pizza
The Salt Secret in Neapolitan Pizza Dough
Flour, water, yeast and salt. Neapolitan pizza dough has only four ingredients, and salt is the smallest by weight. But get it wrong and you'll notice right away: bland crust, slack dough, or fermentation that runs too fast. Here's what salt really does in your dough and how to use it like a pro.
What salt does in pizza dough
- Flavor: without salt, even the best flour tastes flat. Salt brings out the natural sweetness of the wheat.
- Gluten strength: salt tightens the gluten network, making the dough stronger, more elastic and easier to stretch without tearing.
- Fermentation control: salt slows down the yeast, so the dough ferments steadily instead of over-proofing. That matters most for long, cold fermentations.
- Color: a properly salted dough browns more evenly in the oven.
How much salt to use
A classic Neapolitan reference is 50–55 g of salt per liter of water, which works out to roughly 2.5–3% of the flour weight. Here's a simple starting formula many pizzaioli use:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Polselli Classica Tipo 00 flour | 1,700 g |
| Water | 1,000 ml |
| SoSalt fine sea salt | 50–55 g |
| Fresh yeast | 1–3 g (depending on fermentation time and temperature) |
Adjust to your flour, your oven and your schedule, but keep the salt consistent from batch to batch so your crust tastes the same every day.
When to add the salt
Dissolve the yeast in the water first, add part of the flour, and then add the salt before the rest of the flour. Avoid putting salt in direct contact with the yeast at the start, since high concentrations of salt can slow it down too much.
Why fine sea salt?
Fine sea salt dissolves quickly and evenly, so it distributes through the dough without leaving pockets of salt. SoSalt fine sea salt is harvested from the salt pans of Trapani, Sicily, evaporated naturally by the sun and non-iodized, with no artificial additives. That means a clean, balanced salinity that lets the flavor of the flour come through.
Coarse salt still has a place in the pizzeria: use SoSalt coarse sea salt for pasta water and brines.
The right flour matters too
Salt can only do so much. The base of a great Neapolitan crust is a true Italian Tipo 00 flour. Polselli Classica Tipo 00 is made for Neapolitan-style pizza and works well with the formula above. See the whole range in our Italian flour collection.
Sizes for every pizzeria
- SoSalt Fine Sea Salt, 5 kg (11 lb) bucket
- SoSalt Fine Sea Salt, XL 12.5 kg (27.5 lb) bucket
- SoSalt Fine Sea Salt, 10 kg (22 lb) bag
Finish with a flourish
Want to take it one step further? A few crystals of SoSalt Sicilian Fleur de Sel on a marinara or focaccia right out of the oven add a clean, crunchy finish your customers will remember.