Neapolitan pizza (the original and, many say, the best style of pizza to exist) has a thin base, puffy, chewy yet crisp crust (known in Italian as the cornicione) as well as simple, high-quality ingredients and toppings. In this case, we opted to use our Ooni Volt for a classic Margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. With Ooni Volt, you can bring a little taste of Italy right to your home.
No one really knows how the first Neapolitan pizza was made, let alone who made it. Most agree, however, that in the 1700s, flatbreads were already being used as bases for toppings. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that people in Naples started to top theirs with tomatoes (which originated in the New World). Today, people cherish Neapolitan pizza, and the art of making it, so much that UNESCO included it in its cultural heritage list The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (the Association for True Neapolitan Pizza) also closely protects the traditions and recipes for making this most classic of pizzas.
AVPN uses a stringent set of rules to guarantee a true Neapolitan pizza. They include:
- The dough must be made with only water, yeast, salt and flour
- The dough must rest at room temperature until it has doubled in size
- The base is stretched out to create a thin center and crust with a little height
- Margherita and Marinara are the pizzas of choice
It’s a simple recipe to follow, but a complicated one to master. That said, even a Neapolitan pizza novice can make something mouth-wateringly delicious with the right ingredients and a little practice.
