Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough
Sourdough Natural Yeast Recipes

Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough

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I love pizza. Good pizza. Neapolitan style pizza with the thin bottom and chewy crust. It may be one of my top favorite foods, and this sourdough Neapolitan pizza dough is so easy and so utterly delicious. It’s our favorite Friday night pizza night dough due to its simplicity and flavor. I know you will love it too!

Looking for more pizza recipes? More favorites here:

Neapolitan Style Pizza Dough Sample Schedule

Day 1
7:00AM – 10:00AMMix levain. Let sit for 3 hours between 76-78℉ to ferment
10:00 AMMix dough (without salt)
10:30 AMAdd salt and mix
10:30 AM – 1:30 PMBulk Fermentation:  Cover dough and let rest for about 3 hours at 76-78℉
1:30 PMCold Bulk Fermentation (for up to 48 hours) 
Day 2
2:00 PMShaping: Separate dough into 4-6 pieces. Shape into balls and rest at room temperature
2:15 PM – 5:30 PMRise: Allow dough balls to rise at warm room temperature (78 degrees F).
5:00 PMPreheat pizza stone or pizza oven.
5:30 PMShape pizza dough. Top and bake

Type 00 Flour in Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Type 00 flour is known for being used to make traditional Neapolitan-style pizza. It gives a light/tender/crispy/chewy/thin crust all at the same time. In Italy, flour is categorized by how finely ground it is (unlike in the US, where flour is categorized by protein content). Type 00 flour is the most finely ground flour, with almost all of the bran and germ sifted out. The type 00 flour used for pizza has an 11-12% protein content. It has the most stretch and extensibility after mixing, making it perfect for pizza dough.  

Where to buy type 00 flour? 

What if I can’t find 00 flour?

  • You can use good quality bread flour (not whole wheat) or even substitute all purpose flour–though you may need to add a little more flour to compensate for protein content with all purpose. It won’t be quite as extensible/light/airy but will still taste delicious.

Mix Levain (1:1:1)

I use a levain method for making sourdough. You can read more about that here.

For this recipe you will mix:

  • 30 grams ripe/mature sourdough starter
  • 30 grams all purpose flour (or type 00)
  • 30 grams water

Before mixing, take the temperature of the sourdough starter and flour. If it is colder than the 75-80 degree range, use warm water to mix the levain. If the ingredients are warmer than 75-80 degrees, use cooler water. The goal is for the levain to be in the 75-80 degree temperature range. After mixing, cover loosely and let sit for about 3-4 hours (75-80 degrees). If you want to mix levain 12 hours before  (1:10:10) and let it rest overnight, mix 5 grams starter with 50 grams water/50 grams flour. Let sit for about 12 hours until bubbly.

Mixing Sourdough Pizza Dough

Mix together the flour, water and ripe levain with your hands. You can also use a stand mixer if desired.

  • After 30 minutes, add the salt and crimp/cut/squeeze the dough with your fingers until the salt is mixed in with the dough. Adding salt too soon can slow down the extensibility in the gluten strands, so adding it later helps you get a stretchy dough. If you’re in a rush or think you will forget to add the salt–it’s okay to mix it in with all the ingredients.
  • Wet your hands as needed 
  • Pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. Continue to work with the dough until it is smooth and the salt has been incorporated.

Bulk Fermentation and Cold Fermentation:

Cover the dough and let it rise for 3-4 hours at 78℉. Read this post for why temperature is important to fermentation. After 3 hours, cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. This makes it really easy to make the dough a few days before you want to bake the pizzas. A refrigerated rise will give the best flavor to your dough and allow you to plan ahead for your pizza night. If you want to bake the same day, skip this step and proceed with shaping the dough balls.

Pre-Shape Pizza Dough Balls

Prepare a pan with a light drizzle of olive oil. 

  • Use a bench knife to separate the dough into 6 pieces, around 150 grams each.
  • Pick up a piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball.
  • Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape to seal the ball and create tension.
  • Place the dough ball in the pan and repeat with the other balls of dough. 
  • Separate the balls so they aren’t touching each other. 
  • Watch a video of the process here.

