Pizza Napoletana With Anchovies and Olives

Imperial June 2, 2026June 2, 2026

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

Yield: 3 Neapolitan-style pizzas, 10 to 12 inches each; 6 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes active
Cook Time: 21 minutes
Total Time: 19 hours, including 18 hours fermentation

Quick Ingredients

Dough: 500 g Tipo 00 flour, 325 g cool water, 0.5 g instant yeast, 12 g fine sea salt
Tomato base: 300 g canned San Marzano tomatoes with juice, 2 g fine sea salt
Cheese: 300 g fresh mozzarella, drained and torn
Toppings: 12 oil-packed anchovy fillets, 90 g pitted black olives, 30 g capers, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
To finish: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 30 g semolina or flour for dusting

Do This

1. Mix water, yeast, and flour until shaggy; rest 20 minutes, then knead in salt for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Cover and ferment 2 hours at 68 to 72°F, then divide into 3 balls of about 279 g each.
3. Let dough balls ferment 16 hours at 68 to 72°F until airy and relaxed.
4. Crush tomatoes with 2 g salt; drain mozzarella; rinse and dry capers.
5. Preheat a pizza stone or steel at 550°F for 60 minutes.
6. Stretch one dough ball to 10 to 12 inches and top with 100 g sauce, 100 g mozzarella, 4 anchovies, 30 g olives, 10 g capers, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
7. Bake each pizza 6 to 7 minutes, rotating once, until the crust is puffed with dark spots and the cheese is just melted.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Classic Neapolitan flavor at home: A tender, airy crust meets tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, olives, capers, and oregano.
Briny, savory, and balanced: The anchovies melt into the sauce while olives and capers add little bursts of saltiness.
No cooked sauce required: Crushed tomatoes keep the pizza bright, fresh, and traditional.
Home-oven friendly: A pizza stone or steel and a very hot oven help you get a puffy cornicione without a wood-fired oven.

Grocery List

Produce: No fresh produce required; optional fresh oregano may be used as a garnish if you like.
Dairy: Fresh mozzarella, preferably fior di latte.
Pantry: Tipo 00 flour, fine sea salt, instant yeast, canned San Marzano tomatoes, oil-packed anchovy fillets, pitted black olives, capers, dried oregano, extra-virgin olive oil, and semolina or extra flour for dusting.

Full Ingredients

For the Neapolitan-Style Dough

500 g Tipo 00 flour, about 4 cups, plus extra only if needed for handling
325 g cool water, 65 to 70°F, about 1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon
0.5 g instant yeast, about 1/8 teaspoon
12 g fine sea salt, about 2 teaspoons

For the Tomato Base

300 g canned San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, from one 14-ounce can, crushed by hand
2 g fine sea salt, about 1/3 teaspoon

For the Toppings

300 g fresh mozzarella, preferably fior di latte, drained and torn into 1-inch pieces
12 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and patted dry, about 48 g total
90 g pitted black olives, preferably Gaeta or Kalamata, halved, about 3/4 cup
30 g capers, rinsed, drained, and patted dry, about 3 tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For Shaping and Baking

30 g semolina flour or all-purpose flour for dusting the peel, about 1/4 cup

Pizza Napoletana With Anchovies and Olives – Closeup

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine 325 g cool water, 65 to 70°F, with 0.5 g instant yeast. Stir for about 30 seconds to disperse the yeast. Add 500 g Tipo 00 flour and mix with a sturdy spoon or your hand for 2 to 3 minutes, until no dry patches remain and the dough looks shaggy. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This short rest makes the dough easier to knead and helps create a tender, stretchy crust.

Step 2: Add salt and knead until smooth

Sprinkle 12 g fine sea salt over the rested dough. Pinch and fold the dough in the bowl for 1 to 2 minutes to work in the salt, then knead on a clean, unfloured counter for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should become smoother, elastic, and slightly tacky but not soupy. If it sticks aggressively, let it rest for 5 minutes, then continue kneading with lightly damp hands rather than adding lots of flour.

Step 3: Ferment and form the dough balls

Place the dough back in the bowl, cover tightly, and let it ferment at 68 to 72°F for 2 hours. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal pieces, about 279 g each. Shape each piece into a tight ball by gently pulling the edges underneath and rolling it against the counter with a cupped hand. Place the dough balls in lightly floured or lightly oiled covered containers, leaving room for expansion. Let them ferment at 68 to 72°F for 16 hours, until airy, relaxed, and slightly domed.

