Authentic Italian Pizza Dough Recipes

REAL ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to the lowest setting possible.
• Combine 4 cups flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment; turn mixer on low speed. Crumble yeast into small pieces and add to the flour. Slowly pour in water. Scrape the sides to make sure all flour is incorporated and mix until dough begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball. Drizzle in oil and mix until fully incorporated.
• Knead on low speed for 5 or 6 minutes, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons extra flour if needed. Remove dough from the bowl and use your hands to form a ball. Return dough to the bowl and score the top with an "x." Cover with a damp cloth.
• Turn oven off and place dough in the oven to rise for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
• Remove dough from the oven and reattach the bowl to the stand mixer. Uncover and punch down dough. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a pizza stone or tray on the bottom oven rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Cut dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each one into ball. Dust with flour if needed. Place balls on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Roll out each ball into a 9-inch circle and top with desired toppings (no more than 1 cup sauce per pizza).
• Place pizza on the pizza stone in the preheated oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 410 degrees F (210 degrees C) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes; actual length of time will depend on your toppings. Repeat to make remaining pizzas.

ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir to combine. Add the water and olive oil and stir until a raggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
• Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm, then reforming it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes until the dough feels pillowy and has a smooth, stretchy exterior. If the dough is very sticky, add a small amount of flour while kneading. Alternatively: attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes.
• After the kneading is finished, divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Using floured hands, gently shape each half into a boule (ball shape) by folding the dough under itself. Set each boule on a floured surface and dab the dough with a bit of olive oil to keep it moist. Cover all boules with a damp towel and allow them to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• The dough can be used immediately. However for the BEST flavor, transfer the dough to separate sealed containers, large enough for the dough to double in size again, and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. (We always do this. But if you think ahead, it makes for a noticeably nutty, unique flavor that truly is the best homemade pizza dough you've ever had!)
• The day of serving, remove the dough from the containers, place it on a lightly floured surface covered with a towel, and allow it to come to room temperature before stretching, 30 to 45 minutes.
• When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!)
• Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough or follow these instructions: To stretch the dough, place it on the pizza peel or a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a circle, flipping several times and adding a pinch of flour if it is too sticky. Once you have about an 8-inch circle, pick up the dough and gently drape it over the knuckles on both of your hands. Slowly rotate it around, allowing gravity to stretch it into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Do not overwork or fold the dough. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for a few minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily.
• We bake our pizzas at 500F and use a pizza peel to transfer it to a preheated pizza stone in the oven: the bake time is around 5 to 7 minutes. See our pizza recipe posts for baking instructions.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• How to make homemade pizza dough
• Place 600 g Tipo 00 flour in a large mixing bowl. Tipo 00 flour has a much higher protein content than our conventional all-purpose flour. We have had good experiences with the Tipo 00 flour "Farina Speciale Per Pizza" and the original Caputo Farina 00. If you do not have tipo 00 flour at home all-purpose flour can be used.
• Provide 2.5 cups (600 ml) of lukewarm water in a measuring cup.
• Add 3 - 5 g brewer's yeast and 30 g salt and stir well with the water in the measuring cup. Alternatively, fresh baker's yeast can be used. In traditional Neapolitan recipes, very little yeast is generally used to obtain a finer taste.
• Pour the water-yeast salt mixture into the mixing bowl and combine with the flour to a dough. For this it is enough to stir with a fork.
• Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and leave for 20 to 30 minutes. This step is very important for a good pizza dough. In the resting period of the dough, first protein chains are formed.
• After the resting period, stir the dough for about 3 minutes with a kitchen mixer with dough hook at the lowest level. If desired, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. According to "Pasta per la pizza numero 328" the dough should be kneaded by hand, but this may also be due to the age of the recipe. Stirred with a kitchen mixer, the dough is in our experience much smoother. However, the mixer should have at least 350 watts of power. Alternatively, of course, a food processor or a Thermomix can be used to stir the dough.
• Gradually add the remaining 400g of flour and continue stirring at the lowest level. The process should take about 5 minutes.
• When all the flour has been absorbed by the dough, stir once more for 2 minutes. This time, however, on the second level of the kitchen mixer.
• Divide the dough into two portions of 800 g and form one ball each. Place the dough balls in two floured mixing bowls and cover with a damp kitchen towel.
• Let the dough rest
• Let the dough rest in a warm room for at least 6 hours. Even better are 24 hours.
• After the resting time use the dough immediatelly or store cool and dark. For example in the refrigerator.
• If necessary, take out 270 g of dough per pizza. The dough should be removed from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before the intended preparation.
• Shape the Pizza dough
• Put flour on a clean work surface. Form the now room warm dough into a ball and press it flat. Form with your hands into a round and thin dough. When doing so, place flour under the dough and press it from the inside to the outside.
• If the dough has a reasonably round shape, it can be lifted up the edge and turned like a steering wheel. By its own weight, the dough pulls almost by itself. By the way, a rolling pin should by no means be used to roll it out, since it takes away the airiness of the dough and the pizza does not rise well in the oven.
• The dough should now be about 12.5 inch (32 cm) in diameter and be very thin. Put plenty of flour on a pizza board or a pizza shovel and pull the dough on top.
• When everything is done correctly, you now have a very large and thin and perfect round pizza. Now it just has to be topped with the desired ingredients.
• Top the homemade Pizza
• As base topping homemade tomato sauce is used. Ideally, the tomato sauce is made from sun-ripened Italian San Marzano tomatoes or at least Roma tomatoes. In Naples, only San Marzano tomatoes from the Agro Nocerino Sarnese growing region are used.
• Spread the tomato sauce evenly with a tablespoon and leave an edge of about 2 centimeters wide. The other ingredients can be chosen freely to taste.
• At the example of the classic Margherita from Naples, it is only topped with the tomato sauce, mozzarella fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
• How to bake Pizza
• Position the rack in the center of the oven. For the best baking result a pizza stone is needed. Place the stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 570 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius). If the oven supports only lower temperatures use the highest temperature available and use the bake mode setting. Her you can find a deatiled guide for baking pizza at home.
• When the oven has reached the temperature, bake the pizza on the stone for about 5 to 8 minutes. How long it takes to bake depends on your oven and the preheating time. If you use lower temperature or much toppings the baking time increases.