Proofing Sourdough Pizza Dough

  • Cover the dough balls and let rise for about 3 hours at warm room temperature (78 degrees F).
  • After the dough has risen and puffed up, it can be used immediately for pizza, or it can be put in the refrigerator for a couple hours if needed.

Neapolitan Style Pizza Sauce

This is a very simple tomato sauce consisting of:

  1. Whole Peeled or Crushed Tomatoes: I love using good quality tomatoes in this pizza. I buy San Marzano style tomatoes and also love the Bianco DiNapoli brand of tomatoes. 
  2. Olive Oil: This emulsifies the sauce and adds fat which makes the pizza not as “soupy” when the sauce bakes. 
  3. Salt: A little salt for flavor
  4. Crushed Red Pepper: If you want a little bit of heat to your sauce, add some crushed red pepper to taste.

Using an immersion blender or a blender, blend up all the ingredients for about 30 seconds to a minute. Use the sauce immediately or refrigerate for a few days.

Shaping Sourdough Pizza Dough

Prepare: a piece of parchment paper to bake in a home oven. Prepare a cutting board or pizza peel if using a pizza oven. Sprinkle semolina flour or cornmeal on the parchment/cutting board. This creates some friction for the pizza to slide around and not stick (especially useful if you are baking in a pizza oven).

Shape: Liberally flour your countertop. Take a risen dough ball out of the proofing pan and set it in the flour. Cover both sides of the dough and your hands with flour. Use your fingertips to gently press down the dough from the middle of the dough out toward the edges. Do your best not to press any gas out at the rim/edge of the dough. You want the crust/edge to rise as high as possible. At this point you can lift the dough up and put it on your knuckles, rotating your hands in a circular motion to stretch the dough. Set dough on the prepared parchment paper or cutting board. Make sure the pizza dough can move around a bit. If it sticks, add a little more semolina/cornmeal or flour to the bottom of the pizza dough. Each piece of dough makes about an 8 inch pizza.

Top: Top your pizza with sauce, good quality mozzarella (not pre-shredded if you can help it) and any toppings you’d like. Reserve toppings that don’t hold up as well in the oven (e.g.: prosciutto/fresh herbs/arugula) to put on after the pizza is baked.

Baking Pizza in a Home Oven

Home Oven with Pizza Stone: Prepare your home oven to bake the pizza. Move the rack to the highest setting in your oven. Put a pizza stone on the rack. You can use a circular pizza stone specifically for pizza or a rectangular stone. Preheat the oven to 500ºFahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven on to high broil. Launch your pizza into the oven with a pizza peel or cutting board. Broil for 1-2 minutes (watch closely). Depending on your oven you may need to change the setting to BAKE 500-550º F instead of broil. Rotate the pizza after 1-2 minutes and bake for another minute or two. This will depend a lot on your home oven how long each pizza will bake for. The crust should be evenly golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying!

Baking Pizza in an Ooni (or other) Pizza Oven

Turn the pizza oven on. Preheat for 30 minutes  to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow any directions specific to your pizza oven. Bake at around 700ºF for about 30-40 seconds. Rotate the pizza and bake until the crust is golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this sourdough pizza recipe differ from the other one on your site? Which do you like better?

I really like both recipes. My sourdough “pizza oven” pizza recipe has more steps to follow in developing the dough. It uses whole wheat flour and diastatic malt powder. It tastes delicious with bread flour or type 00 flour. This recipe is much simpler. You can mix by hand or with a mixer and and it only has 4 ingredients. You can’t go wrong with either! When I have type 00 flour on hand I make this recipe. When I only have bread flour I’ll use the other recipe.

Can I make this pizza without sourdough? Can I use instant yeast instead?

