang. Here’s our recipe.
Just three ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 sachet dried yeast
- 1kg 00 flour
How to make it
1. Put 700ml of lukewarm water into a big bowl with a little salt.
2. Mix in your yeast, leaving it to stand for a couple of minutes.
3. Mix in the flour slowly until a dough forms.
4. Tip the dough onto a clean surface and knead for 20 minutes until elastic and smooth.
5. Put the pizza dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel or cling film. Place it in a warm place for one hour until it is twice the size.
6. When it’s doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and ‘knock the air out’ – this literally involves punching the dough for a while. Cut into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Put them on an oiled tray, again covering with clingfilm, and place them overnight in the fridge.
7. When you’re ready to cook your pizza, take a ball of pizza dough and stretch it out in a circle. This is easiest to do if you use the back of your hand, placing the dough over it and letting the sides droop down.
8. Place whatever topping you want on (going easy with the tomato sauce so that it doesn’t make the pizza wet), and put the pizza in the oven for 8 or so minutes. The oven needs to be the absolute highest temperature possible.
Getting the right flour is crucial
If you can, it’s important to use double 0 flour. Double 0 flour is the most finely ground flour available, which makes for an extremely smooth pizza dough. But more importantly, double 0 flour has a lower gluten content, making the pizza dough less spongy and allowing for a crisp pizza base.
If you can’t be bothered to make your own pizza dough, or need some inspiration, there are some great Neapolitan pizza outlets in Singapore, including Napolizz Pizza and Sauté.
