Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Recipe (2024)

Published: Oct 14, 2020 · Modified: Feb 15, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This authentic Neapolitan Pizza recipe makes the perfect thin, soft, fragrant, and easily folded into a booklet. Find out how to cook it in your kitchen oven. You will not need a pizza takeaway again.

How to make a restaurant Italian pizza at home

It looks like a pizza from a restaurant, but it is made in my kitchen oven and with minimum effort. To do that, I have three secrets:

1. I make the pizza dough in the bread machine, throw all the ingredients, and the bread machine does all the rest. After 1 ½ hours, I have a perfect pizza dough
2. I prepare the dough the day before and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours. The yeast will have enough time to rise, and the dough will get a nice consistency, like the one you have in the restaurant.
3. I cook the pizza on the hot Pizza Stone, and the intense heat from the stone cooks the pizza crust evenly in the center and reproduced the effect of a wooden pizza oven.

This homemade pizza is easy to make, and children love it.Easier than a pizza delivery:

In this recipe, I make the dough with the bread machine. If you want to make the dough by hand, jump to this recipe: How to make Neapolitanpizza dough

Choosing the right ingredients

What tomato sauce for pizza

Are you wondering if Marinara sauce is used on pizza in Italy? NO

Marinara sauce for Italians means seafood sauce, so the short answer is no, we don't use it.

You must use a good quality tomato sauce for your pizza. If you made your own canned tomato sauce, that would be ideal. Otherwise, I recommend Mutti.

You can use it straight from the can; making a sauce beforehand is unnecessary.

Just add salt and herbs to the pizza. I would typically use basil; some people also use oregano and olives. The simpler, the better.

You can find an authentic pizza sauce recipe in the blog: Cristina cucina no cook pizza sauce

What cheese to use

3 types of mozzarella can be used for pizza:

• A rectangular solid one
• A grated mozzarella
• A fresh mozzarella

I prefer to use the rectangular solid mozzarella for pizza, and if I can, I add 1 or 2 tablespoon of the grated one. But I prefer not to use fresh mozzarella as it releases too much water, making the pizza soggy.

If you want to use fresh mozzarella, drain as much water as possible and put only a few slices.

But what is a pizza without plenty of cheese on top?

Why Italian cheese is best for pizza

In this instance, I would highly discourage the use of non-Italian mozzarella.It just doesn't taste the same!

If you are in Italy, I would recommend using a brand from Naples otherwise, Galbani is normally available in many countries.

Here in France, some people use french cheese, which ruins any perfect pizza dough. It is high in fat, too creamy, and doesn't stretch.

A proper cheese for Italian pizza should be spun paste, also called stretched curd or pulled curd.

The curd paste is pulled and kneaded in hot water. Besides the mozzarella, other cheeses for pizza are Provola, Provolone, Scamorza, and Caciocavallo. All are very stretching and firm consistency.

If you want to know more about Italian cheese, you can watch my trip to the Ventimiglia market here

See Also

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The best flour for pizza

The best flour for pizza is the flour with higher gluten content in Italy, called type 0. The best flour professionals use is Manitoba, but any type 0 will do. If you want to know what the equivalent is in your country, here they are:

• France is called ‘Type 55’
• All-purpose flour in USA
• Plain flour in UK
• Italian type 0

If you cannot find it, you can use the type 00, on amazon Caputo flour

Bread machine pizza dough recipe

To make this pizza dough recipe, I use the bread machine Kenwood, it is very convenient, and it always comes out perfect.

If you want to make the dough by hand, jump to this recipe: How to make Neapolitanpizza dough

The ingredients are:

• 1 cup of water
• 3 cups of Caputo flour (if you can find Manitoba, Type 55, All purpose, Plain, Type 0)
• 1.5 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 package of yeast

Pour the ingredients into the machine and set the program for fresh dough, number 13, on the Kenwood bread machine.

NB: when using the bread machine, the ingredients should be placed in the exact order as listed above, with liquids first.

Let the dough rest for 8 hours

If you want your pizza to be like in a Restaurant, let it rest overnight.

Once the dough is ready, I cover it with flour, wrap it in a plastic bag (otherwise, it will crawl into the fridge), and let it rest overnight.

You don't need to do it, but the dough used the next day makes a better crust, crunchy outside and soft inside like an oven read like the ones you eat at restaurants.

