Celery Free Neapolitan-Style Pizza
Few things hit as purely as a pizza built on just a handful of honest ingredients — and this one delivers that wood-fired, blistered-crust magic straight from your home oven. The dough relies on a long cold ferment of anywhere from 18 to 72 hours, which coaxes out a depth of flavor and that signature chewy-yet-airy texture you'd expect from a serious Neapolitan pie. Crushed San Marzano tomatoes, seasoned with nothing but a pinch of salt and left completely uncooked, become a bright, loose sauce that lets the quality of the tomato shine through. Torn fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a scatter of basil after the bake round everything out with simplicity and confidence. The entire ingredient list is naturally free of celery and celery derivatives — no hidden aromatics, no pre-made spice blends, no store-bought sauce to second-guess — so what you see is genuinely what you get. A screaming-hot baking steel or stone is the real secret weapon here, giving the cornicione those gorgeous charred spots and a crisp, golden underside in just minutes. Finish each pie with flaky sea salt right before serving and prepare for it to disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the dough
- 500g (about 3 ⅓ cups) bread flour or 00 flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp instant yeast
- 325ml (about 1 ⅓ cups) cool water (65°f/18°c)
For the sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For topping
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into rough pieces
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
For serving
- flaky sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, fine sea salt, and instant yeast. Add the cool water and mix with your hand or a stiff spatula until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- 2
Turn the dough out onto an unfloured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, supple, and slightly tacky but not sticky — it should pass the windowpane test, stretching thin enough to see light through without tearing. Return it to the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 18–72 hours. The long cold ferment develops flavor and extensibility.
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