Neapolitan Style Pizza Recipe to Enjoy After Your Camino Portugues

Walking the Camino Portugues is a rewarding experience filled with stunning landscapes, historic towns, and delicious local food. After days of trekking, nothing satisfies like a warm, fresh pizza made the traditional Neapolitan way. This recipe brings the heart of Naples to your kitchen, letting you recreate the flavors you might find at places like La Bello Napoli Pizzeria in Pontevedra, a favorite stop along the Camino Portugues, or in Barcelona.

Barcelona pizza fresh from the oven

What Makes Neapolitan Pizza Special

Neapolitan pizza stands out for its simple, high-quality ingredients and unique preparation. The dough is soft and chewy with a slightly charred crust, thanks to a very hot oven. The toppings are usually minimal but flavorful, focusing on fresh tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Key characteristics of a Margarita-style Neapolitan pizza include:

• Dough made from just flour, water, salt, and yeast, allowed to ferment slowly for a light texture.

• Tomato sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, prized for their sweet and tangy flavor.

• Mozzarella di bufala or fior di latte for creamy, rich cheese.

• Fresh basil leaves for aroma and color.

• Cooked in a wood-fired oven at temperatures around 900°F for about 90 seconds.

(If you don’t have a 900-degree pizza oven, we’ll tell you about a method that gets close with a regular oven.)

These elements combine to create a pizza that is both simple and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients for Your Neapolitan Pizza

To make a Neapolitan-style pizza at home, gather these ingredients:

• 500 g Italian 00 flour (All-purpose flour is a great substitute. We often use King Arthur flour.)

• 325 ml lukewarm water - increase to 340 ml if using King Arthur All-purpose flour

• 10 g salt

• 2 g fresh yeast or 1g dry yeast

• Three sets of 400g canned San Marzano tomatoes (We often substitute with a 14.5 oz. (411 g) of diced tomatoes per pizza .)

• 250 g fresh mozzarella (di bufala or fior di latte)

• Fresh basil leaves (We buy basil plants, which provide fresh basil for months.)

• Extra virgin olive oil

Other Toppings

• Mushrooms (pre-cook in a pan and let cool before putting them on the pizza)

• Onions (fresh sliced onions)

• Substitute goat cheese for mozzarella and top with mushrooms and/or precooked chicken breast, diced into pieces

• Grated mozzarella as a base, then add the fresh mozzarella for a cheezier pizza

• Substitute pasta sauce for the can tomatoes (we sometimes then top with fresh sliced tomato)

• Sausage (break sausage meat into little 1/4 -1/2 inch balls, then roll lightly in flour before topping the pizza with them)

If you’ve walked the Camino Portugues, you might recall the fresh produce and cheeses available in local markets—try to find similar fresh items for the best results.

Step-by-Step Neapolitan Style Pizza Recipe

Preparing the Dough the Old-Fashioned (hard) Way

If you're on a camino, and you want to try this on the road, old-fashioned hard work can make it happen.

1. Mix the yeast and water in a large bowl until dissolved.

2. Add the flour and salt gradually, mixing with your hand or a spoon until a rough dough forms.

3. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

500 g of all-purpose or "00" if you have it

340 ml of cool water or 320 ml if using "00" flour

10 g salt

3 g yeast

Mix in bread mixer for 5-7 minutes and then rest for 20 minutes

Preparing the Dough the Modern (easy) Way

I put the ingredients in my bread mixer for 7 minutes, followed by 20 minutes to rest before starting the sets of folds.

1. Measure out 500 g of flour. I set the bread mixing bowl on my digital scale, zero it out, and set it to grams. Pour in flour until reaching 500 g.

2. Measure out 340 g (320 g if using "00" flour) of water, then add it to the flour and gently mix until the flour is wet. Let this sit for 20 minutes.

3. Measure 10 g of salt.

4. Measure 1-3 g of yeast.

5. Add the salt and yeast to the flour/water mixture at the end of the 20 minute rest period.

6. Mix it! Set the mixer for 5 to 7 minutes and the rest/ferment setting to 20 minutes. Start the machine.

Stretching and Folding

After 20 minutes of the resting period post mixing all of the ingredients, remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the large stainless bowl dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Alternatively, do the folds on a floured surface, like a clean counter.

Perform a set of stretches and folds, then another one after 15 minutes, another one 15 minutes later, and then a fourth and final set after another 25 minutes.

A set of "stretches and folds" means pulling the top edge of the dough ball up, folding the dough in half, then turning ¼ turn and repeating for a total of four. It might be easier to watch a video, but basically, to stretch, you grab the far side of the dough ball with the fingers of both hands and lift so the dough hangs and stretches, then fold it back down. Rotate it ¼ turn, and do it again. Repeat three more times. Then, form it into a nice round ball and put it back in the bowl with the smoothest round part on top and the wort part on the bottom for 15 minutes.

Again, you want to perform 3 to 4 sets of these with 15-minute breaks between. If you are using "00" flour, 3 sets are enough.

Refrigerate Overnight

Cover the bowl with a piece of paper towel, then plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. (Alternatively, my steel bowl has a nice red plastic lid. I cover the dough with that and then put it in the fridge.) Refrigerate overnight.

Preparing the Dough

In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 3 evenly-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball.

Place each piece in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. Alternatively, I have a proofer. I put the dough balls on parchment sprayed with non-stick PAM and let them rise at room temperature for 8 hours.

Shaping and Topping

1. On a floured surface (we use parchment paper as the surface), gently stretch each ball into a 10 to 11-inch circle. Don’t use a rolling pin because we want to keep that air in the crust. Instead, stretch the dough in your hands, toss it back and forth, lift and stretch it gently to avoid tearing.

