Franco Pepe's Pizza Dough Recipe - Great Italian Chefs

Main
easy
Makes 10
60 minutes, plus 6 hours first proof and 3 hours second proof

PT1H

PT9H

Widely regarded as the best pizza chef in the world, Franco Pepe's pizza dough recipe is a closely-guarded secret. Although he will never give up the recipe used at his restaurant Pepe in Grani, this one is pretty close and comes from the great man himself.

Discover more:

Share recipe

Related recipes

Neapolitan pizza

The Silver Spoon

Perfect pizza

Nancy Anne Harbord

'Tomato whim' – cheese and tomato pizza

Franco Pepe

Gluten-free pizza

Victoria Glass

Sicilian-style pizza

Helen Graves

Ingredients

print recipe

shopping List

Metric

Imperial

Franco Pepe's pizza dough

1900g of 00 flour
1l water
150g of leftover pizza dough
50g of salt
5g of fresh yeast

print recipe

shopping List

Place 40% of the flour in the corner of a wooden kneading trough (or wooden box or bowl). In the opposite corner, slowly pour in the water

1l water
760g of 00 flour

Add the old dough and mix thoroughly until dissolved. After this, add the salt and again mix until dissolved. Constantly add the remaining flour until the mixture has a batter-like consistency. At this stage, crumble in the fresh yeast

150g of leftover pizza dough
50g of salt
5g of fresh yeast

Keep mixing and adding the flour until it is all used up, then knead for another 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and consistent

1140g of 00 flour

Cover and leave to prove for 6 hours at room temperature

After this time, divide the dough into 250g portions. Fold and shape into balls, pulling into the centre like a mozzarella ball. Leave to rise for another 3 hours at room temperature

Place some of the dough in a jar and keep for next time you make pizza – you'll need 150g for every 2kg flour

Discover more:

Share recipe

Franco Pepe

Not all pizzas are made equal, but those that grace Franco Pepe’s pizza oven are the best in the world. His family have been baking in Campania for three generations, and his pizza restaurant is now internationally recognised.