This is an adaptation for those who use a domestic oven that reaches approximately 250 to 280 °C. The formula preserves elements of the Neapolitan profile - dough without sugar or oil, airy edge, manual opening and dry covering - but the cooking process takes longer than in a high-temperature Neapolitan oven. The result tends to have a slightly firmer base and less instant cornicione expansion; Well-heated stone or steel help bring texture and toast closer together without promising a result identical to that of a pizzeria.
Ingredients
For the dough
• 600 g of strong wheat flour for bread, preferably with around 11.5% to 13% protein, or 00 flour suitable for pizza
• 390 g of cold water or at room temperature, equivalent to 65% hydration
• 17 g of fine salt
• 0.8 g of instant dry yeast, approximately 1/4 level teaspoon
For topping 4 pizzas
• 360 g of peeled tomatoes with part of the broth, crushed with your hands or fork
• 4 g of fine salt for the tomatoes
• 400 g of fior di latte mozzarella or well-drained fresh mozzarella
• 12 to 16 basil leaves
• 20 g of extra virgin olive oil
• 20 to 30 g of fine semolina or wheat flour, just for sprinkling the counter and shovel
Recommended equipment
• Digital scale; To weigh less than 1 g of yeast, a precision scale helps.
• Large bowl, spatula or scraper and 4 pots with lids for the dough balls
• Pizza shovel; If not, use the back of a smooth, firm baking tray.
• Refractory stone or pizza steel; If not, use a heavy, inverted, completely preheated baking dish.
• Domestic oven that reaches 250 to 280 °C; grill function or superior resistance is useful for finishing the top
24-hour schedule
T - 24 h: mix and develop the dough.
T - 11 pm: split and roll.
T - 11pm until
T - 5 h: ferment the balls in the fridge.
T - 5 h: remove from the refrigerator to complete fermentation at room temperature.
T - 1 h: start preheating the oven, stone or steel.
T - 20 min: prepare tomatoes, mozzarella and countertop.
T: Open, cover and bake one pizza at a time.
Preparation method
1. Mix the dough
Place 370 g of water in a bowl and dissolve the yeast. Add all the flour and mix until there are no dry spots left. The dough will be rough and sticky. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes; This rest facilitates the development of gluten without requiring long kneading.
2. Add the salt and remaining water
Dissolve the salt in the remaining 20 g of water. Add little by little, pressing and folding the dough until the liquid is absorbed. Knead for about 5 to 7 minutes, alternating folds and pulling and collecting movements. Stop when the dough is smoother, more elastic and able to maintain a rounded shape, although it remains slightly sticky.
3. Do a short block fermentation
Cover and let the dough rest for 40 minutes at room temperature. Halfway through the time, make a fold: pull one side of the dough and bring it to the center, repeating around the bowl. At the end of this period, it should appear more elastic and discreetly airy, not necessarily doubled in volume.
4. Divide and ride
Transfer to the counter without incorporating excess flour. Divide into 4 portions of approximately 252 g. Pull the edges of each portion down and rotate over the counter to create a smooth, taut surface without tearing. Place each ball in a lightly greased pot or fermentation container with a lid.
5. Ferment in the fridge
Place the balls immediately in the refrigerator, ideally at 4°C or below, for about 18 hours. Cold fermentation develops flavor and makes the dough more stretchable. The balls should grow noticeably and form small bubbles under the surface, but they do not need to double in size.
6. Complete fermentation outside the refrigerator
Remove the balls approximately 4 hours before baking and keep them covered. In a hot kitchen, above 26°C, start observing after 2 hours and 30 minutes: the dough is ready when the ball appears fluffy, relaxed and opens with little resistance. If it spreads too much, loses tension and becomes extremely fragile, it's overdone.
7. Prepare the topping
Crush the tomatoes and mix in the salt, without cooking. Cut or tear the mozzarella and let it drain in a sieve for 30 to 60 minutes; Excess whey soaks the center during longer cooking in the home oven. Separate basil and olive oil. Keep the topping light: per pizza, use about 90 g of tomatoes, 90 to 100 g of mozzarella, 3 to 4 basil leaves and 5 g of olive oil.
8. Preheat the oven and cooking surface
Place the steel or stone in the upper third of the oven, leaving safe space for the upper resistance. Heat the oven to maximum temperature for at least 60 minutes. If using very thick stone, 75 minutes may be more appropriate. With heavy baking dish inverted, preheat for 45 to 60 minutes. The grill function can only be turned on close to the time of baking, if the oven manufacturer allows it to be used in this setting.
9. Roll out the dough without a rolling pin
Sprinkle the countertop very lightly with fine semolina or flour. Turn a ball onto the counter and press the center with your fingertips, moving the gas to the edge and preserving a 1.5 to 2 cm rim. Turn the disc over and repeat. Then, lift and stretch it over the backs of your hands until it reaches 28 to 30 cm. Do not use a rolling pin and do not crush the edge: this will expel the gas that should form the cornicione.
