This recipe all started with a European vacation, which ended in a life-changing trip to L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples, Italy—all to blame for my consistent daydreams of Neapolitan pizza.  This obsession is completely out of my hands and totally beyond my control…or that is the excuse I tell myself when family and friends continue to ask me to shut up about that same "life-changing" pizza from Naples.  My only option to completely withdraw from repeating the exact same story over and over to them is to share it with you and all of humanity I come in contact with over the next year.

Before my magical trip ended, I knew I would be making pizza dough as soon as I got home to share with you. The pizza in Naples is perfectly charred on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  I knew I could not quite duplicate the fire oven situation which created perfectly charred outside, but I could use a broiler to get mine closer than I had probably been before. Look how lovely it turned out!

This dough recipe is very simple yet delicious.  It only takes a few quick steps and a few ingredients and you are ready to roll. Here are a couple of tips:

– Use a quality olive oil. It will add extra flavor while coating your dough. 

– To make sure you have a fully baked pizza, bake the pizza until it is about 3/4ths of the way baked at a high heat of 450-500 degrees and then turn on the broiler to really crisp up your crust and finish the pizza at a high heat to get that Naples authenticity.

– Try topping it with your favorite homemade pizza sauce, olive oil. a bit of quality mozzarella cheese and basil for a truly authentic margherita experience as close to Napoli as one can get or make it American style with your favorite toppings.  The sky is the limit with this dough!
  
Whatever you do, try it right away and give the take out/delivery pizza a rest for a while.  You can thank me later!

Napoli Inspired Pizza Dough

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of quality olive oil to coat the bowl
  • Optional: cornmeal for dough dusting 


Directions


1.  Add all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast to a medium sized bowl.  Quickly combine the dry mixture with a whisk.  
2.  Next, add water to mix and use a whisk to make sure everything is mixed together.  
3.  Do a little kneading and form a ball.  
4.  Take a large bowl and coat with quality olive oil. Add the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours but longer is better.
5.  When ready, roll out the dough and start making some pizza!

Yields 2 pizza dough balls, enough for two large pies.

Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder of Grandbaby Cakes, a food blog inspired by her grandmother that is devoted to classic desserts, modern trends and showcasing the pastry and sweets field in an accessible way. She hopes to inspire a new generation of bakers and dessert enthusiasts to learn to bake and not feel guilty about enjoying dessert.  Visit her at www.grandbaby-cakes.com