Neapolitan Pizza Dough: Authentic Recipe + Free Calculator

Q: "Which flour is best for Neapolitan pizza dough?"

"Traditionally an Italian Tipo 00 or Tipo 0 with W 280-320. In a home oven, Caputo Pizzeria (W 280-300) is a reliable all-rounder: stable, easy to shape and forgiving of beginner mistakes. At a regular supermarket, German Type 550 or French T55 work fine for first attempts."

Q: "How high should the hydration be?"

"Typically 60-65 %. The AVPN values sit at 55-62 %, but for a home oven we lean closer to 65 % for more moisture. If the dough sticks too much while shaping, drop the hydration to 62 %."

Q: "How long does the dough need in the fridge?"

"For the 24-hour version it matures at 4°C for about 18-22 hours, preceded by a 30-60 minute bulk ferment and followed by a 2-4 hour ball ferment at room temperature. The sweet spot for aroma is 24-48 hours cold."

Q: "How much yeast do I need?"

"For 4 balls of 250 g with a 24-hour cold ferment, about 0.3 g of dry yeast is enough. For a short 4-hour direct ferment you would need roughly 4-5 g instead. PizzaPlan interpolates the correct amount for any fermentation time between 4 and 72 hours."

Q: "What oven temperature do I need at home?"

"The original is baked at 450-500°C in 60-90 seconds. Since home ovens rarely reach that, use a pizza stone or steel at 250-280°C for about 4-6 minutes. Preheat the stone for at least 45 minutes at maximum temperature."

What is Neapolitan pizza dough?

Neapolitan pizza dough is a traditional dough from Naples, made from only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. The official specifications are defined by the AVPN Disciplinare (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana). Characteristic features are a high, airy rim (cornicione), a thin, soft base and short bake times of 60-90 seconds at 450-500°C.

Unlike Romana, New York Style or pan pizza, Neapolitan dough is soft, stretchable and wet - it is shaped by hand, not rolled. The high water content (typically 60-65 %) and long fermentation (at least 8 hours, ideally 24-48 hours) produce an open crumb with large, irregular pores.

The AVPN values (simplified)

Flour: Tipo 00 or Tipo 0, W 280-320, P/L 0.50-0.65
Water: 1 litre per 1.6-1.8 kg flour (= 55-62 % hydration)
Salt: 40-60 g per litre of water (≈ 2.5-3 % of flour)
Yeast: 0.1-3 g fresh yeast per litre of water (depending on fermentation time)
Fermentation: at least 8 hours at 20°C, split into 6 hours bulk and 2 hours ball ferment
Dough ball: 200-280 g for a 30 cm pizza
Bake temperature: 430-485°C, bake time 60-90 seconds

If you want it strict, read the full AVPN Disciplinare. For home practice the grid above is enough - with two adjustments: hydration closer to 65 % for more moisture and longer bake times in a regular oven (3-6 minutes at 250-280°C), since few home ovens hit 450°C.

Quantities for 4 pizzas (250 g balls)

For 4 pizzas at 250 g per ball, Neapolitan, 65 % hydration, 24 hours cold ferment:

Ingredient	Quantity	Baker’s %
Tipo 00 (W 280)	605 g	100 %
Water (cool)	393 g	65 %
Salt	15 g	2.5 %
Dry yeast	0.3 g	0.05 %
Total	~1013 g

These are the values PizzaPlan computes for you with a precision of 0.05 g - using a built-in yeast curve that interpolates the correct yeast amount for any fermentation time between 4 and 72 hours. At 4 hours of direct fermentation you would need 4-5 g of dry yeast instead of 0.3 g.

Step by step: Neapolitan dough in 24 hours

Weigh out water (393 g, cool). Dissolve the salt completely in the water. Dissolve the yeast separately in a small portion of the water.
Add the flour and mix roughly by hand or in a stand mixer.
Work in the yeast mixture. Knead for 5-7 minutes in a mixer or 12-15 minutes by hand until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic (windowpane test: thin enough to see light through without tearing).
Bulk ferment: 30-60 minutes covered at room temperature.
Refrigerate: in a covered container at 4°C for 18-22 hours.
Bring back to room temperature: take the dough out 2-3 hours before baking.
Form dough balls: divide into 4 equal pieces (260 g per ball for a small safety margin), shape into rounds and let them rest separately in a covered container.
Ball ferment: 2-4 hours at room temperature, until the balls have visibly grown and slowly push back when you press them.
Shape by hand: place the ball on semola, press with fingertips from the centre outwards, leaving the cornicione (a 1-2 cm rim) untouched. Do not roll - rolling pushes the air out.
Top and bake: at 450-500°C for 60-90 seconds, or in a regular oven with stone/steel at 250-280°C for 4-6 minutes.

