Neapolitan Pizza the next day

This is a recipe that gives very good results when you want to make Napoletan pizza for the next day. Starting after lunch on day D, you can bake the pizzas at dinner on day D+1. There is quite a bit of room for all resting durations, which makes it rather flexible if the schedule is uncertain.

• Total duration: 25 to 33h, probably even longer if needed if the bulk dough stays in the fridge
• Recommended flour W: 240-300 (e.g. Caputo Cuoco or Classica, Petra 3, Stagioni PZ3, Mulino Marino Tipo 00, etc.), the higher the W the longer in the fridge
• Hydration: ≈ 66%

For 30cm pizzas:

• Flour 164.5g
• Water 91.75g + 16.75g
• Salt 4g
• Fresh baker’s yeast 0.65g (divide by 3 if using dry)

Combine the flour with 85% of the water, mix roughly by hand or with an electric mixer until it makes a uniform dough that is very dry.

Cover hermetically and wait between 3 and 5 hours. This is what is called an autolyse. After waiting this long, the dough should stretch until you can read through it when put on a text.

Put the yeast in a small amount of the remaining water until it is dissolved, and the integrate into the autolyse by hand or with the mixer.

Put the salt into the remaining water, wait until it’s dissolved, and then proceed to bassine the dough, again by hand or with the mixer. This means integrating the remaining water very slowly, a few centiliters at a time, waiting for the water to be integrated into the dough each time.

Wait 15 minutes, proceed to fold the dough until it has a very smooth exterior and has gained some strength. Wait 45 minutes, fold again a few times, until it has regained some strength and is very smooth on the outside.

Rest the dough in the fridge for 18-24h.

Take it out, and split in 280g balls, with a few folds so it has a very smooth exterior, wait 3h for the balls to be ready for baking.