How to Make Neapolitan Pizza and Roman Pizza at Home Using the Same Dough

Quick Overview

Vincenzo demonstrates how to achieve both a soft, airy Neapolitan pizza crust and a thin, crunchy Roman pizza crust using the exact same dough recipe, differing only in the final bake temperature and cooking time.

Key Points: The dough recipe utilizes 1kg of 00 flour, 600ml of cold tap water (60% hydration for Neapolitan), 20g of salt, and extra virgin olive oil. For Neapolitan pizza, the dough balls require 16-24 hours of cold fermentation (refrigeration) and should be removed 4 hours before stretching. Neapolitan pizza is cooked aggressively at 400°C (752°F) for only 90 seconds to achieve a soft, airy crust. Roman pizza dough, despite using the same base recipe, is cooked at a lower temperature of 300°C–320°C (572°F–608°F) for approximately 3 minutes to create a thin, crunchy crust. When shaping the Roman-style pizza, it is recommended to press from the center outwards, keeping the edges untouched to allow them to puff up. Mozzarella for Roman pizza should be cut into small cubes and placed in a strainer for a few hours to remove excess milk, preventing a soggy crust.

Context: The video tutorial by Vincenzo of 'Vincenzo's Plate' focuses on demonstrating a versatile pizza dough recipe capable of producing two distinct Italian styles: the soft, puffy-rimmed Neapolitan pizza and the thin, crispy Roman (Teglia) pizza. The core difference lies in the final cooking parameters and the preparation of the mozzarella topping.

Detailed Analysis

Vincenzo presents a single dough recipe designed to create both Neapolitan and Roman pizzas, highlighting that the primary differentiators are the baking temperature, time, and dough ball size. The recipe starts with 1kg of 00 flour (or all-purpose flour with at least 11g of protein), 600ml of cold tap water (which results in 60% hydration for the Neapolitan style), 20g of table salt, and extra virgin olive oil to taste (essential for Roman style). After mixing the dry ingredients, the water is added gradually while mixing on medium speed, followed by the oil. The dough is mixed on maximum speed for about 5 minutes until a beautiful, clean dough ball forms. The dough is then covered and rested at room temperature for 20 minutes. For storage, two options are given: Option 1 is to make the dough balls and store them in greased plastic containers in the fridge for 16-24 hours. Option 2 is to store the dough together overnight. For both styles, the dough must be removed from the fridge 1 to 4 hours before stretching. For the Roman style, mozzarella cubes must be strained for a few hours to remove excess moisture. When stretching the dough for Roman pizza, Vincenzo recommends pressing from the center outwards to create a puffy edge, unlike the Neapolitan style where the edge is preserved. The Roman pizza is cooked at a lower temperature, 300°C–320°C (572°F–608°F) for about 3 minutes, resulting in a thin, crunchy crust. The Neapolitan pizza is cooked faster, at 400°C (752°F) for 90 seconds, to achieve its signature soft, airy crust. Vincenzo demonstrates the final product, showcasing the crispness of the Roman crust and the airy crumb structure.