The Art of Neapolitan Pizza Dough
I specialize in 82% high-hydration dough that creates a crust so light and airy, it feels like a cloud. It is a labour of love involving long fermentation, but the result is a perfect, leopard-spotted char.
This is what my pizza is all about. I use an 82% high-hydration dough, which is tricky to work with but creates a crust that is unbelievably light and airy. The result is a contemporary Neapolitan pizza so soft you can cut it with scissors, preserving every single air pocket in the cornicione.
This single slice shows the science behind the dough. Look at the open, web-like structure inside the cornicione. This is the result of a long, slow fermentation process and a high-hydration recipe, making the crust incredibly light and easy to digest.
Sound on for this one. That tapping sound is the sound of a perfectly crispy crust. This is what I strive for in my contemporary Neapolitan pizzas: a crust that's audibly crisp on the outside but still soft and airy on the inside.
Here is a quick look at my pizza making process, from gently handling the high-hydration dough to stretching it by hand. I bake it in a high-temperature oven to get that signature puff and char, then box it up for delivery.
I call this my "cloud pizza" because the dough is just that light. This video shows a close-up of the puffy, beautifully baked cornicione, which is the hallmark of a true contemporary Neapolitan pizza.
Look at that cheese pull and the airy pocket in the crust. This is a slice of my spinach and onion pizza, showcasing the texture that comes from using a preferment in the dough. It creates a complex flavor and a crust that's full of air.
About The Art of the Dough: It's All About the Crust
If you ever eat my pizza, you will see me using scissors to slice it. It looks a bit unusual, but with 82% hydration dough, the crust is so airy and delicate that a knife just squashes all those beautiful air pockets. You have to treat this dough like a cloud, not a piece of rubber. It is a tiny detail, but it makes all the difference between a sad, flat base and that perfect, puffy cornicione you see in my photos.
When you work with 82% hydration, you are dealing with dough science at its most extreme. It is tricky, but when you get it right, mazza hi aa jata hai. This level of hydration requires patience—my dough goes through a minimum 48-hour fermentation cycle using pre-ferments like Biga or Poolish. This creates that iconic, big, puffy crust that looks like it is full of air, but is actually packed with complex flavor and texture.
Whether I am catering a private party where guests can watch the live stretching process, or teaching a workshop for aspiring bakers, the focus remains the same: respecting the dough. If you are a restaurant owner, I do not just teach you the recipe. I help you map out kitchen workflows, optimize oven temperatures for that 60-second blast, and train your staff to handle this delicate dough without ruining it. It is not just about making pizza; it is about bringing a piece of Naples to Navi Mumbai and beyond.
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