Pizza Napoletana
A soft, blistered Neapolitan pizza of tomato, mozzarella and basil on a dough risen for 2 hours, baked for 5 minutes at the highest heat.
Photograph credit: Eq it-na pizza-margherita sep2005 sml (image of Neapolitan pizza on Wikidata Q500445) by Valerio Capello at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
The first sign it is ready is the sound: a crust that crackles faintly as it leaves the oven and then goes quiet. Pizza napoletana is a soft, thin, blistered pizza with a puffed rim, and everything about it depends on a very hot oven and a very wet dough.
The dough is flour, water, yeast and salt, nothing else. Knead it until it is smooth and elastic, then leave it to rise for 2 hours until doubled, and shape it by hand rather than with a rolling pin, which knocks out the air. Preheat the oven and a baking steel or stone for 45 minutes at its highest setting, because a cold surface gives a pale and bready base.
Top lightly: crushed tomato, torn mozzarella, a drizzle of oil. It bakes in about 5 minutes. Add the basil after it comes out, since it blackens in the heat. Slide the pizza onto the steel quickly, and keep the oven door shut until the rim is spotted dark.
What People Ask
How long does Pizza Napoletana take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours of Rising, so allow 2 hours 25 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 2.
The Method for Pizza Napoletana
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Mix the flour, water, salt and yeast and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
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Cover and leave for 2 hours until doubled. Divide in two balls.
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Heat the oven with a baking steel or stone on the top shelf to its highest setting for 45 minutes.
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Stretch each ball by hand to 28 cm, leaving the rim thicker.
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Spread the tomatoes over the base, scatter the mozzarella and drizzle with the oil.
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Slide onto the hot steel and bake one at a time for 5 minutes until the rim is blistered. Add the basil and serve.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Tips That Matter
- Preheat the steel or stone for at least 45 minutes.
- Stretch the dough by hand and leave the rim thick.
- Drain wet mozzarella on kitchen paper first.
Pairs Well With
Rocket salad · Cold beer · Chilli oil
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad.
Leftovers and Storage
Best fresh. Keeps for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in a hot frying pan.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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