Authentic Italian Pizza Crust (and toppings)
This Neapolitan-style pizza dough is the key to achieving that light, airy, and slightly crispy crust you love from an authentic Italian pizzeria. Made with just six simple ingredients, this dough is easy to prepare and can be used after just one hour of rising—or left overnight for even more flavor. Whether you're making it in a pizza oven or a regular oven, this recipe guarantees a golden, bubbly crust and a mouthwatering bite every time!
Ingredients
Neapolitan-Style Pizza Crust Recipe
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- small pinch of salt
- generous pinch of sugar
- 2 ¾ cup double zero flour 2 ¾ cups 00 flour or you may substitute regular all purpose flour
Toppings
- tomato sauce
- italian seasonings
- olive oil
- chopped garlic
- freshly sliced mozzarella
- parmesan cheese
- thinly sliced prosciutto
- freshly sliced tomatoes
- arugula
- pizza seasoning
Instructions
How To Make Authentic Italian Pizza
- Let's begin by making the crust. Add your warm water into a stand mixer or mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle in the active dry yeast and stir once or twice. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast has activated (the mixture will begin to smell like bread), add your double zero flour. Work the flour into the wet ingredients with your stand mixer or by hand until a loose dough forms. Cover the dough in the bowl and let it rise at room temperature for at least an hour but up to 12 hours.
- The dough will have almost doubled in size. Deflate the dough by punching the center. Then, separate the pizza dough and roll into into three balls.
- Roll your pizza dough onto a floured surface until it is round and about ⅓ inch thick.
Assembling Your Pizza
- To make our authentic Italian pizza, start by spreading a little tomato sauce at the center of the pizza crust, leaving about an inch around the edges empty. This is going to be your crust. Season to taste with Italian seasonings. Add your chopped garlic, slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, parmesan, and pizza seasoning. Brush the edges with olive oil.
- Bake for about 8 minutes in your hot pizza oven. We prefer using a pizza stone but you may also use a preheated baking sheet. If you don't have a pizza oven, you can use a preheated 500°F oven.
- Top with arugula before serving and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!
- Note: I am purposely leaving ingredient amounts empty for the toppings. Italians measure with the heart! Have fun with this recipe and make it your own.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!