There is nothing in the world like a pizza baked at 500°C. That instant puff of the crust—the cornicione—the leopard-spotted char, the impossibly tender chew… It’s a game-changer. It’s the kind of Neapolitan pizza that haunts your dreams. But it all begins with the right dough, a dough specifically engineered for that intense heat. We’ve all been there, trying a standard dough recipe in a high-performance oven only to be met with a burnt, cracker-like frisbee. Your search for a reliable, foundational gozney pizza dough recipe ends here.
This isn’t just a list of ingredients; it’s a masterclass in the science of high-hydration dough. This guide provides one single, foolproof recipe that will unlock the full potential of your pizza oven and serve as the foundation for all of your future pizza adventures, including all of my favorite pizza recipes. This is the one.
So, grab your digital scale. Let’s learn the secrets to creating the perfect canvas for your pizza masterpiece.
My Quest for Flavor (The Personal Journey)
I’ll never forget the day I got my first Gozney Dome. I was buzzing with excitement. I thought I knew dough; I’d been making homemade pizza for years. I fired it up, launched my standard pizza dough, and in 90 seconds, I had created a perfect, charcoal-black pizza frisbee. It was a disaster.
My dough, which worked beautifully in my home oven, couldn’t handle the raw power of 500°C. It was too dense and lacked the moisture to survive the intense heat. That failure sent me on an obsessive new quest to perfect a pizza oven dough. I dove into the world of Neapolitan pizza, studying the science of high-hydration doughs and the properties of different flours.
My “aha!” moment came when I stopped trying to make my old recipe work and started fresh with a recipe designed for the heat. The secrets were higher hydration to create steam for a puffy crust, and finely milled ’00’ flour that could withstand the intense heat without burning. This recipe is the culmination of that obsessive journey, a simple and reliable gozney pizza dough recipe that I now use as the foundation for everything.
The 4 Elements of Perfect High-Hydration Pizza Dough
The perfection of this dough isn’t magic; it’s engineering. Its superiority is proven by understanding these four essential elements.
Element 1: The Flour (’00’ Flour Explained)
The type of flour you use is critical. For Neapolitan-style pizza, finely milled Italian ’00’ flour is the gold standard. Unlike all-purpose or bread flour, its fine grind creates a soft, supple dough. Its specific protein content creates a crust that is both strong and tender when baked. See my deep dive into pizza flours for more info.
Element 2: The Hydration (What Hydration % Means)
Hydration simply refers to the amount of water relative to the amount of flour. For this high-heat dough, we use a 65% hydration level. A 500°C oven cooks so fast that it can dry out a standard dough. A higher water content creates more steam within the dough, which rapidly inflates the crust, creating that beautiful, airy interior.
Element 3: The Fermentation (How to Develop Flavor)
Yeast creates the rise, but fermentation creates the flavor. We use a long, slow cold ferment in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. A quick, warm rise creates a simple, “yeasty” flavor. A cold ferment pizza dough allows enzymes to develop deep, complex, and slightly tangy flavors in the final crust.
Element 4: The Dough Handling (A Gentle Touch)
High-hydration dough is sticky and delicate. You must handle this dough gently, using a “stretch and fold” technique instead of traditional heavy kneading. This gentle method builds the gluten network, creating strength and structure without sacrificing the tender texture we’re looking for.
Key Ingredients & Equipment for Your Gozney Pizza Dough Recipe
For this type of baking, precision is not optional. It is everything.
Key Ingredients
- ’00’ Flour: The non-negotiable star. Look for Italian brands specifically for pizza.
- Water: Use cold water. This helps slow down the initial yeast activity, giving you more control.
- Fine Sea Salt: Its mineral content provides better flavor than iodized salt.
- Instant Dried Yeast: It’s reliable, easy to use, and can be mixed directly with the flour.
Essential Equipment
- Gozney Pizza Oven: This recipe is designed for a Gozney Dome, Arc, or Roccbox.
- Digital Scale: This is the most essential tool you will own. This type of baking is a science of ratios. Volume measurements (cups) are not accurate enough.
- Dough Scraper/Cutter: Essential for cleanly dividing and handling sticky dough.
- Proofing Box or Covered Bowls: To allow your dough to ferment without drying out.
How to Make Neapolitan Pizza Dough: The Step-by-Step Method
This is the narrative walkthrough of the entire process from mixing to baking.
- Mixing the Dough: You will begin by combining your flour and yeast. Then, you’ll slowly mix in the cold water until a shaggy mass forms. After a short rest, you will add the salt.
- Developing Gluten: This is where you’ll perform a series of “stretch and folds” over a couple of hours. This builds the gluten network gently.
- Bulk Fermentation: This is the first rise, where the dough begins to develop its structure and flavor.
- Balling the Dough: After the bulk ferment, you will divide the dough and shape it into perfect, tight dough balls.
- The Cold Ferment (Proofing): This is the long, slow rest in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours where the real flavor develops in your gozney pizza dough recipe.
- Stretching the Pizza: After the dough comes to room temperature, you will gently stretch it into a pizza base.
