Neapolitan Margherita
The platonic ideal. Three ingredients you can pronounce, plus time. Time is the actual recipe.
Intro
Soft, charred, eaten with a fork at first because the center is too wet to fold. Anything baked in a home oven below 550°F is "Neapolitan-style," not Neapolitan. Don't get hung up on it. No sugar, no oil — they aren't traditional and they don't help here.
Ingredients
Sized for 2 × 12-inch pies (2 ball of 2 ball/batch · 1× batch)
note · King Arthur 00 works but ferments slightly faster.
note · 65% hydration. Bottled or filtered if your tap is heavily chlorinated.
note · 2% of flour weight.
note · 0.2% — very small. Use a 0.1g scale.
Sized for 2 × 12-inch pies (180 g of 815 g/batch · 0.22× batch)
note · Look for "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP" with a stamp. Bianco DiNapoli is the best non-DOP option.
note · Optional — some pizzaioli let the pizza-finishing drizzle do this work.
Sized for 2 × 12-inch pies (160 g of 250 g/batch · 0.64× batch)
note · Buffalo is richer but wetter — drain longer.
note · A small pinch — seasons from the inside and draws out water.
note · Added after the bake.
note · Drizzle before the bake.
The process
- ◆ DOUGH
72-Hour Neapolitan Dough
↗ - 1
Combine dry
Whisk the flour 500 g and yeast 1 g in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- 2
Hydrate
Add the water 325 ml. Mix on low (Stir/1) for 2 minutes until no dry flour remains.
⏱ Mix02:00 - 3
Autolyse
Cover and rest 20 minutes. The flour fully hydrates and the gluten starts to organize itself before you knead.
⏱ Autolyse20:00 - 4
Salt + knead
Add the salt 10 g. Knead on speed 2 for 8 minutes. Dough should pass a windowpane test — stretch a piece thin enough to see light through.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipA slack, wrinkly seam means your ball wasn't tight enough. Practice — the tenth ball is better than the first.⏱ Knead08:00 - 5
Bulk ferment
Cover and rest at room temp for 1 hour.
⏱ Bulk60:00 - 6
Divide & ball
Divide into two 417g balls. Pinch seams underneath, smooth side up. Pull each ball taut.
- 7
Cold ferment
Refrigerate 48–72 hours in oiled, sealed containers with room to grow.
✶ Pizzaiolo tip72 hours beats 48. Plan ahead — the difference in aroma and lift is dramatic.⏱ Cold ferment2880:00 - 8
Warm up
Pull dough 2 hours before stretching so it comes up to room temp.
⏱ Warm-up120:00 - ◆ SAUCE
Raw San Marzano Sauce
↗ - 9
Drain
Drain the tomatoes 177 g briefly. Pour off the watery juice and keep the thicker pulp.
- 10
Hand-crush
Crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl until each one breaks into rough chunks. Do not blend — texture is the point.
- 11
Season
Stir in the salt 1.1 g and olive oil 2.21 g. Taste and adjust salt. That's it.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipIf your tomatoes taste flat, a pinch of sugar fixes it. Don't tell anyone. - ◆ CHEESE
Fresh Mozzarella Prep
↗ - 12
Pull from brine
Pull the mozzarella from its brine or water.
- 13
Tear by hand
Tear into rough 1-inch pieces with your hands — never cut with a knife. Torn pieces melt more irregularly, which gives the mottled Neapolitan look.
- 14
Salt lightly
Place the torn pieces in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle very lightly with salt — it seasons from the inside and draws more water out.
- 15
Drain
Drain at room temperature 45–60 minutes for fior di latte; up to 90 minutes for buffalo. Significant water will collect in the bowl.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipSome pizzaioli add the cheese halfway through the bake — works better in home ovens that can't reach 900°F.⏱ Drain55:00 - 16
Pat surface
Press gently with a paper towel to absorb any surface moisture before topping the pizza.
- ◆
Assembly
- 17
Preheat
Get the steel or stone screaming hot — max oven temp (550°F+) for 1 hour, broiler on for the last 5 minutes.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipAnything below 550°F is "Neapolitan-style," not Neapolitan.⏱ Preheat60:00 - 18
Stretch by hand
On a floured surface, press from the center outward. Leave a 1cm cornicione. Never use a rolling pin.
- 19
Sauce
Crushed San Marzanos 90 g in a spiral, leaving the rim bare. No cooking, no blending — keep it bright.
- 20
Cheese & oil
Tear the fior di latte 80 g into pieces (drained — see linked cheese prep). Distribute evenly. Drizzle the olive oil 8 g.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipWork fast — cold dough launches better. - 21
Bake
Launch onto the steel/stone. Broiler on for the last 30–60 seconds for char. Every oven is different — watch carefully.
⏱ Bake02:00 - 22
Basil & rest
Tear the fresh basil 5 leaves over the hot pie. Rest 60 seconds before slicing so the cheese sets.
✶ Pizzaiolo tipIf the cornicione is flat and pale, your oven wasn't hot enough or you rolled the dough.⏱ Rest01:00
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The goods
