Neapolitan pizza

[marshall]

Working on getting the perfect crust, i have used Meathead's neapolitan recipe and it was wonderful, but i have alot of trouble getting the dough stretched out, it always shrinks back(probably user error) i used kenji Lopez basic neopolitan dough recipe with 00 flour and it was much easier for me to work with. It was very delicious but i still cant get that leopard spotting!
I pre heat oven to 500 degrees with my pizza stone in it for about 45 min. Pre cook my crust 4 minutes then flip crust over and put on toppings, back in oven for 9 more minutes. Maybe i need an ooni??? Anyway this pizza is fantastic, blows the box store pizza away.

[Ann-Marie in the backyard]

It looks really good, even without the leopard spots! I think those spots come with practice . . . along with the ability to make a real circle pizza. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one serving amoeba-shaped pizza!

I made Kenji's New York pizza dough today for dinner tomorrow. I'll be cooking it on the grill with a pizza stone, and I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

[marshall]

Hope to see pics. And your thoughts on your pizza tomorrow , lol, a real circle!

[rickgregory]

Neopolitan is typically baked at much higher temps, e.g. 700 or so. Might try one of the kettle options people talk about here.

[RonB]

That's the first pizza I have seen shaped like Africa.

[Uncle Bob]

Okay marshall need to ask a couple questions along with some comments. Are you using the Caputo 00? If so, red bag or blue? For the temps you're running you'll want the red, blue is better suited to the high, wood fired temps. Can't remark on other brands. You mention oven, presume that's a typical indoor oven? If so, will it let you go to 550? If so, do it. 45 minutes at 500 is probably marginal for heat soak to the stone in that kind of cooker. Go at least an hour in preheat. If you don't have an IR gun to measure surface temp, get one if you're going to get serious about pizza. Mild leopard spotting could be possible at true 550, mild being the operative word. I'll attach a pic of my last pizza with Kenji's recipe. The stone temp was just over 600, I now use the gas grill and rotisserie burner to get what you see. For all that you may be disappointed to some degree or other, not a bad start.

[marshall]

Using red bag of antimo caputo 00 . Indoor oven max out at 500 degrees, i do have a ir gun. Thanks for input, your pizza looks delicious. I think i need a higher heat source!

[gmascolo51]

I have been using bread flour lately with decent results, Ken Forkish’s recipe. Sometimes I blend 1/2 00 and 1/2 bread flour but have been lazy and haven’t ordered it lately. More importantly I think the key is the fermenting process, as I bought these plastic dough tubs from this place that makes them in NJ, Dough-mates I believe and feel like the second fermentation in those is the ticket. Depending on the recipe the second fermentation is done in those tubs at room temp and it pushes the lids up, and you end up with a nice light dough. I have a wood fired oven and keep the temps at 600-700 and cooks beautifully.

[shify]

Your oven isn’t hot enough. I’d also serious question the oven temp if it’s taking 13 minutes. If you are looking for leopard spotting, a 13 minute cook is about 11 1/2 min too long for a Neapolitan pizza. I also don’t understand the par cook and flip approach.

When I cook in my oven I use bread flour and NY style dough and cook on a baking steel preheated at 550. It takes about 4-5 minutes. I save my Caputo 00 flour for Neapolitan doughs cooked in my Ooni.

edit: first pic is Neapolitan dough cooked in my Ooni. 2nd is an oven cooked pizza.

[marshall]

Dang those look good.
The pre cook and flip is because i felt like the top of the crust was kinda under cooked because of toppings....my ir gun reads about 520 degree ferhinheight on my stone.......

[RonB]

Here's another thought. If the bottom is not a brown as you'd like when the top is ready, open the oven door to let some heat out. That way you can allow the bottom to brown a bit more without over cooking the top. And if the bottom gets done before the top, put the pizza on a cookie sheet and put it under the broiler to finish the top.

[marshall]

Broiler....good thought thanks!