Neapolitan Pizza (VPN Certified)

To become a Pizza Master and master Neapolitan pizza, it takes many years of training and experience. Lucky for us, Master Pizza Chef Leo Spizzirri is here to teach us what makes an authentic napoli-style pizza. He’ll also show us some tips and tricks for making a home version of the pizza using everyday tools and a regular oven. Let’s bake!🤘🏼 Adam

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STUFF I USE...

Leo’s Digital Scale

Leo’s Pizza Peel

Leo’s Pizza Spatula

Pizza Dough Proofing Box (for home use)

Sea Salt from Sicily

“00” Flour from Naples

King Arthur Bread Flour

Instant Yeast

Rectangular Pizza Stone

Copper Olive Oil Cruet

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Yield: 10-15, 10-14 inch Pizzas

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Authentic Neapolitan Pizza (VPN-Approved)

Ingredients

VPN Dough

• 1700g Caputo “00” Pizzeria Flour
• 1000g Water, cold
• 45g Sea Salt
• 1g fresh yeast

VPN Sauce

• 12 ounce can San Marzano Tomatoes (340g)
• 1 tsp Sea Salt (6g)

VPN Toppings (Margherita)

• Fresh Cow’s Milk Mozzarella (“Fior di Latte”)
• Fresh Basil
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Instructions

VPN Dough

1. Add the water and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and dissolve it by hand.
2. Add 10-15% of the flour (by eyeballing it) and begin to gently mix the flour and water in with your hand until it looks like pancake batter. Press the fresh yeast between your fingers and dissolve it into the mixture.
3. Continue to mix the flour in 10-15% increments only adding more flour when the previous batch is properly mixed. It’s okay to see small beads of flour.
4. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
5. Knead the dough on a clean, unfloured surface until smooth (see video). Once smooth, allow the dough to rest another 15 minutes.
6. Slice a tubular piece of dough off of the large dough ball. For a 10-inch Pizza, weigh out 180 gram dough balls.
7. Shape the dough into balls (see video). Then place the dough balls in the tray, cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 8-24 hours. The timing of the fermentation will depend how hot/cold the room is - a colder room means a slower rise and the opposite is true for a warmer room.
8. When you’re ready to bake, preheat a wood-fired pizza oven to 900F (482c).
9. Carefully remove a dough ball from the tray and transfer to a bowl of flour, making sure to coat each side in a bit of flour.
10. Shape the pizza using Leo’s “hand-flipping” technique from the video.
11. Lightly dust the peel with a “2 finger pinch” of flour.
12. Build the pizza by ladeling on some sauce, topping with the fresh mozzarella and basil.
13. Drag the pizza onto the lightly floured peel and quickly transfer it to the oven. Cook the pizza until the rim and bottom begins to puff and take on some charring or “leaparding” being sure to turn the pizza and place it in the same place in the oven each time (see video).
14. Remove the pizza from the oven and cut into quarters with pizza scissors then CRUSH!

VPN Sauce

1. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and crush by hand. Remove any hard, underripe, stringy bits.
2. Season with salt and mix. Use right away or refrigerate for later use.

Yield: 10-15, 10-14 inch Pizzas

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Home Cook's Neapolitan Pizza

Ingredients

Dough

• 1700g King Arthur Bread Flour
• 1000g Water, cold
• 45g Kosher Salt
• 5g Instant Yeast

Sauce

• 12 ounce can Peeled Whole Tomatoes (340g)
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt (6g)

Toppings

• Whole Milk Low-Moisture Mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Fresh Basil
• Parmesan Cheese, grated

Instructions

Dough

1. Add the water and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and dissolve it by hand.
2. Add 10-15% of the flour (by eyeballing it) and begin to gently mix the flour and water in with your hand until it looks like pancake batter. Sprinkle the dry yeast on top of the mixture and mix it in by hand.
3. Continue to mix the flour in 10-15% increments only adding more flour when the previous batch is properly mixed. It’s okay to see small beads of flour.
4. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
5. Knead the dough on a clean, unfloured surface until smooth (see video). Once smooth, allow the dough to rest another 15 minutes.
6. Slice a tubular piece of dough off of the large dough ball. For a 10-inch Pizza, weigh 180 gram dough balls.
7. Shape the dough into balls (see video). Then place the dough balls in either individual oiled containers or a single larger oiled container leaving two inches between each dough ball, cover and allow to ferment in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
8. To bake the pizza, preheat your oven to 550F (287c) with the rack set in the center and a pizza stone set on top. Allow the oven and pizza stone to preheat for 1 hour, meanwhile remove your dough from the fridge to warm up.
9. Carefully remove a dough ball from the tray and transfer to a bowl of flour, making sure to coat each side in a bit of flour.
10. Shape the dough using either the traditional hand flipping technique or the easier “bowl technique” (see video).
11. Lightly dust the pizza peel in flour then place then drag the stretched dough on top.
12. Working quickly, build the pizza by spooning on some sauce then laying on a few chunks of whole milk, low-moisture mozzarella cheese and basil. Drizzle on some olive oil. Shake the pizza peel to ensure nothing is sticking, then carefully launch the pizza into the oven (see video).
13. Bake the pizza for about 5-6 minutes, until the crust begins to take on a golden brown color. Remove the pizza from the oven, slice and serve.

Sauce

1. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and crush by hand. Remove any hard, underripe, stringy bits.
2. Season with salt and mix. Use right away or refrigerate for later use.

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