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Sourdough Pizza, Neapolitan Style

Thin, blistered Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza crust, made for a wood-fired oven, a stone, or a baking steel.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 14 minutes
Bulk Ferment + Overnight Cold Proof 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 14 minutes
Servings: 5 pizza crusts
Course: Bread, Main Course, Pizza
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 556
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 120 g active sourdough starter needs to be bubbly and active before it goes into the water
  • 5 g honey mixed in right after the starter dissolves
  • 500 g water the base the starter and honey dissolve into
  • 20 g fine sea salt added with the flour, weighing it keeps the ratio consistent
  • 700 g high-protein bread flour, 12-14% protein Desi uses Caputo Chef 00
  • Semolina flour, for the work surface Desi uses Caputo semolina
  • Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, and basil, for a margherita topping

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl for mixing and for bulk fermentation
  • Kitchen scale essential for measuring both the dough and the 5 divided portions
  • Bench scraper or a sharp knife for dividing the dough
  • Covered container for holding the shaped dough balls in the fridge
  • Pizza stone or baking steel a wood-fired pizza oven is a different, much faster method if you have one
  • Pizza Peel for transferring the pizza in and out of the oven

Method
 

  1. Dissolve the starter into the water, then mix in the honey.
  2. Add the flour and salt and mix into a sticky dough.
  3. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.
  4. Do 4 rounds of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart.
  5. Bulk ferment on the counter until risen about 50%.
  6. Divide into 5 portions and shape into balls.
  7. Place in a covered container and refrigerate overnight.
  8. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature 1 to 2 hours before cooking.
  9. Coat with semolina and spread from the center outward, avoiding the outer rim.
  10. For a home oven: preheat a stone or cast iron pan to 500°F for 30 to 45 minutes, par-bake plain for 4 to 5 minutes, then top and finish baking.
  11. For a wood-fired oven: top first, then bake about 2 to 3 minutes.

Notes

This dough runs on the higher side of hydration, so shaping takes a bit more care than a standard loaf. Avoid disturbing the outer rim while spreading, that's what allows it to puff up. A home oven needs the par-bake step to fully cook the crust without burning the toppings.
Nutrition is estimated from the dough ingredients only, not toppings, and is based on a 5-crust batch. It's an estimate for convenience, not a substitute for a precise calculation.