10. Assemble quickly
Put the disc onto the lightly dusted paddle and give it a little shake to confirm that it slides. Spread the tomato, leaving the edge free, distribute the mozzarella, basil and olive oil. Work without delay: a wet dough starts to stick to the paddle if it has been assembled for too long. Before putting it in the oven, shake the paddle again; If a stitch is stuck, carefully lift the edge and sprinkle a pinch of semolina underneath.
11. Bake at maximum heat
Slide the pizza onto the steel or stone. In an oven at 280 °C with well-heated steel, start checking after around 4 minutes; at 250°C, the interval is usually closer to 6 to 8 minutes. Rotate the pizza when one side browns faster. If the base is ready and the top is still pale, finish under the grill for 30 to 90 seconds, continuously watching to not burn the edge. Bake one pizza at a time and wait a few minutes between them if you notice that the base has lost thermal strength.
Right spot / how to know it’s ready
The cornicione should be inflated, with golden areas and toasted points, but without a continuous black band. The base needs to support the slice when lifted, with brown spots and without a raw or gummy layer in the center. The mozzarella should be melted and bubbly, without releasing a large pool of whey.. The center will remain flexible, an expected characteristic of this pizza profile, but it should not look like wet dough.
Tips for the recipe to work out
Use flour according to hydration
The main formula works with 65% water and calls for flour with enough strength to maintain gas and support opening. Weak flour can turn the dough into a very sticky and fragile disc; In this case, the correction is to reduce water, not compensate with a large amount of flour on the counter.
Preheat more than seems necessary
The oven air reaches the indicated temperature before the stone, steel or baking tray. Long preheating stores energy in the surface that touches the dough and improves expansion and browning of the base.
Drain the mozzarella
In the home oven, the pizza is exposed to heat for several minutes. Mozzarella that is too wet releases water before the center has time to set; Draining the cheese reduces the risk of a soggy pizza.
Cover less than on a pan pizza
A thick layer of sauce and cheese raises the cold dough over the disc and delays the cooking of the center. Lean coverage is part of the thermal strategy of this adaptation.
Open and bake one ball at a time
Leave the other balls covered while a pizza is opened. This way you avoid drying out and reduce the time the assembled disc remains stationary on the paddle.
Substitutions and variations
Can I use regular wheat flour?
It can, but absorption is usually less. For 600 g of plain flour, start with 375 g of water, equivalent to 62.5% hydration. If the dough is firm and elastic after resting, add water little by little, without exceeding 390 g of the main formula. The result may have a slightly less open edge.
Stone, steel or inverted baking dish?
Steel transfers heat more quickly and usually helps to brown the base in ovens that do not exceed 250 to 280 °C. The stone provides gentler heat and needs good preheating. A heavy inverted baking dish works as an affordable alternative, but generally requires longer cooking and produces less bubbles and browning on the base.
Can I use low-moisture mozzarella?
Yes. It reduces the risk of excess water and browning easily, but has a less creamy texture than fior di latte. Use about 75 to 90 g per pizza to avoid a heavy layer of cheese.
Can I bake without a grill?
Yes. Keep the pizza in the top third and bake until the edge is golden brown and the base is set. Without intense upper heat, cooking will take longer and the cornicione tends to dry out a little longer before developing dark spots.
How to store
Ready-made pizza is a perishable food because of the cheese. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them within 2 hours in a sealed container and keep the refrigerator at 4°C or below. Consume within 3 to 4 days. To reheat, heat until the center reaches 74°C; oven, air fryer or covered frying pan help to recover the base without leaving the slice rubbery. To freeze, wrap the slices individually and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to serve / side dishes
Serve each pizza as soon as it comes out of the oven, after 1 to 2 minutes of rest for the cheese to stabilize. A small drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil leaves can be added after cooking. As the domestic oven loses heat with each opening, it is better to serve them in sequence rather than trying to bake them all at the same time.
Common mistakes
Why is my pizza pale and dry?
Probably the cooking surface did not accumulate enough heat or the pizza was left at a moderate temperature for too long. Preheat stone or steel for at least 60 minutes, use the oven at maximum and, when necessary, finish quickly under the grill instead of prolonging the entire cooking process.
Why did the center get wet?
The most common causes are undrained mozzarella, too much sauce, heavy topping or an insufficiently hot cooking surface. Reduce the moisture content of the ingredients and confirm preheating before mixing the dough formula.
Why didn't the cornicione grow?
Rolling pin, pressure on the edge, insufficient fermentation or excessive fermentation expel or weaken the gas. Open from the center outwards and stop pressing about 1.5 to 2 cm from the edge.
Why does the dough tear when I try to roll it out?
If it tears and still retracts a lot, it may be a little relaxed; cover and wait 15 to 20 minutes. If it is very sticky, soft and lacking strength, it may have fermented too much or the flour does not maintain 65% hydration. For the next batch, reduce the water to 62.5% to 63% when using regular flour.
Why did the pizza stick to the paddle?
The dough was assembled too long, there was a wet spot under the disc or there was a minimum layer of flour or semolina missing. Assemble only when the oven is ready, test that the disc slides before and after covering and place in the oven immediately.
