What Is Neapolitan Pizza and How Do You Make It At Home?

Taylor Maple
·2-min read

Here's what you need to know about the classic Italian dish.

CDM68
CDM68

I’ve yet to meet a pizza I didn’t love, but there are a few varieties that just have that extra oomph. Neapolitan pizza is one such pie. It’s simple, perfect, elegant, and rustic at the same time, and I would eat one every single day if I could. Here’s what you need to know about this dish:

What is Neapolitan-Style Pizza?

Neapolitan pizza originated in Naples, Italy, hundreds of years ago. Why mess with a good thing? There is even an Italian non-profit organization—the True Neapolitan Pizza Association (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), or AVPN—which is dedicated entirely to protecting the integrity and tradition that go into an authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Cynthia Ross
Cynthia Ross

Neapolitan-Style Pizza: Defining Characteristics

According to the AVPN, traditional Neapolitan pizza has a few qualities that make it immediately recognizable:

  • Round shape: Sorry, square pizza evangelists. Round is the way for this particular style.

  • Sleek crust: This pizza has a raised edge of about two centimeters and should never be burned. The crust is often soft with a pleasant elasticity.

  • Tomatoes: If canned, they should be crushed by hand. If fresh, they should be sliced.

  • Cheese: Mozzarella slices should be spread evenly across the pizza.

  • Garnishes: Fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil top the whole thing off.

If you’re a real stickler for tradition, these ingredients should ideally all come from the Campania region of Italy. But if you’re not gunning for AVPN certification, your local supermarket is probably good enough.

Neapolitan Pizza vs. Margherita Pizza

According to Pizza Bien, Margherita pizza is actually a subset of Neapolitan pizzas—particularly the best-known one. While other Neapolitan pizzas can add a few ingredients here and there, Margherita pizza follows its same basic principles but solely sticks with San Marzano tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese as its anchors.

Meredith
Meredith

How to Make Neapolitan Pizza

  1. Make the dough: Mix flour, water, salt, and yeast together until the desired consistency is achieved. Then roll out into a disk.

  2. Make the sauce: Crush or slice your tomatoes, simmer with olive oil, and season appropriately while remembering that the beauty of this dish is simplicity.

  3. Assemble the pizza: Spread your sauce and space mozzarella slices evenly around the surface area.

  4. Bake the pizza: Tradition dictates that the cooking should be done in a high-heat oven for a very short period of time. It should also be cooked exclusively in a wood-fired oven, but I won’t tell if you won’t.

  5. Enjoy: Garnish with fresh basil.

While you might not stick exactly to tradition when cooking at home, that’s OK—just remember that the beauty of the Neapolitan pizza is its simple elegance. Capture that spirit, and you’re good to go.

Read the original article on All Recipes.

Latest stories