Neapolitan Style Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the yeast. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir to make a shaggy dough. (The dough should be tacky. If it feels too wet and sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; if it's too stiff, add a little water.) Transfer to a lightly oiled surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Place an inverted bowl over the dough and let rise slightly, 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each into a ball; arrange 3 inches apart on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Rub the tops of the dough lightly with olive oil and cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before baking; let sit, covered, until ready to use. One hour before baking, put a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F (or 550 degrees F if your oven goes that high).
• Make the sauce: Combine the tomatoes and their juices with 1 teaspoon salt in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Generously sprinkle a pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet with cornmeal. Place 1 ball of dough upside down on the cornmeal using floured hands. Gently pull the dough into an 8- to 10-inch circle, reflouring your hands as needed and being careful not to deflate the dough. Spread about 1/4 cup tomato sauce on the crust; top with one-quarter of the mozzarella. Drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt.
• Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is dark golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and sprinkle with basil. Let cool 2 minutes before slicing. Repeat to make 3 more pizzas.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand for 1 minute, or until the yeast is creamy. Stir until the yeast dissolves.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, 2 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour, and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Lightly coat another large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place and let rise until doubled in bulk; about 1 1/2 hours.
• Flatten the dough with your fist. Cut the dough into 2 to 4 pieces and shape the pieces into balls. Dust the tops with flour. Place the balls on a floured surface and cover each with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let rise 60 to 90 minutes, or until doubled.
• Thirty to sixty minutes before baking the pizzas, place a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles on a rack in the lowest level of the oven. Turn on the oven to the maximum temperature, 500 to 550 degrees F.
• Shape and bake pizzas in desired fashion.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the water (in a bowl); let stand 1 minute, or until the yeast is creamy; stir until the yeast dissolves.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, and the salt.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour; stir until a soft dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Lightly coat a large bowl with oil; place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top.
• Cover with plastic wrap; place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
• Flatten dough with your fist.
• Cut the dough into 2 to 4 pieces and shape the pieces into balls; dust the tops with flour.
• Place the balls on floured surface and cover each with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand; let rise 60-90 minutes, or until doubled.
• Shape and bake the pizzas as directed.

Steps:

• If mixing by hand, add all dry ingredients to mixing bowl and stir to distrubute.
• Add all liquid ingredients, including oil, water and yeast water.
• Use a large spoon and stir until all ingredients are evenly distrubuted and fully hydreated - all flour should be absorbed.
• If using electric mix use paddle attachement and mix on slow speed for 1 minute or until all ingredients are evenly distributed and fully hydrated - all flour absorbed.
• Let dough rest 1-5 minutes and then mix on medium low (or continue mixing with large spoon) for one additional minute.
• Add more water or flour, a little at a time as needed.
• Dough should be soft, supple and tacky to the touch, even slightly sticky.
• Rub some olive oil on work surfact to make an oil slick about 1 foot in diameter and transfer dough to the oiled surface.
• Rub some oil on bowl scraper of spatula to prevent sticking and a little on your hands.
• Stretch and fold dough, and fold into a ball.
• Cover dough, still on oil slick, with a clean bowl.
• Perform three more stretch and folds, at 5 minute intervals.
• Rub more oil on work surface, as needed to prevent sticking.
• After each stretch and fold dough will become firmer, less sticky and bouncier.
• After final stretch and fold put pizza dough into oiled bowl, large enough to contain it when doubles in sie,.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.
• The dough will be good up to three days.
• NOTE: You may also divide it into desired pizza sizes, from dough balls, and place each ball into an oiled freezer bag, seal, and freeze. These will keep for up to three months.