Yes you can. I always prefer baking with sourdough if I can but sometimes there’s only time for instant yeast. Check out this recipe I created for the Ooni Pizza oven. Or modify this current sourdough recipe:

To make pizza with instant yeast and sourdough: Add ¼ teaspoon instant yeast to the recipe. Cover and rest for 2 hours. Shape into balls. Proof in fridge up to 48 hours OR room temperature for 3-4 hours.

To make pizza without sourdough and only instant yeast: Leave out the sourdough and add 2 teaspoons instant yeast (about 4 grams). Rest 2 hours at room temperature. Shape into balls and let sit in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours OR at room temperature for 3-4 hours before using.

What if I don’t have a pizza stone? Do I really need to get one?

If you want Neapolitan-style pizza then you do need something to cook the pizza on and a pizza stone is optimal. However, you can also turn a baking pan upside down, preheat it and use that to cook on top of. I do find many uses for my pizza stone other than pizza – pita bread, using it to even out the heat in my oven to keep my sourdough loaves from burning on the bottom, even getting a crispier crust on breadsticks. A pizza stone is a big factor in the success of this recipe. You can try spreading the dough on a baking sheet and baking it at the high temperature but if you truly want great pizza from your home oven, you’ll want to invest in a pizza stone–which is much cheaper than an outdoor pizza oven!

Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Amy
Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza dough is an Italian-style pizza made with 100% natural yeast. It has a crisp and chewy crust and is topped with fresh tomato sauce and any toppings you want. Make this in a home oven or a pizza oven–directions included!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Fermentation Time 10 hours
Total Time 11 hours
Course Main Course, pizza
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 8 inch pizzas

Ingredients
  

Levain (1:1:1, ready in 3-4 hours at 78ºF)

  • 30 grams sourdough starter
  • 30 grams flour
  • 30 grams water

Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough

  • 500 grams type 00 flour see recipe notes
  • 340 grams water
  • 75 grams levain see recipe notes
  • 13 grams salt
  • flour/semolina for shaping

Neapolitan Style Pizza Sauce

  • 1 28 oz can San Marzano-style tomatoes whole peeled or crushed, see recipe notes
  • 40 grams extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 grams salt
  • pinch of crushed red pepper optional

Instructions
 

Levain

  • Mix together 30 grams starter, 30 grams flour and 30 grams water. Cover and let rest for about 3 hours until bubbly and active. Before mixing, take the temperature of the sourdough starter and flour. If it is colder than the 75-80 degree range, use warm water to mix the levain. If the ingredients are warmer than 75-80 degrees, use cooler water. You can substitute 100% hydration ripe sourdough starter for the levain in this recipe.

