Comments on: Kneading Pizza Dough by hand | Neapolitan Pizza from scratch | Part 2

By: Tom Rothwell

Tom Rothwell — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:18:00 +0000

In reply to Lisa.

Hi Lisa, the first thing I would look at is the yeast. Have you used enough yeast and is the yeast fresh enough? If the yeast is old it may not be proving the dough properly.

Also, what temperature are you proving at? My recipes are all for room temperature proving of around 21C/70F. If your room is colder than this you may need to use more yeast.

The next thing I would look at is the flour. Are you using a high quality flour and is it fresh enough? If the flour is old that could also be the reason that your dough is not soft and stretchy.

Additionally, if you’re not using 00 pizza flour, you may need to increase the hydration by more than 2%. Different flours vary greatly and it can take a bit of trial and error to dial in your particular flour.

I hope these pointers help. Thanks

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 23:27:57 +0000

I am making this dough for the 2nd time and just can’t seem to get it right! After the first hour rest, yours appears to be much softer/easier to work with than mine.

The first time I used a mixer, the 2nd time I mixed by hands and both times I’ve ended up with a very firm/tough dough after the 20 hour rest. I didn’t need to use a scraper or flour to turn it into balls and I can see yours way very soft/sticky to work with I am wondering what I’ve done wrong.

The 2nd time I upped the hydration by 2% as you suggested in another article but I have had the exact same results 🙁 thanks!

By: Tom Rothwell

Tom Rothwell — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 15:28:44 +0000

In reply to Mark. Awesome Mark! Thank you for the kind words and keep up with the pizzas! A well made Neapolitan pizza is very difficult to beat.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 04:37:30 +0000

In reply to Tom Rothwell. These tutorials are incredibly useful! Thanks for putting the time in to explain each step so thoroughly. They are not only east to follow, but I really feel like I’m learning what’s going on. I made my first round of Neapolitan pizzas last week and they turned out amazing!

By: Tom Rothwell

Tom Rothwell — Fri, 13 May 2022 14:04:28 +0000

In reply to Bernadette. Thanks so much Bernadette, I'm glad my recipes and videos have been helpful!

By: Bernadette

Bernadette — Sun, 08 May 2022 22:31:44 +0000

Tom,
Your Neapolitan Pizza Crust is by far the best recipe I have found.
Not to mention your attention to detail too.
I for one have learnt so much by reading all the information on this website and watching your incredible videos.
Thank you!

By: Tom Rothwell

Tom Rothwell — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 19:10:07 +0000

In reply to Verena.

Hi Verena, thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you’re finding it all useful!

Everything in this recipe takes place out of the fridge at room temperature.

Good luck in Germany!

By: Verena

Verena — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 12:23:43 +0000

Hi Tom,

this site is so great! I just watched all of your videos on Youtube and I think I‘m ready to go now. Is the dough resting at room temperature or in the fridge?

Best regards from Germany,
Verena

By: Tom Rothwell

Tom Rothwell — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 17:03:14 +0000

In reply to Henry. Hi Henry. Thank you so much for the positive feedback. I'm glad the recipes are working out for you! You can check out part 3 of the series - the windowpane test - here. Well done with the pizzas, keep up the good work!

By: Henry

Henry — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 10:01:46 +0000

This is such an amazing site – thanks Tom! I made the best pizza I have ever eaten thanks to your instructions. I’m cooking it by getting a cast iron saucepan really hot and cooking the dough in this for two minutes (adding topping after one minute), then putting the whole thing under a very hot grill for a further two minutes and it comes out beautifully. It looks very nearly as good as the ones in your photos! Worth a try for those who don’t have access to a dedicated pizza oven.
I’m really looking forward to the next video in the pizza school series!