NEW YORK ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour the warm water into the pan of a bread machine, sprinkle in the salt, and add the flour to the pan so the flour sits on top of the water. Make a hole in the top of the flour, and spoon the yeast into the hole. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to moisten the flour. Set the bread machine to the knead setting, and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead in 1/4 cup more flour or as needed, adding the flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, to make a wet, sticky, but elastic dough. The dough should be "as soft as a baby's bottom." Form the dough into a round shape.
• Wipe the inside of a large bowl with olive oil, and place the round ball of dough into the bowl. Turn the dough over a couple of times so the dough picks up a thin coating of oil. Cover with a cloth, and refrigerate the dough for 10 hours or overnight.
• The next day, allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface and adding toppings as desired. Roll the dough out thin with a thicker edge before adding toppings.
• Place a pizza stone into oven, dust it with a little flour, and preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Bake the pizza on the stone in the preheated oven until the bottom of the crust is browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir yeast and sugar into lukewarm water, using a fork. Let stand in a warm place until a creamy layer forms on top of the water, about 10 minutes.
• Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix olive oil into flour and stir for 2 minutes. Pour yeast mixture and beaten egg into flour mixture and stir to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until springy and smooth, about 8 minutes. Place dough into a floured bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap wiped with a thin film of olive oil.
• Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and roll out to desired shape.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE - RECIPES FROM ITALY

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix 1/2 the flour and the baking powder. Then add the water a little at a time. Mix thoroughly with a spoon to combine all the ingredients.
• Now add the oil and mix well. Then add the remaining flour. Add it a little at a time and stir for 4-5 minutes, while continuing to use the spoon. Finally add the salt and mix.
• When the dough no longer sticks to the bowl, place it on your work surface dusted with flour. Knead 1 to 2 minutes with your hands. Then make a smooth, floured ball.
• Place the pizza dough back into the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap. Then place a kitchen towel over it. Let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto the floured table. Use flour if the dough sticks to your hands. Now press the dough a little with the palms of your hands to stretch it slightly. Bring the left flap almost to the right flap and vice versa. The same for the other two flaps. So, the upper flap almost to the lower flap and vice versa. This strengthens the gluten mesh without overstressing the dough. Finally shape into a ball.
• Grease the baking pan. Place the dough in the center of the baking pan. Now brush the surface of the dough with a tiny bit of oil and cover with plastic wrap. Put the baking pan in the oven with the light bulb on for 2 to 3 hours. It has to double its volume.
• With your hands and fingertips, start pressing from the center of the dough, trying to bring the dough up to the corners of the baking pan.
• Season with tomato passata, salt, oregano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake at 250°C (482°F) for 8 minutes then add mozzarella. Finish baking for another 7/8 minutes