Italian Pizza Dough Recipe
All you need is 3 ingredients for this easy but delicious Italian pizza dough recipe! This original Neapolitan pizza can be made with regular flour or spelt flour and the pizza crust is thin in the middle and has an airy, fluffy crust! It makes for the best homemade pizza dough I've had! Plus, I’ve included how to meal prep, freeze, store, and reheat this delicious artisan-style pizza!
Servings 3
Ingredients
- 370 g (3 cups) spelt flour or all-purpose flour (see notes)
- 225 ml (1 scant cup) water (I use sparkling water)
- 5-6 g fresh yeast or use 3/4 tsp of active dry yeast
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt
Instructions
- Add the flour to the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (or regular bowl, if mixing by hand), then add the water, salt, and fresh yeast and wait until the yeast dissolves in the water.
- Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and mix for 20 minutes (or mix 10 minutes by hand - the traditional way!). If the dough is a bit too sticky, add a little more flour, if it's too dry, add a little more water.
- Transfer the dough to a large plastic container and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rest at room temperature for about 1-2 hours. Then transfer the covered plastic container to your fridge and let the dough rest overnight, preferably 24 hours, or up to 2-3 days.
- Place the dough on a floured working surface and divide it with a dough scraper into 2 pieces (or 3, if you make smaller pizzas). Form each piece with your hands to a smooth ball, then transfer them to a floured wooden board and cover them with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Allow them to rise for an extra 1-2 hours, or until they reach room temperature.
- Place a pizza stone (if you have one) into the oven and preheat the oven to the highest possible setting, no fan, (typically 250 °C or 480 °F).
- Meanwhile, roll out the dough balls with a rolling pin or stretch the dough with your fingers into circles. Prepare your pizza toppings of choice. I like using tomato sauce, onion, garlic, mushrooms, olives, and vegan cheese, but often I just use tomato sauce and vegan cheese.
- Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake it until the crust is slightly brown (or longer if you prefer it crispier).The baking time depends on how thin you rolled out the dough, what kind of oven you're using, if you have a pizza stone, and which (+ how many) toppings you're using. I recommend baking for about 5-8 minutes (if using a pizza stone) or up to 15 minutes (if using a baking tray), but it's best to check every few minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Flour: We used 75% spelt flour and 25% all-purpose flour. 50% of each also works great. Original Neapolitan pizza dough is made with Italian Tipo 00 pizza flour.
- Want to make it gluten-free? Then check out my gluten-free pizza crust recipe.
- The dough balls can be frozen.
- The total time doesn't include resting time.
Nutrition Facts
Italian Pizza Dough Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
495
% Daily Value*
Fat
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
5
%
Carbohydrates
91
g
30
%
Fiber
17
g
68
%
Protein
17
g
34
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.