Which flour works best?

Caputo Pizzeria (W 280-300): the all-purpose choice for Neapolitan pizza in a home oven. Stable, easy to shape, forgives beginner mistakes.
Caputo Cuoco / Chef (W 300-320): slightly stronger, suited for 24-48 h ferments.
Le 5 Stagioni Napoletana (W 280-310): used by nearly every Neapolitan pizzeria, very balanced.
Molino Grassi Tipo 00 (W 320): protein-rich, fits longer fermentations.
Petra 5063 (W 280-300): an Italian stone-milled flour with slightly more character in the aroma.

At a regular supermarket, German Type 550 flour or French T55 also works as a substitute - the gluten structure is different, but absolutely fine for first attempts. PizzaPlan Pro has 100+ flour brands with individual hydration ranges.

Common problems and fixes

Dough sticks while shaping: hydration too high or not enough flour/semola on the work surface. Fix: drop hydration to 62 %, use semola instead of flour to dust.
Base stays soft, no leoparding: bake surface too cool. Fix: preheat the stone or steel for at least 45 minutes at max temperature, in a home oven let it rest under top heat for another 10 minutes after preheating.
Crumb tears apart, flat cornicione: dough not fermented enough or not kneaded enough. Fix: at least 24 h cold fermentation, at least 12 minutes by hand (6-8 minutes by mixer).
Pizza sticks to the peel: hydration too high or dough sat on the peel for too long. Fix: semola on the peel, top quickly and launch within 30 seconds.
Bitter-sweet, alcoholic taste: over-fermented. Fix: less yeast or shorter fermentation. PizzaPlan calculates the yeast amount based on planned fermentation time.

Direct vs. cold fermentation

Variant	Total ferment	Dry yeast	Aroma	Digestibility
Direct express	4-6 h	1-1.5 g/kg	flat, yeasty	medium
Direct standard	8-12 h	0.3-0.5 g/kg	mildly sweet	good
Cold standard	24 h	0.1-0.2 g/kg	nutty, complex	very good
Cold long	48-72 h	0.03-0.08 g/kg	very complex	excellent

The classic Naples version is typically 8-12 hours at room temperature. At home, 24-48 hours cold is the sweet spot: maximum aroma while still plannable (mix the night before or two days ahead, relaxed pizza day).

If you want to ferment entirely at room temperature, the yeast amount and timing depend heavily on how warm your room is - the reference values are on the page about room temperature fermentation.

For even more aroma and digestibility, you can also run the Neapolitan dough with sourdough - the app calculates it for free.

Which flour is best for Neapolitan pizza dough?

Traditionally an Italian Tipo 00 or Tipo 0 with W 280-320. In a home oven, Caputo Pizzeria (W 280-300) is a reliable all-rounder: stable, easy to shape and forgiving of beginner mistakes. At a regular supermarket, German Type 550 or French T55 work fine for first attempts.

How high should the hydration be?

Typically 60-65 %. The AVPN values sit at 55-62 %, but for a home oven we lean closer to 65 % for more moisture. If the dough sticks too much while shaping, drop the hydration to 62 %.

How long does the dough need in the fridge?

For the 24-hour version it matures at 4°C for about 18-22 hours, preceded by a 30-60 minute bulk ferment and followed by a 2-4 hour ball ferment at room temperature. The sweet spot for aroma is 24-48 hours cold.

How much yeast do I need?

For 4 balls of 250 g with a 24-hour cold ferment, about 0.3 g of dry yeast is enough. For a short 4-hour direct ferment you would need roughly 4-5 g instead. PizzaPlan interpolates the correct amount for any fermentation time between 4 and 72 hours.

What oven temperature do I need at home?

The original is baked at 450-500°C in 60-90 seconds. Since home ovens rarely reach that, use a pizza stone or steel at 250-280°C for about 4-6 minutes. Preheat the stone for at least 45 minutes at maximum temperature.

Who is behind PizzaPlan?

PizzaPlan comes from Forstinning near Munich, written by Christoph - home pizza baker with his own wood-fired oven and an Effeuno P134H. The numbers in this article are the same he uses for his weekend pizzas; no simplifications, no marketing figures. More about the app on the about page.

The app is free for Android and iOS. PizzaPlan Pro for a one-time €2.99 (no subscription) unlocks pre-ferments (Biga and Poolish, Li.Co.Li.), 100+ flour brands and all future pro features. Play Store · App Store.