Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Yeast Activation
- 325 ml warm water
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 5 g granulated sugar
Dry Ingredients & Fat
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 493 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbohydrates
- 92 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 975 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 138 mg
- Calcium
- 21 mg
- Iron
- 5.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 33 mg
- Phosphorus
- 129 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 1.15 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.69 mg
- Niacin
- 9.9 mg
- Folate
- 258 mcg
- Water
- 98 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the warm water (around 35°C/95°F), active dry yeast, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy and bubbly on the surface.
Add the bread flour, fine sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until the liquid is absorbed and a shaggy, cohesive dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Knead continuously for 10 minutes, pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand and pulling it back over itself, until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not strictly sticky.
Form the kneaded dough into a tight ball. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it once to coat the entire surface in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel to prevent a crust from forming, and let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.
Gently punch down the dough to release excess gas. Turn it out onto your work surface and divide it into two equal portions using a bench scraper or heavy knife. Shape each portion into a tight, round ball by tucking the edges underneath.
Cover the shaped dough balls loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This critical rest period relaxes the gluten network, allowing you to stretch the dough for baking without it tearing or snapping back.
Chef's Notes
- For superior flavor complexity and blistering on the crust, transfer the covered bowl to the refrigerator immediately after the initial kneading step. Allow the dough to cold-ferment for 24 to 72 hours before dividing and shaping.
- Bread flour yields a chewier crust with more structure due to its higher protein content (typically 12-14 percent), but standard all-purpose flour works perfectly well if you prefer a slightly tenderer bite.
- Always check gluten development using the windowpane test: Pinch off a small piece of kneaded dough and stretch it gently between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough to let light pass through without tearing, the gluten is fully developed.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cold fermentation improves flavor development. Let refrigerated dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours before stretching.
Freezer: 3 months — Lightly coat individual dough balls with oil, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
Dough persistently snaps back or shrinks when trying to stretch it into a pizza shape
Cause: The gluten network is too tight and has not been allowed to relax sufficiently after shaping
Fix: Cover the dough, step away, and let it rest for another 15 to 20 minutes before attempting to stretch it again
Prevention: Ensure the final resting period after dividing and shaping the dough is at least 30 minutes
Dough is dry, tough, and difficult to knead
Cause: Too much flour was added during the mixing or kneading process
Fix: Wet your hands with warm water and continue kneading until the moisture is incorporated. Repeat if necessary
Prevention: Weigh flour with a digital scale rather than using volumetric measuring cups, which often compact the flour
Cultural Context
Pizza evolved from humble flatbreads in Naples, Italy, where it became an essential, accessible staple for the working class. The traditional dough formulation strictly relies on minimal ingredients flour, water, salt, and yeast allowing the slow fermentation process and extremely high-heat baking to create its characteristic blistered, airy crust.