- Topping & Launching: Finally, you’ll add your toppings quickly and launch the pizza into the preheated Gozney oven.
Expert Tips for Success (Mojo’s Secrets)
- Use a digital scale. I’m serious. This is non-negotiable for pizza. Precision is everything.
- Learn the “windowpane test.” Gently stretch a small piece of dough. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through it without it tearing, your gluten is perfectly developed.
- Use cold water. It gives you more control over the fermentation process.
- Flour your hands, not the dough. When handling the dough balls, use a light dusting of flour on your hands and the work surface.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Hydration Play: Once you master this 65% hydration recipe, try pushing it to 70% for an even airier crust.
- Advanced Fermentation: For the next level of flavor, try making a “poolish” or “biga.” See my guide to advanced preferments to learn more.
- Flour Blends: For a different flavor, substitute 10% of the ’00’ flour with whole wheat flour.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
- Storing Dough Balls: After the cold ferment, dough balls can be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing Dough Balls: Lightly oil each dough ball, place them in individual freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing & Using Frozen Dough: Transfer the frozen dough ball to the refrigerator and let it thaw slowly for 24 hours. Then, let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours before stretching.
Your Gozney Pizza Dough Troubleshooting Guide
| The Problem | The Likely Cause(s) | The Foolproof Solution |
| My dough is too sticky to handle. | 1. High hydration is naturally sticky. 2. Under-developed gluten. | Use cold water when mixing. Ensure gluten is fully developed (windowpane test). Use a dough scraper and lightly floured hands. |
| My dough tore when I stretched it. | 1. Gluten is under-developed. 2. Dough is over-proofed and weak. | Perform enough stretch-and-folds. Don’t let the final proof go too long. Be gentle when stretching your ’00’ flour pizza dough. |
| The pizza bottom burned but toppings are raw. | The oven floor/stone was too hot compared to the dome temperature. | Let the stone cool for a minute after your first pizza before launching the next. Turn the flame down just before you launch. |
| The crust is tough, not chewy. | 1. The dough was over-worked/kneaded too aggressively. 2. Used the wrong flour type. | Use the gentle stretch-and-fold method. Stick to high-quality ’00’ pizza flour for its specific protein content. |
| My crust didn’t puff up. | 1. Yeast was old/dead. 2. You pressed the air out of the rim when stretching. | Always use fresh yeast. Be very careful to leave a 1-inch rim untouched when you are stretching out the pizza base. |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is ‘baker’s percentage’ and why does it matter? It’s a way to express ingredient ratios where flour is always 100%. A 65% hydration dough means the water weight is 65% of the flour weight. It allows you to easily and accurately scale any gozney pizza dough recipe.
- Can I use bread flour instead of ’00’? You can, but the result will be different. Bread flour will create a much chewier, New York-style crust.
- How long can I really cold ferment my dough? You can safely cold ferment this dough for 24 to 72 hours. The flavor becomes more complex each day.
- What’s the best way to stretch dough without tearing it? Be gentle! Use your fingertips to press the dough out from the center, leaving the outer rim untouched. Then, use the back of your knuckles to gently stretch it.
- How do I adapt this for a home oven? This is the number one question! Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (usually 250°C / 500°F) with a pizza stone or steel on the top rack for at least an hour. You can find my best recipe for a standard home oven here.
Foolproof Neapolitan-Style Gozney Pizza Dough
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Fermentation time: 24-72 hours
- Yields: 4 x 250g dough balls (for 10-12 inch pizzas)
- Equipment: Digital scale, proofing container, dough scraper
Ingredients
(Ingredients are listed in grams for precision, with baker’s percentages in parentheses)
- 595g (100%) ’00’ pizza flour
- 387g (65%) cold water
- 18g (3%) fine sea salt
- 2g (0.3%) instant dried yeast
Instructions
- Mix: In a large bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Add all of the cold water and mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Add Salt: Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Using wet hands, pinch and fold the dough in the bowl for 1-2 minutes to incorporate the salt. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch & Fold: Perform a series of 4 “stretch and folds,” with a 30-minute rest between each. For each set, grab one side of the dough with a wet hand, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat on all 4 sides.
- Bulk Ferment: After the final stretch and fold, cover the dough. Let it rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until it has risen by about 50%.
- Divide & Ball: Lightly flour your work surface. Gently remove the dough, divide it into 4 equal 250g pieces, and shape each piece into a tight, smooth ball.
- Cold Ferment: Place the dough balls into a proofing box or individual sealed containers. Place in the refrigerator to cold ferment for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.
- Final Proof: Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator 2-4 hours before you plan to bake, allowing them to come to room temperature.
- Stretch & Bake: When ready, preheat your Gozney oven. Gently stretch one dough ball into a pizza base, top as desired, and launch into the hot oven. Bake your Neapolitan pizza for 60-90 seconds, turning as needed.
Nutritional Profile (Approximate Values Per 250g Dough Ball)
- Calories: 630 kcal
- Protein: 20g
- Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 128g
- Fiber: 4g
- Sugar: 1g