The reason I’ll never be stick thin, can anyone else relate? Good, Italian, Neopolitan style pizza is for sure my weakness more than anything else. This homemade dough is made with 00 flour, a Neopolitan secret for the thin yet doughy crust pizza that’s to die for. Few, but simple quality ingredients are the key to this D.O.P. pizza. It’s sure to become a staple in your routine, perfect for weekend pizza nights. Though we don’t have an authentic wood burning pizza oven, I still dream about that in our backyard someday.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups warm water (100-110 degrees F)
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp evoo
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 1/3 cups of 00 flour, Caputo brand if you can find it
• San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, pureed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• fresh basil
• good quality evoo for topping
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano
• 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella, torn in chunks

Time: 2 hours, includes rising time

In a large bowl, add the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to proof, becoming bubbly, for about 6-10 minutes.

Once it become bubbly and active, add in the evoo, flour, and salt. With a dough hook attachment in your mixer, allow it to come together on medium/low speed and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth.

Oil two bowls. Cut the dough in half and form them into balls, by using your thumbs to pull the loose ends together underneath. Place seam side down in each bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in your oven (keep your oven off, not on) and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours, until they’ve doubled in size.

When it’s almost done rising, in a small saucepan heated over medium, add a little evoo and garlic smashed. Allow to sauté to open the garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add in the San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes and break them apart with a wooden spoon. Allow to simmer on medium/low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn off and set aside.

Now that the dough is finished rising, take one dough ball and place on a floured board. Use your fingers to punch the dough down in the center, keeping a border around the edge. Then use your hands to stretch the dough into a round circle gently without tearing, but get it as thin as you can keeping the crust edge untouched.

Place your dough on a semolina dusted pizza peel. If you don’t have a pizza peel, use the bottom part of a cookie pan, though this doesn’t work quite as well.

Place a ladle full of the San Marzano sauce into the middle of the dough, and use the bottom of the ladle to spread around. There shouldn’t be too much sauce piled up.

Spread around 1/2 of the grated parmigiano and tear the fresh mozz, spreading around. Finish with a small drizzle of good EVOO.

Slide the pizza onto a heated pizza stone in your oven or on a grill, heated to about 450 degrees F. Allow it to cook until the crust gets crispy underneath, about 10-14 minutes.

Top with fresh basil, good EVOO, and a final sprinkle of freshly grated parmigiano.

Buon appetito!