The formula
- Makes
- 2 × 450 g balls
- Bake at
- 550°F
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Total
- 24h 37
| Ingredient | Weight | Baker’s |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flourHigh gluten, 12.7–14% protein | 532 g | 100% |
| WaterLukewarm, around 21°C | 335 g | 63% |
| Fine sea salt | 10.6 g | 2% |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 13.3 g | 2.5% |
| Granulated sugarOr diastatic malt powder | 8 g | 1.5% |
| Instant dry yeast | 1.6 g | 0.3% |
Scale it to any batch with the dough calculator — it uses the same percentages.
Method
- 01
Whisk the water, sugar, and instant yeast in a mixing bowl until dissolved. Let stand for three minutes to activate.
3 minutes
- 02
Add half the bread flour and stir until a smooth batter forms, then mix in the fine sea salt and olive oil.
4 minutes
- 03
Incorporate the remaining flour and knead vigorously on a clean counter until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, roughly eight minutes.
8 minutes
- 04
Divide the dough into two equal 450g pieces. Shape each half into a tight, taut ball by tucking the seams underneath.
5 minutes
- 05
Place each dough ball into an oiled container, seal with an airtight lid, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours for cold fermentation.
24 hours
- 06
Remove dough from the refrigerator two hours before baking so the gluten relaxes and reaches ambient room temperature.
2 hours
- 07
Stretch by hand on a floured surface to a 16-inch round, transferring to a peel dusted with semolina. Top and bake on a preheated stone or steel at 550°F for six to eight minutes.
6 minutes
Oil and sugar: the domestic oven adaptations
True Neapolitan pizza relies strictly on four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. That formula works because a 900°F wood flame cooks the crust in 60 seconds before moisture can evaporate.
In a domestic kitchen oven or electric deck running at 500°F to 600°F, a lean dough takes six to eight minutes to bake. Over that duration, it dries out into a stiff, tough biscuit.
New York pizzerias solved this by adjusting the baker's percentages:
- Olive oil (2.5%): Fat coats the developing gluten network, tenderizing the crumb and producing the iconic "crisp outside, chewy and foldable inside" texture.
- Sugar (1.5%): Provides readily fermentable carbohydrates that caramelize at 550°F, producing rich golden-brown blistering without requiring an 800°F flame.
- High-protein bread flour (100%): A 13% to 14% protein flour provides the gluten matrix required to stretch a thin 16-inch pie that supports sauce and cheese without sagging.
The 24-hour cold ferment
While you can bake this dough after a four-hour room temperature rise, a 24 to 48-hour cold retard in the refrigerator transforms both handling and taste.
Cold fermentation allows enzymatic starch conversion to continue while yeast respiration is suppressed. This creates complex lactic and acetic acidity, improves blistered oven spring, and allows the dough to relax so it stretches effortlessly without snapping back.
Always bring cold dough containers out to the counter two hours before stretching to reach room temperature before launching onto a 550°F steel.
Scaling the formula
Every ingredient is locked to baker's percentages of the flour weight. If you want four 450g balls instead of two, use our pizza dough calculator and select the New York preset to compute exact gram weights.
Gear mentioned
Gozney Arc XL
A 16-inch outdoor gas pizza oven with a lateral rolling flame, digital temperature display, and professional heat retention.
- Pizza capacity
- 16-inch pizza capacity (16.8" x 20.3" removable stone floor)
- Burner system
- Lateral rolling gas flame mimicking traditional wood-fired ovens
- Thermometer
- Built-in digital precision temperature gauge with color screen
Ooni Volt 2
Electric, and the only one here you can legitimately run indoors on a normal socket.
- Max temperature
- 850°F
- Temperature range
- 70–850°F
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
Ooni Koda 16
Gas-only and deliberately simple. Turn it on, wait, cook — no fire to manage.
- Max temperature
- 950°F (500°C)
- Max pizza size
- 16 in
- Stone thickness
- 0.6 in (15 mm) cordierite
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
The one that publishes its accuracy. Under a second, and a calibration certificate in the box.
- Accuracy
- ±0.5°F in key temperature ranges
- Response time
- Under 1 second
- Measuring range
- -58 to 572°F
Common questions
- Why does New York dough include olive oil and sugar?
- Unlike 950°F Neapolitan ovens, domestic and kitchen deck ovens bake at 500–600°F. Sugar caramelizes to promote browning over a longer six-minute bake, while olive oil coats gluten strands to keep the interior crumb tender and foldable rather than cracker-hard.
- Why is a 24-hour cold ferment recommended?
- Chilling dough slows yeast activity, giving flour enzymes time to break complex starches down into simple sugars. This enhances crust flavor, improves browning, and relaxes the gluten for easy stretching to 16 inches.
- Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
- Bread flour with 12.7% to 14% protein is strongly recommended. The extra gluten provides the tensile strength needed to stretch a 450g dough ball to a thin 16-inch circle without tearing.
- How hot should the baking steel or stone be?
- Preheat your oven and baking steel at 550°F for at least 45 to 60 minutes prior to launching. Saturated thermal mass is essential for rapid bottom crust blistering.
Sources
Gear from this recipe, compared
Roman Teglia Pizza Dough
Also covers the Gozney Arc XL, the Ooni Volt 2 and 1 more of the same products.
Gozney Arc XL vs Ooni Koda 16
Also covers the Gozney Arc XL and the Ooni Koda 16.
Ooni Koda 16 vs Ooni Volt 2
Also covers the Ooni Koda 16 and the Ooni Volt 2.
Pizza Dough Hydration, Explained
Also covers the Ooni Koda 16 and the Ooni Volt 2.