A good pizza comes down to three things done well: a properly fermented dough made from strong flour, a simple high-quality topping, and a hot oven. Get the dough right, keep the filling restrained in the Neapolitan tradition, and bake it fast and hot, and you will produce a base with a light, airy rim and a thin, flavourful centre. Here is how the classic Pizza Napoletana is built, step by step.
📋 What this guide covers
- The history behind real Neapolitan pizza
- How to make and work the dough
- The flour, yeast and rising times that matter
- The three authentic Napoletana toppings
History and real pizza
Pizza has been around a very long time, and it was the Neapolitans who invented it. In Italy, when you say pizza, you mean Neapolitan pizza. We can trace it to around 1715 to 1725: a simple kind of flatbread, easy to eat.
In the 19th century the fame of pizza spread beyond Naples, then beyond Italy, reaching the United States (which produced American pizza) and eventually the whole world, hence the huge variety of recipes and ingredients now in use.
In an effort to protect its authenticity, the recipe for the "Pizza Napoletana" STG, the real pizza, was registered in the Official Journal of the European Union on 14 February 2008, which describes in detail how to make it by the rules.
The dough
Handmade pizza dough is simple, and far less tiring with a stand mixer. You can also use a bread machine on the kneading function, then take the dough out and shape it by hand.
The ingredients
As is often the case in the kitchen, simplicity is key, and good ingredients make a good pizza: flour, yeast, water, salt and olive oil.
- Flour: use a strong "baking" flour to make an elastic, extensible dough. The best is Italian flour, particularly the "farina d'America" Manitoba, which is especially rich in gluten. Gluten is the protein network that traps the carbon dioxide released as sugars break down, giving the dough its lift and open structure.
- Yeast: a cube of fresh baker's yeast, or dry yeast, your choice.
You can use plain T55 flour on its own, but for a lift in quality try 300 g of T55 flour with 200 g of Manitoba flour, which is a good compromise. You can also use a homemade sourdough starter to make a good pizza dough; the rising times are much longer than with baker's yeast, but you gain the genuinely traditional sourdough flavour.
🔧 Pro tip, flour your hands well
Pizza dough is sticky by design. Flouring your hands and work surface keeps it manageable while you knead and shape, without working extra flour into the dough itself.
Working the dough
Knead the dough into a ball, flouring your hands well because it sticks. Once it has risen, crush it down with your hands to degas it. Then divide it into small balls, the dough pieces, each one sized to fit in the palm of the hand, between 180 and 250 g.
From 500 g of flour you get a dough of around 780 g, enough for four balls of about 195 g (four plate-sized pizzas), or three pieces of about 250 g for three large pizzas. To roll out the dough you need a little dexterity, because there is no rolling pin: spread each piece by hand, turning it on a floured surface until you reach the size you want, then let it rest for another 30 minutes.
ℹ️ Volume baking? Use a spiral mixer
For a shop making dough in quantity, a spiral mixer develops gluten efficiently without overheating the dough, which is exactly what a strong, well-structured pizza base needs.
If you are setting up or scaling a pizzeria, our spiral dough mixers and commercial pizza ovens are built for production. A pizza prep fridge keeps toppings cold and within reach on the line.
The filling
The real Pizza Napoletana comes in only three versions:
- Marinara: the oldest (1734) and the simplest, with tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil.
- Margherita: dating to 1889, famous because it was made for Queen Margaret of Savoy. It carries the three colours of Italy, red, white and green: crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and basil. There are two versions of the Margherita, one using fresh tomatoes and mozzarella campana.
The tomato
Use the most natural tomato puree possible, or fresh tomato.
The mozzarella
The real mozzarella is mozzarella di bufala Campana, which has held PDO status since 1996.
Extra virgin olive oil is drizzled over the filling before cooking, turned according to tradition. Take care not to put any filling on the edges, so you keep a small rim of bare dough that puffs up in the oven.
⚠️ Don't overload the base
Too much sauce or topping leaves the centre wet and stops the base cooking through. Keep it restrained, leave the rim clear, and let the quality of a few good ingredients carry the pizza.
Bringing it together
Real pizza is not complicated, but it rewards good flour, proper resting and a restrained hand with the topping. Master the dough first, respect the three classic fillings, and bake hot. At Atlantic Equipment we help hospitality businesses get the best out of their kitchens, from dough mixing to baking. Explore our full dough mixers range, or talk to our team about kitting out a pizzeria.
Frequently Asked Questions
A strong, high-gluten baking flour makes the best pizza dough because it produces an elastic, extensible base. Italian Manitoba flour is ideal. A practical compromise is 300 g of T55 flour blended with 200 g of Manitoba flour.
Each dough ball should fit in the palm of your hand, between 180 and 250 g. From 500 g of flour you get around 780 g of dough, enough for four plate-sized pizzas at about 195 g each, or three large pizzas at about 250 g each.
The Pizza Napoletana comes in three versions: Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil), and two versions of the Margherita (crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and basil), one of which uses fresh tomatoes and mozzarella campana.
Yes. A homemade sourdough starter makes an excellent pizza dough with a genuinely traditional flavour. The trade-off is much longer rising times than baker's yeast, so you need to plan ahead and have an active starter ready.