2. Spread a thin layer of crushed San Marzano tomatoes over the dough.

3. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and distribute evenly.

4. Add a few fresh basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil.

Baking Your Pizza

If you have a wood-fired oven, preheat it to the highest temperature possible. At home, use a pizza stone or steel in your oven, preheated at 500°F for at least 45 minutes.

Method One

1. Lower the temperature to 450°F

2. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking tray.

3. Bake for 7-10 minutes until the crust puffs up and chars slightly, and the cheese melts.

4. Remove and add a few more fresh basil leaves if desired.

Method Two

1. Switch the oven to broil

2. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking tray.

3. Bake for about 3 -4 minutes until the crust puffs up and chars slightly, and the cheese melts.

4. Remove and add a few more fresh basil leaves if desired.

What if you only want one Pizza?

We usually make three crusts, but we often share only one pizza unless we have guests, of course. So, when only having one, we preserve the other two crusts by par-baking them and then freezing as follows:

1. Stretch each dough piece into a 10-inch crust as described above (keep it on the parchment paper; cut away excess parchment with scissors and discard)

2. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil

3. Prick holes in the ingredient area of the crust with a fork

4. Bake the crust for about 3 minutes on the pizza stone in the preheated oven at 450-500°F

5. Remove and let the crust cool; wrap with plastic wrap; place in freezer

6. To use the crusts later, simply remove them from the freezer for about an hour before use, then top and prepare normally.

We usually make pizza on Fridays. We save two crusts for subsequent Fridays. We have also refrigerated the crusts and made breakfast pizzas the next morning.

Neapolitan pizza baking in a pizza oven on El Ramon's farm in Spain

Where to Enjoy Neapolitan Pizza on the Camino Portugues

If you prefer to enjoy Neapolitan pizza without cooking, the Camino Portugues offers excellent options. In Pontevedra, La Bello Napoli Pizzeria serves authentic Neapolitan-style pizza with fresh ingredients and a cozy atmosphere. It’s a perfect stop to refuel after a long day of walking.

Other towns along the route may also have pizzerias inspired by Italian traditions. Look for places that use fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, and wood-fired ovens for the best experience.

Tips for Perfect Neapolitan Pizza at Home

• Use Italian 00 flour for a soft, elastic dough.

• Let the dough ferment slowly for better flavor.

• Avoid overloading toppings; simplicity is key.

• Use fresh mozzarella and fresh basil for authentic taste.

• Preheat your oven and pizza stone thoroughly.

• If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an inverted baking sheet for better heat distribution.

  
  

Bringing the Spirit of the Camino to Your Kitchen

Making Neapolitan pizza after your Camino Portugues journey connects you to the flavors and memories of the route. Whether you recreate the recipe at home or visit a local pizzeria like La Bello Napoli in Pontevedra, you’ll enjoy a meal that celebrates tradition, quality, and the joy of sharing food.

Try this recipe to bring a slice of Italy and the Camino into your kitchen. It’s a delicious way to celebrate your adventure and savor the simple pleasures of good food.

Notes and Additional Research

I cut the recipe below in half to make three pizzas.

I par-baked one or two of them and froze them. I used it a week later by taking it out of the freezer in the morning. Prick with a fork first. Par bake at 450 for 3-5 minutes—don’t brown it

INGREDIENTS

1000 g all-purpose flour King Arthur brand recommended (I used this flour, and it worked perfectly)

680 ml water at 85F (essentially 3 cups of water)

3 g instant yeast (SAF Gold recommended)(I probably used a little extra)(We have plenty in the fridge).

16 g kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Add water to a large bowl (I used my bread mixer that has it’s own bowl). Add flour, then yeast on one side of the flour and salt on the other, making sure the two don't touch each other before you start mixing. 

I mixed for 7 minutes with my bread mixer. That worked great. (Instructions say to Mix by hand, squeezing the dough between your fingers, until a sticky homogeneous mass is formed.)

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. (I just leave the cover that came with the bread mixer on top).

(Use the largest stainless steel bowl with the red lid for this next step. I put some flour in it and do the folds in the bowl. That way, the counter is clean and no plastic wrap is required.)

After 15 minutes, remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the large stainless bowl that has flour in it to prevent sticking. Alternatively, do the folds on a floured surface, like a counter.

 Perform a set of stretch and folds, then another one after 15 minutes, and another one 15 minutes later. I think I completed 4 stretch and folds.

A set of stretch and folds means folding the dough in half, then turning ¼ turn and repeating. It might be easier to watch a video. But, basically, to stretch, you grab the far side of the dough ball with the fingers of both hands and lifting so the dough hangs and stretches, then fold it back down. Rotate it ¼ turn, and do it again. Repeat three times. Then, form it into a nice round ball and put back in the bowl with the smoothest round part on top and the wort part on the bottom. Again, ou want to perform 4 sets of these with 15 minutes breaks between.

Cover the bowl with a piece of paper towel, then plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours. I just used plastic wrap (before I had the big stainless bowl with the red lid).

Alternatively, just cover the bowl with the red lid and put it in the fridge.

Prepare a work surface with plenty of flour. I used just the plain counter with lots of flour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and turn it over onto a work surface. Cut into 4, 6, or 8 equal pieces, depending on if you want to make large, medium, or small pizzas.

Shape the dough pieces into balls, cover, and let proof at room temperature for two hours before stretching and making pizza. To “Shape” the balls, I completed a stretch and fold on each of the 4 pieces. (Note: I have a proofing machine in the mudroom drawer by the washer and dryer. That will make it go faster and more consistent. It is easy to use, but you have to set it up.)