A Complete Guide to the Types of Pizza Dough

As a self-proclaimed pizza addict, I can’t begin to tell you how many pizzas I’ve consumed over the years. I decided long ago that rather than going broke by eating out at pizzerias three times a week, I would learn how to make pizza at home. This convenient skill is quite the party trick and it’s also a lot easier than many people realize.

As with anything, the more you learn, the better you’ll get. Why go to a restaurant and pay top dollar when you can make your own pizza at home and have a ton of fun while doing it? When it comes to making pro-quality pizza at home, knowing your dough is key. While many parts of the country claim their own unique pizza styles, there are three types of pizza dough that reign supreme: Neapolitan, New York Style, and Sicilian.

In this complete guide to the types of pizza dough, I’m going to walk you through what sets each type of dough apart from the last. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll be on your way to pizza heaven. Get ready to impress your friends!

While cities like Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis have their own specific styles of pizza, they were all influenced by the three main types of pizza dough. Let’s break down what each type is, how they’re made, and how to store them.

Neapolitan: The Classic

Dating back to 18th century Naples, Neapolitan pizza is characterized by dough that is pillowy soft on the inside, with dark char spots on the outside. This is because the pizza is cooked quickly in a blazing hot oven.

According to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, there are also quite a few requirements involved with calling your pizza a true Neapolitan. It must be cooked in a wood-fire oven, the sauce must be made with Roma or San Marzano tomatoes, and the cheese must be Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. Yowza! Don’t worry, you can still cook Neapolitan-style pizza home without adhering to the strict criteria of the pizza police.

How it’s Made: Neapolitan pizza dough is made from a simple mixture of high-protein flour, yeast, salt, and water. The key to nailing this type of pizza is allowing it to ferment for a long period of time (anywhere from 8 to 24 hours) to allow the starches to break down and form gluten. When cooked in a wood-fire oven at upwards of 900°F, Neapolitan pizza goes from raw to charred in under 2 minutes. Because most people don’t have pizza ovens laying around at home, many opt for the broiler, grill, or stovetop.

How to Store: The best way to store Neapolitan pizza dough is by tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap to ensure that no air gets in. Stored like this, it will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days. If you store the wrapped dough in the fridge, you should be able to get an extra day out of it.

New York Style: The Tough Guy

Known for being large and in charge, the New York Style pizza is derived from the classic Neapolitan, but with a few twists. This type of pizza dough is meant to be hand-tossed, is slightly thicker than the Neapolitan, and is cooked in a coal-burning oven.

Whereas Neapolitan pizza doughs are covered in dark char spots, New York Style pizzas are cooked to a more even golden-brown color from the use of a cooler-burning oven. The pizza dough should be crispy on the bottom, then soft and slightly chewy towards the top. Unlike a Neapolitan pizza that gets a dramatic rise in the crust, New York Style pizzas have a crust that is only slightly raised above the rest of the pizza.

How it’s Made: New York Style pizza dough is made with flour, yeast, salt, water, oil, and sugar. Once it’s been formed, the dough should be left to rise for anywhere from 1 to 5 days in the fridge. With a cooking time of roughly 12 to 15 minutes, it takes significantly longer to cook than Neapolitan pizzas. This is because the oil lowers the amount of gluten that can be formed, resulting in a slower bake and a more dense, tender dough.

How to Store: The best way to store New York Style pizza dough is in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, this type of pizza dough can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is especially handy if you have a bunch of time on your hands one day and want to prep the dough for several pizzas at once to store for later.

Sicilian: The Beginner’s Choice

If you’re a beginner to pizza making, I would highly recommend starting with the Sicilian. It’s simple, quick, and the most forgiving. Sicilian pizza dough is pretty similar to New York Style pizza dough, except that it’s baked in a square tray coated in olive oil. This causes the bottom of the pizza to basically fry, making it super crispy and loaded with flavor.

Sicilian pizzas are typically crispy on the bottom and dense and chewy in the middle. Unlike the others, this type of dough doesn’t require a ton of time to ferment. Two hours should do the trick, so it’s perfect for when you’re having people over and don’t have a ton of time to prepare.

How it’s Made: Sicilian pizza dough is made with all-purpose flour or bread flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and water. This type of dough can be formed using a stand mixer and doesn’t require any stretching or rolling by hand. Once you’ve dumped the dough into your pan, all you have to do is loosely cover it and give it a few hours to get puffy before popping it in the oven.

How to Store: The best way to store Sicilian pizza dough is by securing it tightly in plastic wrap and keeping it in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also store it this way in the freezer for up to 3 months.

That’s like asking a father to choose his favorite child! Okay, maybe it’s not that serious, but let’s just say that my love affair with pizza is not an exclusive one. While New York Style and Neapolitan pizzas are my personal favorites, all three types of pizza dough are fantastic in their own unique ways.

Big, small, crispy, chewy, airy, dense—I love them all. I’ll leave it up to you to taste test each one and see which pizza dough is the best in your eyes. I hope this complete guide to the types of pizza dough proved to be helpful in your journey to becoming a pizza connoisseur!