Neapolitan Pizza Recipe

The acceptance rearranged everything from proving to doing. Cooking with new freedom — parking lot crawfish boil, experimental dishes. Study group scattering: Marcus to Tulane, Priya to Emory, Amir to Baylor. Made last study group gumbo. Twenty bowls. One pot. The pot held them all.

The gumbo was always the plan for that last night — and it happened, exactly as it should. But what I kept thinking about afterward was how Marcus had suggested we make pizza earlier that week, before we knew it would be the last week, and how we never got around to it. So I made it after, alone, with the same hands that stirred that pot. A Neapolitan pizza is not gumbo, but it asks something similar of you: patience, attention, a willingness to stand over heat and wait for something good to happen. It felt right to make it in the quiet after the goodbye, a way of keeping that kitchen energy alive just a little longer.

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hours rise) | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 32 minutes | Servings: 4 (two 12-inch pizzas)

Ingredients

For the dough:
3 1/4 cups (500g) 00 flour or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
For the sauce:
1 can (28 oz) San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 fresh basil leaves, torn
For the toppings:
8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Fresh basil leaves, for finishing
Flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Let it rise. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Make the sauce. While the dough rises, combine crushed tomatoes, garlic, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in torn basil. Do not cook — Neapolitan sauce is used raw.
Preheat the oven. Place a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the top rack. Heat oven to its highest setting (500–550°F) for at least 45 minutes before baking.
Divide and shape. Punch down the dough and divide into two equal balls. On a lightly floured surface, gently press and stretch each ball into a round about 12 inches in diameter, leaving the edges slightly thicker for the crust. Do not use a rolling pin.
Top the pizzas. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over each round, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Scatter torn mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Bake. Carefully slide each pizza onto the preheated stone or pan. Bake 10–12 minutes, until the crust is charred in spots and the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Finish and serve. Remove from oven, scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, season with flaky salt, and slice immediately. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Neapolitan Pizza Recipe — One Last Pie Before We All Left