The Ultimate Home‑Made Neapolitan Pizza: A Step‑by‑Step Masterclass

Introduction

The creator celebrates reaching 1 million subscribers by unveiling a never‑seen‑before pizza recipe designed for home ovens. The goal is a pizza that is simultaneously soft and crunchy, using professional‑grade techniques that anyone can replicate.

Day 1 – Preparing the Poolish (Pre‑Ferment)

• Ingredients: 300 g cold water, 300 g 00 flour, 5 g dry yeast, 5 g honey.
• Mix all ingredients with a spoon until homogeneous.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap (or a lid) and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 16–24 hours.
• After refrigeration the poolish should be full of bubbles and visibly stronger.

Day 2 – Building the Main Dough

• Ingredients: 700 ml cold water, 1 050 g 00 flour, 25 g salt, the whole poolish from Day 1.
• Use a stand mixer (hand‑kneading is possible but yields a less professional texture).
• Steps:
• Add poolish and half of the water to the mixer, then dissolve the salt in the water and add it.
• Mix on low speed until the mixture looks milky.
• Gradually add the remaining flour while the mixer runs on speed 1.
• Increase to speed 4 and add the rest of the water slowly, allowing the dough to absorb it fully (5‑6 minutes).
• The finished dough should be shiny, soft, slightly sticky, and highly elastic (≈80 % hydration).
• Lightly oil the work surface, turn the dough out, and shape it into a tight ball. A quick olive‑oil coating and a final “ball‑in‑box” step improve gluten strength.
• Refrigerate the dough for another 16–24 hours.

Day 3 – Final Dough Enrichment and Balling

• Ingredients: 240 g 00 flour, 100 ml cold water, 20 g extra‑virgin olive oil, the cold dough from Day 2.
• Return the chilled dough to the mixer, add the new flour, then olive oil and water gradually (about 4 minutes total).
• After full incorporation, shape the dough into a strong, cold ball and let it rest 15 minutes.
• Portion the dough into 280 g balls, keeping a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent sticking. Place balls in a floured container, spaced 3‑4 cm apart, and let them proof for 1‑2 hours at room temperature.

Stretching and Topping the Pizza

• Prepare a blend of half flour and half semolina for dusting the work surface.
• Stretch each dough ball by turning it inside‑out, gently pressing out air from the edges while keeping the center intact.
• Base: Spread a sundried‑tomato pesto, then dollop ricotta cheese evenly. Drizzle a little olive oil over the crust.
• Par‑bake: Place the pizza in a static‑mode oven at 250 °C for 4‑5 minutes to set the base.
• Toppings: Add fresh mozzarella, sliced zucchini blossoms, a pinch of salt, and speck (smoked pork). Brush the crust and blossoms with olive oil for a golden finish.
• Final bake: Return to the oven (still at 250 °C) for another 4‑5 minutes, or until the mozzarella bubbles and the crust is golden‑brown.

Presentation and Tasting

• The finished pizza shows a perfectly crisp bottom, a soft, airy crumb, and a harmonious blend of ricotta, mozzarella, speck, and zucchini blossoms.
• The creator encourages viewers to tag him on Instagram when they try the recipe.

Additional Resources

• A full online masterclass on professional pizza making is linked in the video description for those who want deeper training.

By mastering the poolish, high‑hydration dough, and precise fermentation steps, anyone can achieve a restaurant‑quality Neapolitan pizza at home—soft inside, crunchy outside, and bursting with flavor.