Sourdough Pizza Dough

  • Mix together the flour, water and ripe levain with a dough whisk, your hands or with a stand mixer.
  • After the dough forms a ball, add the salt and crimp/cut/squeeze the dough with your fingers until the salt is thoroughly mixed in with the dough. Wet your hands as needed and pick up one side of the dough and fold it over on itself. Repeat until the dough is smooth and the salt is all mixed in. You won't feel the salt anymore once it's sufficiently mixed in.
  • Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and let rise for 3 hours at 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Cold Bulk Fermentation (Refrigerated Rise): Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. This will give the best flavor to your dough and allow you to plan ahead for your pizza night. If you want to bake the same day, skip this step and proceed with shaping the dough balls.
  • Pre-Shape Dough into Balls: Prepare a pan with a light drizzle of olive oil. Use a bench knife to separate the dough into 6 pieces, around 150 grams each. Pick up a piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter using your hand in a cupping shape to seal the ball and create tension. Place the dough ball in the pan and repeat with the other balls of dough.
  • Proof the Dough: Cover the dough balls and let rise for about 3 hours at warm room temperature (78 degrees F). After the dough has risen and puffed up, it can be used immediately for pizza or placed in the refrigerator for a couple hours if needed.
  • Prepare to Bake:
    Home Oven with Pizza Stone: Prepare your home oven to bake the pizza. Move the rack to the highest setting in your oven. Put a pizza stone on the rack. You can use a circular pizza stone specifically for pizza or a rectangular stone. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
    Pizza Oven: Turn the pizza oven on. Preheat the pizza oven for 30 minutes to about 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Shaping Pizzas:
    Prepare: a piece of parchment paper to bake in a home oven. Prepare a cutting board or pizza peel if using a pizza oven. Sprinkle semolina flour or cornmeal on the parchment/cutting board. This creates some friction for the pizza to slide around and not stick (especially useful if you are baking in a pizza oven).
    Shape: Liberally flour your countertop. Take a risen dough ball out of the proofing pan and set it in the flour. Cover both sides of the dough and your hands with flour. Use your fingertips to gently press down the dough from the middle of the dough out toward the edges. Do your best not to press any gas out at the rim/edge of the dough. You want the crust/edge to rise as high as possible. At this point you can lift the dough up and put it on your knuckles, rotating your hands in a circular motion to stretch the dough. Set dough on the prepared parchment paper or cutting board. Make sure the pizza dough can move around a bit. If it sticks, add a little more semolina/cornmeal or flour to the bottom of the pizza dough. Each piece of dough makes about an 8 inch pizza.
  • Topping the Pizzas: Top your pizza with sauce, good quality mozzarella (not pre-shredded if you can help it) and any toppings you’d like. Reserve toppings that don’t hold up as well in the oven (e.g.: prosciutto/fresh herbs/arugula) to put on after the pizza is baked.
  • Baking Pizzas
    Home Oven: Turn the oven on to high broil. Using a pizza peel, broil for 1-2 minutes (watch closely). Depending on your oven you may need to change the setting to BAKE 500-550 degrees F instead of broil. Rotate the pizza after 1-2 minutes and bake for another minute or two. It will depend a lot on your home oven how long each pizza will bake for. The crust should be evenly golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying!
    Pizza Oven: Follow the directions on your pizza oven. Bake at around 700 degrees F. If needed for your model of pizza oven, rotate the pizza after about 30-40 seconds and bake until the crust is golden with a few scattered black/charred spots. Let cool for a minute before slicing and enjoying.

Neapolitan Style Pizza Sauce

  • In a blender, blend together the whole or crushed tomatoes, olive oil and salt. Add crushed red pepper if desired.

Notes

Notes: For pizza made the same day, skip the cold bulk fermentation and immediately shape the dough into balls.
Type 00 Flour: This pizza tastes best with type 00 flour. It can be found online or at local grocery stores. If you can’t find type 00 flour you can substitute bread flour. If you use the King Arthur Flour 00 flour, you’ll want to add 50-60 extra grams of flour during mixing to compensate for protein content.
Levain: All of my sourdough recipes use a levain method. If you want to use 100% hydration sourdough starter instead of levain, this is an easy one to use it with.
For Faster Pizza: add ¼ teaspoon instant yeast to the recipe. Cover and rest for 2 hours. Shape into balls. Proof in fridge up to 48 hours OR room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Pizza without sourdough: Leave out the sourdough and add 2 teaspoons instant yeast (about 4 grams). Rest 2 hours at room temperature. Shape into balls and let sit in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours OR at room temperature for 3-4 hours before using.
Keyword artisan sourdough, homemade pizza, homemade sourdough pizza, levain, natural yeast, naturaly yeast recipe, neapolitan sourdough, neapolitan sourdough pizza, neapolitan style pizza, neapolitan style sourdough pizza, sourdough pizza, sourdough pizza dough, sourdough starter, sourodugh recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

11 Comments

  1. This looks like an amazing dough, and the pizzas ALL look delicious! Thanks for the many tips and explanations! 😍🍕👩‍🍳

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  5. Can you freeze the dough if you don’t use it all?

  6. I haven’t rated because I have a question before i make it. Can I freeze the dough and how?
    Thank you

    • I would not recommend freezing this dough. You can try it, but I have mixed results freezing 💯 sourdough recipes. I would probably par-bake the crust (bake it most of the way) and then freeze for later. When you want it later top it and bake to finish it.

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