Modern Neapolitan margherita pizza

Recipes · Pizza · Intermediate

5.0 · 3 ratings

Our go-to, mouthwatering Neapolitan pizza recipe

A modern Neapolitan-style pizza recipe using biga and poolish for flavor, structure, extensibility, and a crust that balances crunch with a soft interior.

Plan
3 days
Hands-on
1 hour
Bake
75–90 sec per pizza
Makes
5 pizzas (12")
Jump to recipeShop ingredients
By BrickOvenBaker family · Oct 13, 2024 · Updated Oct 2026

Plan ahead

Baking timeline

Use this overview to plan the recipe from mixing through baking.

Total timeline · 40 hours

  1. Day 1

    Build the Biga

    Mix a biga with 600 g flour, 360 g water and 6 g dry yeast, then let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours.

    Rest 20-24 hours

  2. Day 1

    Build the Poolish

    Make a poolish with 180 g flour, 180 g water and 2 g dry yeast, and leave it at room temperature (23C/73F) for 12 hours.

    Rest 12 hours

  3. Day 2

    Mixing

    Mix the biga and poolish until no clumps remain, add the salt once gluten starts to form, and keep mixing until the dough passes the windowpane test.

    Rest 2 hours proofing

  4. Day 2

    Shaping & Balling

    Divide the dough into 5 balls of about 260-270 g, shape each one with good tension, and refrigerate them right away for about 12 hours.

    Rest 12-18 Hours Cold Proofing

  5. Day 3

    Baking

    Warm the dough balls at room temperature for about an hour, stretch gently, top, and bake at around 450C/850F for 75-90 seconds, turning halfway.

Plan my bakePick when you want to bake

When do you want to bake?

    Our modern Neapolitan pizza recipe

    This recipe was put together with much passion and trial and error over the years. Our goal was to achieve the perfect balance in what we look for in a modern Neapolitan pizza: a bit of crunch on the crust, a dough that melts in your mouth, a slice that can hold toppings without flopping easily, and a crust with rich flavor.

    We achieved this balance by using a combination of strong high-quality flours and combining two popular pre-ferments (biga and poolish), deeply developing the flavor of the dough.

    Please note: this is an intermediate level recipe, due to the combination of techniques used. Because 100% of the flour comes from pre-ferments, the dough tends to develop quite rapidly. It requires careful observation to judge the proper time to bake it. If you are looking for a beginner-friendly recipe, be on the lookout: we will be publishing our favorite intro recipe for neo-Neapolitan pizza in the coming weeks.

    Ingredients

    Neapolitan pizza ingredients

    pizzas
    • 600 g180 g—780 g
      Pizza flourUse strong pizza flour; see recommendations below.Petra 0102HP Pizza Flour (2.5kg / 5.5 lbs) $19.99 USD
      Petra 0102HP Pizza Flour (2.5kg / 5.5 lbs) $19.99 USD
    • 360 ml180 ml—540 ml
      Water 69%Cold from fridge
      69%
    • 6 g2 g—8 g
      High-quality dry yeast1%Reduce in hot environments or warm fridges.1% · Molino Dallagiovanna Instant Dry Yeast – 500g (Lievito Secco 100% Italiano) $9.99 USD
      1%
      Molino Dallagiovanna Instant Dry Yeast – 500g (Lievito Secco 100% Italiano) $9.99 USD
    • ——20 g20 g
      Salt 2.5%
      2.5%
    • To taste
      DOP whole peeled tomatoesCasa Marrazzo San Marzano DOP Peeled Tomatoes (28oz) $7.99 USD
      Casa Marrazzo San Marzano DOP Peeled Tomatoes (28oz) $7.99 USD
    • To taste
      Fiordilatte di Agerola mozzarella
    • As needed
      Semola RimacinataFor dustingPetra 8610HP Durum Wheat Semolina 2.5kg / 5.5 lbs $18.99 USD
      Petra 8610HP Durum Wheat Semolina 2.5kg / 5.5 lbs $18.99 USD
    Ingredients for Neapolitan pizza

    These are the core ingredients and flour options referenced in the method.

