Home » Vault » Neapolitan Style Pizza Dough (biga)
Neapolitan Style Pizza Dough (biga)
This dough uses a 40% biga and 68% hydration, producing a soft, extensible Neapolitan-style crust with incredible flavor and texture. Because of the higher hydration, the dough will feel sticky and challenging to handle at first, that’s completely normal. With the right technique (and a bit of practice), it becomes second nature. For a deeper understanding of the dough-making process, I highly recommend 'The Elements of Pizza' by Ken Forkish. It’s one of the best resources for learning how fermentation, temperature, and gluten development work together. Watching a range of instructional YouTube videos will also help you visualize different kneading, folding, and shaping techniques. Everyone develops their own rhythm. Notes - The flour used in this recipe is Caputo Blue Bag 00 (Pizzeria). It’s available on Amazon and often ships overnight in major cities. - I didn’t include the pizza forming and stretching process here because there are many effective techniques. I suggest watching several YouTube tutorials to see different methods in action. It’s much easier to learn visually than through written instructions. - The dough should feel soft, supple, and slightly tacky (not sticky) when it’s ready for bulk fermentation. - If the dough temperature rises above 79°F (26°C) during mixing, stop and let it cool for about 10 minutes before continuing. - Use cooler water (60–65°F / 15–18°C) if your kitchen or mixer tends to run warm. - This formula yields six Neapolitan-style pizzas and follows a 48-hour fermentation schedule: mix the biga Friday night, bake Sunday evening. If you’re short on time, you can shorten the process to about two days by skipping the second overnight fermentation after balling.
Ingredients
Method
More from the Vault
Homemade Snickers Bar
I love Snickers bars, and I had no idea how easy it is to make them from scratch! No complicated steps, barely…
French Brioche
Brioche is one of the richest doughs I’ve ever made, yet fluffy like a cloud. Unlike the common assumption, th…
Vodka Pasta
Vodka pasta is one of those delicious dishes which is faaar greater than the sum of its parts. This is a tough…
One Pot Shawarma Rice
This a super easy one pot dish inspired by one of my favorite foods on Earth. I marinate my chicken thighs in…
Flour Tortillas
What's up, tortilla lovers! If you're a fan of Mexican food (and who isn't?), you know that nothing beats the…
Sheetpan Chicken Kefta
You guys went bonkers for my sheetpan kefta recipe, so I went ahead and developed a lighter version with chick…
Babish's Ultimate Chicken Parm
A couple of subtle but noticeable changes to the orthodoxy of chicken parm make this a luxurious and addiction…
Chicken Parmesan
Today on basics, we are making chicken parmesan!