Shaping the pizza

1. When I am ready to make the pizza, I cut the dough into three equal sizes and lay them down on a well-floured wooden surface; if you don t have one, you can use baking paper. This method helps to keep the flour mess contained.
2. If you just took the dough out of the fridge, let it rest covered with a kitchen towel for at least 1 hour until it reaches room temperature
3. Roll the dough flat, and let it rest for at least another 10 minutes

Cooking pizza at home

4. While the dough is resting, I put the pizza stone in the cold oven and set the oven at 430 F - 220C. The pizza stone will heat up gradually with the oven temperature. It is important because the stone could crack if exposed to sudden changes in temperature.
5. Once the oven reaches the temperature of 430 F - 220 C, I take the pizza stone out of the oven, lay the dough on top, and add a spoonful of tomatoes sauce,
6. Add a pinch of salt and spread over the dough with the back of a spoon.
7. Top with cheese and basil leaves
8. Cook in the hot oven for 10 minutes

Choose more toppings

Once you have the right tomato sauce and cheese, you can top the pizza with any other ingredients you fancy (except pineapple).

In Italy, we hardly ever add meat. If we do, it is mostly ham, prosciutto, or sausage, but there are exceptions.

Pepperoni in Italian means peppers so is careful! If you order Pizza pepperoni in Italy, you will get what you asked for, not salami.

Once the pizza is cooked and out of the oven, drizzle some good quality extra virgin olive oil.

If you like spicy, steep a hot chili in the extra virgin olive oil for a few hours and drizzle it on your pizza.

I like to top my pizza mainly with vegetables, and here you will find some ideas:

• 10 Vegetarian Pizza Toppings with Fresh Veggies
• Artichoke Pizza with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Scamorza Cheese
• Traditional Italian White Pizza With Pesto

Top tips for making an authentic Italian pizza

• I make the pizza dough in the bread machine, throw all the ingredients, and the bread machine does all the rest. After 1 ½ hours, I have a perfect pizza dough
• I prepare the dough the day before and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours. The yeast will have enough time to rise, and the dough will get a nice consistency, like the one you have in the restaurant.
• I cook the pizza on the hot Pizza Stone, and the intense heat from the stone cooks the pizza crust evenly in the center and reproduces the effect of a wooden pizza oven.
• In this recipe, I make the dough with the bread machine. If you want to make the dough by hand, jump to this recipe: How to make pizza dough without the bread machine
• Use the right flour:France is called ‘Type 55’,All-purpose flour in the USA,Plain flour in the UK,and Italian type 0. For best results, Manitoba flour if you cannot find it, you can buy Caputo flour
• Use a good quality tomato sauce for your pizza. If you made your own canned tomato sauce, that would be ideal. Otherwise, I recommend Mutti.
• It is not necessary to make a sauce beforehand. Just add salt and herbs over the pizza
• Only add 2 tablespoon of sauce per pizza. Too much sauce will make the pizza soggy
• Use the rectangular solid mozzarella for pizza, and if you like extra cheese, add 1 or 2 tablespoon of the grated one.
• If you want fresh mozzarella, release as much water as possible, and don't put in too much.
• A proper cheese for Italian pizza should be spun paste, also called stretched curd or pulled curd.
• The curd paste is pulled and kneaded in hot water. Besides the mozzarella, other cheeses are Provola, Provolone, Scamorza, Caciocavallo. All very good cheese for pizza.
• The oven and the pizza stone have to be extremely hot
• Place the pizza stone in the oven and wait until it is hot to put on the pizza to cook
• Once the pizza is cooked and out of the oven, drizzle some good quality extra virgin olive oil.
• You can top the pizza with any other ingredient you fancy (EXCEPT PINEAPPLE!!!).

Substitution and variations

• If you don't have an oven to bake your pizza, you can fry your pizza as they do in Naples: Fried Pizza dough
• If you don't have yeast, you can try the Italian flatbread Piadina from Emilia Romagna
• If you don't have time to let the yeast rise, you can try Instant Pizza Dough – No Rise No Yeast from my friend blogger Emily

More pizza recipes

For more pizza recipes, check out the category: Pizza

Also check the recipes below:

• Fried Pizza and panzerotti
• Pizzette Mini Pizza Bites
• Pizza Bianca Romana
• Artichoke Pizza with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Scamorza Cheese
• 10 Pizza with Fresh Veggies
• Traditional Italian White Pizza With Pesto
• Italian Flatbread Authentic Piadina Recipe
• Pissaladiere Nicoise
• Focaccia Pizza
• Pizza with Nutella

If you are making this Neapolitanpizza recipe and cook it in your home oven, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.