The recipe in baker's percentages
| Ingredient | Baker's % | For 4 × 280 g balls (1120 g dough) |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 100% | 655 g |
| Water | 62% | 406 g |
| Sea salt | 2.0% | 13 g |
| Olive oil | 2.5% | 16 g |
| Sugar | 2.0% | 13 g |
| Instant dry yeast | 0.18% (4h RT + 24h CT) | 1.2 g |
How it's made
- Mix. Combine flour and water, rest 20 min.
- Add the rest. Salt, oil, sugar, yeast. Squeeze through.
- Knead. 8 minutes by hand to a smooth elastic mass.
- Bulk ferment. 1–2h at room temperature.
- Ball + cold ferment. Divide, ball, place in oiled containers. Refrigerate 24–48h.
- Warm up. Pull from fridge 1–2h before baking.
- Stretch + bake. 14" round, knuckle-stretch the middle, sauce + low-moisture mozzarella, 6–8 min at 290 °C on a stone.
Why these numbers
The oil and sugar are the NY signatures — oil tenderizes the crust and sugar helps it brown in a home oven that can't hit Neapolitan temperatures. The long cold ferment is what gives NY dough its characteristic chew and faint sourness.
Variations
- 48h cold ferment. Drop yeast to 0.08%. More flavor, easier to handle.
- 72h cold ferment. 0.05% IDY. Very developed flavor, edge of over-ferment.
- Same-day NY. 6h direct ferment, 0.35% IDY. Works but lacks the deep flavor.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between NY and Neapolitan dough?
NY uses bread flour (higher protein for chew), adds oil and sugar (for browning at lower oven temperatures), and ferments cold for 1–3 days. Neapolitan uses 00 flour, no oil or sugar, and a shorter warmer ferment.
How long should NY pizza dough cold ferment?
24 hours is the minimum for the characteristic flavor; 48–72 hours is the sweet spot most pizzerias use. Beyond 72h the dough starts to over-ferment.
Why oil and sugar in NY dough?
Oil makes the crumb more tender and easier to fold. Sugar feeds the yeast and helps the crust brown at 290 °C — without it, a home-oven NY pie comes out pale.
What flour is best for NY pizza?
High-protein bread flour: King Arthur Bread Flour (12.7% protein), King Arthur Sir Lancelot (14%), or Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour. The protein gives the chew that defines the style.
Can I bake NY pizza in a home oven?
Yes. 290 °C (550 °F, max for most home ovens) on a pizza stone or steel preheated 45 minutes. Bake 6–8 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the rim is deep golden.