Dough & Technique Editor

Marco Bellini

Marco writes the dough side of The Pizza Craft: hydration percentages, cold ferment timelines, the difference between New York and Neapolitan beyond what most blogs admit. He learned to make pizza from a Neapolitan uncle who never measured anything, then spent five years figuring out the measurements anyway. His opinion: the dough is 80% of the pizza, the oven is 15%, and toppings are the easy part.

Covers: Regional Styles, Dough & Fermentation, Sauce & Toppings, Technique

Pizza dough
Hydration math
Cold fermentation
Neapolitan pizza
New York style pizza
Detroit style pizza
00 flour
Sourdough pizza crust

Articles by Marco Bellini

11 pieces

Dough & Fermentation
Sourdough Pizza Dough Recipe: 65% Hydration, Real Chemistry

A tested sourdough pizza dough recipe. 65% hydration, 24-hour cold ferment, ripe-starter vs discard explained, plus the Italian lievito madre tradition.

May 16, 2026
Technique
Pizza Oven Temperature: The Full Guide by Style and Oven

Pizza oven temperature by style: 950F for Neapolitan, 525F for NY, 500F for Detroit and Sicilian. The two rules that solve 90% of home-pizza confusion.

May 14, 2026
Regional Styles
Sicilian Pizza Dough Recipe: 65% Hydration, Cold Ferment

A tested Sicilian pizza dough recipe. 65% hydration, 24-hour cold ferment, bread flour, half-sheet pan, with the Sfincione vs Sicilian-American distinction.

May 13, 2026
Sauce & Toppings
Wisconsin Brick Cheese for Detroit Style Pizza

Wisconsin brick cheese for Detroit style pizza: what it is, why it works, real brands compared, where to buy it, and what to use as a substitute.

May 12, 2026
Sauce & Toppings
Pizza Sauce Recipe: Neapolitan No-Cook vs American Cooked

Pizza sauce recipe in two styles: Neapolitan no-cook from San Marzano DOP, and American cooked with herbs and tomato paste. When to use which, and why.

May 10, 2026
Technique
How to Stretch Pizza Dough: 6 Steps, No Rolling Pin

How to stretch pizza dough by hand: the knuckle method, the V-press, why no rolling pin, and the 6 mistakes that cause sticking, tearing, and bad oven spring.

May 9, 2026
Dough & Fermentation
Neapolitan Pizza Flour: 00, W-Rating, Brand Comparison

Neapolitan pizza flour explained: what 00 means, W-rating decoded, Caputo vs King Arthur vs Antimo head-to-head, and when bread flour works instead.

May 8, 2026
Dough & Fermentation
Ooni Pizza Dough Recipe: 4 Schedules, 60% Hydration

The Ooni pizza dough recipe in 4 schedules (same-day, overnight, 24-48h cold ferment, poolish), with the hydration chemistry and flour choices that work.

May 6, 2026
Regional Styles
Detroit Style Pizza Recipe: Frico Crust, Brick Cheese

The Detroit style pizza recipe with the pan decision tree, the cheese substitutions, and the frico crust mechanics, plus how it differs from NY and Neapolitan.

May 4, 2026
Regional Styles
New York Style Pizza Crust: Recipe, Chemistry, the Fold

The four-ingredient system behind a foldable, chewy New York style pizza crust, with the home-oven adaptation and the side-by-side vs Neapolitan.

May 3, 2026
Dough & Fermentation
Neapolitan Pizza Dough: Recipe, Chemistry, Home-Oven Reality

Neapolitan pizza dough at 60% hydration, by weight, with the chemistry behind every choice and an honest home-oven adaptation. The recipe you can actually rank.

May 2, 2026