    Steps 1–2

    Building the preferments

    1. Make the biga

      1 day

      • We made a biga with 600 grams of flour, 360 grams of water, and 6 grams of dry yeast. This is slightly more hydrated than a typical biga, the reason being to give the dough more extensibility while stretching. The biga was prepared a day early and put in the fridge where it stayed for 24 hours.

      • For biga we used Petra 0102HP this time.

      Tip: Reduce yeast to 2-3g if your environment is hot or your fridge runs warm.

      Biga preferment

    2. Make the poolish

      12 h23C / 73F

      • We made a poolish with the remaining flour (180 grams) and water (180 grams) as well as 2 grams of dry yeast. We left the poolish out for 12 hours at room temperature (23C/73F).

      • For poolish we used Petra 5063.

      • If you are looking for instructions on how to make biga or poolish, be on the lookout for upcoming blog posts!

      Poolish preferment

    Steps 3–5

    Mixing

    1. Combine the preferments

      Mix biga and poolish together until no clumps remain.

    2. Add salt and develop gluten

      Once gluten begins to form, add the salt. Continue mixing until the dough passes the windowpane test.

    3. Rest before bulk fermentation

      Move the dough to the counter and let it rest for a few minutes before the first rise.

    Steps 6–7

    First rise

    1. Fold and rest

      Give the dough a quick fold and place it into a square container.

    2. Target the right volume increase

      2 h21-23C / 70-73F

      Target roughly a 75% increase in volume. In the original test, dough temperature was about 21C / 70F and room temperature was about 23C / 73F.

      Rise of the dough in the container

    Steps 8–10

    Balling and final rise

    1. Divide and shape

      Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces of about 260-270g each and shape each ball individually.

    2. Build tension

      Fold, stitch, and round each dough ball with a dough scraper to build enough tension for the long final rise.

    3. Cold final rise

      12 h

      Place the dough balls in the fridge immediately after shaping and let them rest for about 12 hours before baking.

    Steps 11–13

    Stretching and baking

    1. Warm the dough

      1 h

      After 12 hours in the fridge, let the dough balls come to room temperature for about one hour. Do not stretch cold dough.

    2. Stretch gently

      Flip each dough ball into semolina rimacinata and gently stretch it without deflating the outer crust.

    3. Top and bake

      2 min450C / 850F

      Top with hand-crushed DOP San Marzano tomatoes and fiordilatte mozzarella. Bake around 450C / 850F for 75-90 seconds, turning halfway.

    Cross crumb section of the pizza slice showing airy cornicione
    Photo of finished pizza after baking

    So there you have it: our modern Neapolitan pizza recipe. The combination of pre-ferments gave this dough the perfect mix of crunchiness, softness, and flavor. This recipe is a mainstay for our family and we'll continue improving on it over time. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

    If you are looking to use the same ingredients we used in making this pizza, you can find them all in our store.

    Shop Our Neapolitan Pizza FloursShop San Marzano Tomatoes

    Frequently asked questions

    Is this recipe beginner-friendly?

    This is an intermediate recipe because it uses both biga and poolish and because all of the flour comes from preferments.

    How many pizzas does this recipe make?

    It makes 5 pizzas, roughly 12 inches each, with dough balls around 260-270g.

    Can I reduce the yeast?

    Yes. If you live in a hot environment or your fridge runs warm, reduce the yeast for the biga to about 2-3g.

    Why should the dough warm up before stretching?

    Cold dough does not stretch properly. Let dough balls come to room temperature for about one hour before opening and baking.

    How much should a dough ball weigh?

    For a typical neapolitan pizza stretched 12" with a moderate cornicione, we recommend a dough ball of approximately 260-270 grams (9-9.5 ounces).

    BrickOvenBaker Logo

    Recipe by

    BrickOvenBaker family

    This recipe was developed through years of home pizza testing with high quality imported Italian flours.

    Keep baking

    More recipes