Pizza Dough & Technique

Instant vs Active Dry vs Fresh Yeast for Pizza Dough

As an Amazon Associate, insiderpizza.com earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. The packet in the drawer is probably active dry. The vacuum brick on baking sites is usually instant. Fresh cake yeast lives in the fridge case and dies if you forget it. Same species of yeast. Three different tools forContinue reading “Instant vs Active Dry vs Fresh Yeast for Pizza Dough”

Bleached vs Unbleached Flour for Pizza Dough

As an Amazon Associate, insiderpizza.com earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. The bag in the pantry is probably bleached all-purpose. That is the grocery-store default. You can make pizza dough with it. The question is whether you should, and what you give up in gluten, chew, and flavor if you do.Continue reading “Bleached vs Unbleached Flour for Pizza Dough”

Pizza Dough Hydration: The Complete Guide (60% to 80%)

Pizza dough hydration is one of those concepts that sounds technical but unlocks enormous improvement once you understand it. Whether your dough keeps tearing, your crust comes out dense and cracker-like, or you’re chasing that open, airy crumb you see in photos — the answer almost always comes back to hydration. This guide covers everything:Continue reading “Pizza Dough Hydration: The Complete Guide (60% to 80%)”

Pizza Dough Hydration Guide: 60% vs 65% vs 70% — What Works Best?

By Julius | InsiderPizza.com I have been making pizza at home for over a decade, and if there is one variable that changed my results more than anything else — more than flour type, more than fermentation time, more than oven temperature — it is hydration. The ratio of water to flour in your doughContinue reading “Pizza Dough Hydration Guide: 60% vs 65% vs 70% — What Works Best?”

Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe

This Neapolitan pizza dough recipe is the one I keep coming back to. I have tested it across dozens of flour brands, fermentation windows, and hydration levels. The formula below is what I use when I want a consistently excellent result — blistered cornicione, soft and extensible base, minimal crumb that still has structure. Authentic,Continue reading “Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Dough Recipe”