If your kitchen is warmer than 75°F, use a cooler method: after the first 2-hour room-temperature rise and shaping, refrigerate the dough balls for 12 to 16 hours, then bring them back to room temperature for 3 hours before stretching.

Step 4: Prepare the tomato base and toppings

About 1 hour before baking, crush 300 g canned San Marzano tomatoes with their juice by hand until the sauce is pulpy but not completely smooth. Stir in 2 g fine sea salt. Do not cook the sauce; the heat of the oven will keep it tasting fresh and bright. Tear 300 g fresh mozzarella into 1-inch pieces and set it on paper towels or a clean towel for 20 minutes so excess moisture drains away. Rinse 30 g capers, pat them dry, halve 90 g black olives, and pat 12 anchovy fillets dry so the pizza does not become watery.

Step 5: Preheat the oven and stretch the first pizza

Place a pizza stone or pizza steel on a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat to 550°F for 60 minutes. If your oven only reaches 500°F, preheat for 75 minutes and expect each pizza to bake for 8 to 10 minutes instead of 6 to 7 minutes. Lightly dust a pizza peel with semolina or flour. Gently lift one dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Starting in the center, press outward with your fingertips, leaving a 1-inch rim untouched for the puffy cornicione. Pick up the dough and stretch it gently over the backs of your hands until it is 10 to 12 inches wide. Do not use a rolling pin, which would press out the air.

Step 6: Top the pizza lightly

Transfer the stretched dough to the dusted peel and shake the peel gently to make sure the dough moves freely. Spread 100 g tomato sauce over the center, leaving the 1-inch rim bare. Add 100 g torn mozzarella, 4 anchovy fillets, 30 g black olives, and 10 g capers. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Keep the toppings light; Neapolitan pizza should bake quickly and stay tender in the center, not heavy or overloaded.

Step 7: Bake until puffed, spotted, and tender-crisp

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or steel. Bake at 550°F for 6 to 7 minutes, rotating the pizza once after about 4 minutes if your oven has hot spots. The crust should puff dramatically, the rim should show dark leopard-like spots, the bottom should be set, and the mozzarella should be melted but not dried out. For a little extra top color, turn on the broiler for the final 30 to 60 seconds, watching constantly.

Step 8: Finish, slice, and repeat

Transfer the pizza to a wooden board and let it rest for 2 minutes before slicing. This short pause helps the cheese and sauce settle so the slices are easier to handle. Repeat the stretching, topping, and baking process with the remaining 2 dough balls. Serve the pizzas warm, ideally as they come out of the oven, so the crust stays airy and the toppings taste bright and savory.

Pro Tips

Drain the mozzarella well: Fresh mozzarella carries a lot of moisture. A 20-minute drain keeps the center of the pizza from turning soggy.
Use a very hot baking surface: A pizza steel gives strong bottom heat; a stone works well too, as long as it preheats for the full 60 minutes at 550°F.
Go easy on salt elsewhere: Anchovies, olives, and capers are naturally salty, so the tomato base needs only 2 g salt.
Pat the briny toppings dry: Dry capers, olives, and anchovies brown and bake better than wet ones.
Stretch gently: Preserve the air bubbles in the rim for the classic puffy Neapolitan crust.

Variations

Outdoor pizza oven version: Bake at 800 to 850°F for 60 to 90 seconds, rotating every 20 to 30 seconds for even charring.
Spicy Napoli-style pizza: Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 teaspoon finely chopped Calabrian chile to each pizza before baking.
Marinara-style version: Omit the mozzarella and add 1 very thinly sliced garlic clove per pizza with the tomato, anchovies, olives, capers, and oregano.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Pizza Napoletana is best eaten right after baking, while the crust is soft, puffy, and lightly crisp at the edges. Leftover baked pizza can be cooled completely, stored in an airtight container, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat slices on a preheated baking sheet at 400°F for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom is crisp and the cheese is warm. The dough can be made ahead: after the 2-hour first rise and shaping, refrigerate the dough balls for up to 48 hours, then bring them to room temperature for 3 hours before stretching. Dough balls can also be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then rest at room temperature for 3 hours before baking. Tomato sauce can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)