Recipes Perfect Neapolitan Pizza Dough 1.0 (5,685) 5 Reviews "Flour, salt, water and yeast — that's it," says chef Thomas McNaughton about this super-simple dough recipe, the same one he uses to make his amazing restaurant pies.This dough is fully-seasoned and may taste too salty to some; for anyone who is sensitive to salt or is trying to reduce salt intake, the salt can be cut back in this recipe to a lower level. By Thomas McNaughton Thomas McNaughton F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Flour + Water and Central Kitchen, San Francisco Experience: La Folie, Gary Danko and Quince, San Francisco Education: Culinary Institute of America What is your favorite cookbook of all time? The Culinaria series from Europe. It’s a great overview of European countries broken down into regions, and they aren’t just about food but also wine and culture. What is one technique everyone should know? Perseverance. Cooking is all about failing and learning from it. Not giving up, and trying to perfect something takes a lot of failure and a lot of work. What is your secret-weapon ingredient? Vinegar. Even in a dish where you’re not looking for an acidic outcome, like a stew or a soup, a good vinegar helps heighten a lot of natural flavors just like salt. What is your dream restaurant to run? If the sky’s the limit, it would be a ridiculously small restaurant with just a couple of seats, a set menu and I’d get to do all of the cooking with a small crew. The food wouldn’t be tied down to any particular style, but it would take full advantage of the bounty of the Bay Area. What ingredient will people be talking about in five years? I don’t know, but I just hope it won’t be pork belly. What is your current food obsession? Natural fermentation. We’ve been experimenting with it at Central Kitchen, making all sorts of naturally fermented products and playing around with them in sauces and condiments. I love the umami factor they bring. Right now we’re making a canapé of cauliflower pâte à chou served with an aioli made with naturally fermented rabe leaves that we let ferment for about two weeks. The aioli’s got a little spice to it, and this acidic funkiness going on that matches the funkiness of the cauliflower. What is your favorite new store-bought ingredient? These might be more available at farmers’ markets than supermarkets, but I’m really excited about the new citrus hybrids that people are coming out with, like limequats—the rind on those is ridiculously aromatic—Buddha’s hand, and citron. These citrus varieties have so many more nuances to them than ordinary lemons or limes. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 9, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © John Kernick Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Yield: 5 10-inch pizzas Ingredients 1 3/4 pounds “00” flour (5 1/2 cups; see Note), plus more for dusting 0.75 grams active dry yeast (1/2 teaspoon; see Note) 2 cups warm water 27 grams kosher salt (3 tablespoons) Directions Lightly dust a large bowl with flour. In a small bowl, whisk the yeast with 1/4 cup of the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 1 3/4 pounds of flour with the yeast mixture and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of water and mix at low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix until all of the flour is incorporated, about 4 minutes. Add the salt and mix at medium speed until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 minutes longer. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form it into a large ball. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl and cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap so that it’s airtight. Let the dough stand in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 8 hours. Refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or overnight. Let the pizza dough return to room temperature in the bowl, about 2 hours. Lightly dust 2 large baking sheets with flour. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and punch it down. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 5 even pieces. Form the pieces into balls and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Using the tip of a paring knife, gently pop any air bubbles on the surface of each ball. Securely cover the dough balls by sliding each baking sheet into a clean 13-gallon plastic kitchen bag and tying them closed. Let the dough stand in a warm place until it has a little more than doubled in bulk, about 8 hours. Refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or overnight. Set a pizza stone on a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500° for at least 45 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and let the dough stand for 20 minutes. Working on a floured surface and using your fingers, press and stretch a dough ball out to a 10-inch round, working from the center toward the edge; avoid pressing on the outermost edge. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel. Add toppings to the dough as desired, making sure to leave a 1-inch border around the edge. Turn the oven to broil for 5 minutes, then return it to 500°. Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, opening and closing the oven door as quickly as possible. Bake until the bottom is lightly charred and the toppings are bubbling, about 6 minutes for a chewier crust and 8 minutes for a crispier one; avoid opening the oven door during baking. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and toppings. Notes Doppio zero or "00" flour, a fine Italian flour, is available at specialty food shops and online at amazon.com. To accurately weigh small quantities, use a scale that counts in 0.01-gram increments. PERFECT PIZZA TOPPINGS: Perfect Pizza Sauce • Summer Squash-and-Arugula Pizza with Fontina Cheese • Margherita Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil • Sausage-and-Olive Pizza with Capers and Pecorino Sardo Rate it Print