PMQ’s test kitchen is now open and ready for business. In addition to a recent visit from Las Vegas-based Metro Pizza’s John Arena, PMQ’s resident pizzaiolo Brian Hernandez gets things started this month with a special instructional video on making and stretching authentic Neapolitan pizza dough. Watch the video at PizzaTV.com/neapolitandough, or follow the recipe and instructions below and try it for yourself!

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
2.2 lb. “00” flour
20 oz. water
1 oz. salt
1 g. fresh yeast

Making the dough:
Melt yeast into 1/2 of the water and pour into the mixer. Add flour into the mixer and begin mixing on slowest speed. Add the salt to the remaining water, then pour into the mixer. Mix for 15 minutes on slowest speed. Place the dough on the counter, wrap it with plastic and let it stand for 40 minutes. Cut into dough balls and let rest for 4 hours. (This resting period is essential to retard the formation of gluten, resulting in the chewy, puffed texture that is the signature of Neapolitan pizza.) Place into cooler for use the next day.

Stretching the dough:
Working with one dough ball at a time, dust heavily with semolina. Using your fingertips, press dough from the center out into a 10” circle, about ¼” thick and leaving a 1” thick crust around the edges. Hold dough straight up, and, with fingertips circling crust, let dough naturally fall. Slide your fingers around crust in a circular motion as you would turn a steering wheel until dough in the center is stretched to about ⅛” thick; transfer to a semolina-dusted pizza peel.