A good Neapolitan crust crisp on the outside, soft and airy on the inside comes down almost entirely to how the dough is stretched. Overwork it and it turns dense; stretch it unevenly and it cooks unevenly. Here's a straightforward, five-step process for how to stretch pizza dough the Neapolitan way.
1. Portion and ball the dough Divide dough into 10-ounce portions and shape each into a smooth, tight ball. This applies whether the dough is homemade or a quality store bought option.
2. Flour it evenly Coat each ball lightly in flour until it's no longer sticky. Set it on a floured surface, then flip once to make sure both sides are covered.
3. Press it flat Using fingertips, press the dough from the center toward the edges, leaving about a 1-inch border untouched — this becomes the crust. Flip and repeat until the disc measures roughly 8 to 9 inches across.
4. Stretch over your fists Lay the flattened dough over both fists and gently pull them apart, being careful not to tear it. Cross one fist under the other to rotate the dough, then stretch again from the new position. Repeat the rotate-and-stretch motion until the diameter reaches about 11 to 12 inches.
5. Top and bake Add sauce, cheese, and toppings — traditional (Margherita, pepperoni) or not (buffalo chicken, smoked salmon) — and bake. In a wood-fired oven running at high heat, a Neapolitan pie like this typically cooks in around 60 to 90 seconds, though exact timing varies by oven.
For more on leveling up, the ilFornino Pizza Academy offers hands-on classes covering this and other pizza-making skills. For the complete original walkthrough this post is based on, see: How to Stretch Neapolitan Pizza Dough — ilFornino.
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