“The” AVPN Pizza Recipe

Pizza has a rich history that dates back centuries, but nothing quite captures its essence like the authentic Neapolitan style. As someone passionate about creating the perfect pie, I’ve always been fascinated by the traditions upheld by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). Today, I’m excited to share their renowned AVPN Pizza Recipe for Neapolitan pizzas, bringing a taste of Naples right into your kitchen!

So, if you’re craving the real thing the way it’s made in Naples, let’s find out what makes AVPN the authority!

You don’t necessarily NEED to read further – the AVPN provides a recipe on their website.

It’s just that their recipe makes 14 PIZZAS! And it’s all in metric by weight.

So if you want to spare yourself the mathematical gymnastics and follow this step-by-AVPN-approved-step to an AVPN Neapolitan Pizza Recipe the “right” way!

What’s So Special About AVPN Neapolitan Pizza?

Flatbread foods have been around for thousands of years. But pizza was born in Naples, Italy perhaps in the early 1800’s (and quite likely before that). Naples was not (and sadly, remains) a less than affluent city in Italy. Therefore, Neapolitans relied upon food that was inexpensive and fast (imagine fast food 200+ years ago).

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) was created to honor and preserve the traditions of Neapolitan pizzas with specific rules about what makes up a Neapolitan pizza. There are very clear rules about the dough and there are only two topping combinations – the Margherita pizza and the Marinara pizza.

AVPN Pizza Recipe – The Dough

Other than it being the “original”, this pizza dough has some amazing characteristics that are brought out when cooked in a wood-fired oven. AVPN recommends the Ooni Karu 16 which has since been upgraded and renamed the Ooni Karu 2 Pro. However, even using other ovens such as the Solo Stove Pi will still give you amazing Neapolitans (even when we use the propane feature – don’t tell the AVPN!).

Still, this dough recipe will still produce lovely results in your conventional oven (generally at its highest temperature), especially when using a pizza stone. So read our recipe for Neapolitan Pizza Dough below and then head here to read our recipe on the true Neapolitan Margherita Pizza!

AVPN Neapolitan Dough Ingredients

There are just four:

• Flour (more on that in a second)
• Water
• Yeast
• Salt

And if you’ve made more typical homemade pizzas before, you’re going to be surprised how little yeast is used. And, maybe also how much salt?

The Flour

Weight isn’t Always Equal to Volume

True Neapolitan pizza recipes use a weight of flour (grams or ounces) rather than volume (cups). A fairly compact cup of Polselli or Caputo Pizzeria flour will weigh 5.5 to 6 ounces (or 85 grams). Today’s recipe assumes this and the final dough will make two ~9.5 to 10 ounce dough balls. 280 grams (just shy of 10 ounces) is the AVPN maximum weight per dough ball, which works nicely for an 11-12 inch pizza.

Tipo 00 Flour

Tipo 00, double zero, or doppio zero all describe the finest level of ground wheat flour (typically Italian) and is the backbone of Neapolitan pizza. 00 flour is so fine as to be like talcum-powder, ultra-white, and completely free of bran (the wheat’s outer coating) or germ (the embryo of the wheat kernel).

And there’s more. Tipo 00 is a measure of how fine the flour is – not necessarily that it’s the right one for pizza. There are other factors like the “PL number“, which is a measure of its extensibility.

OK, which one should I get??

It may be tricky to find one of the two most celebrated Italian options: Caputo or Polselli, which are both available in the US, but likely not at your local grocery store. Others include Le Stagioni 5 and San Felice. You may have to look around to find an Italian grocery store (or deli) to get these or order online.

Alternatives?

You don’t need your flour to come from Italy to make a great pizza crust. We very much enjoy King Arthur’s 00 Pizza Flour and Bob’s Red Mill 00 Flour, which are readily available at grocery stores.

But we REALLY love Organic pizza flour from Central Milling (which you’ll very likely have to order online). We did a shoot out amongst their pizza flours to make a Neapolitan style you might want to check out!

Every one of these flours is made with American wheat will be structurally different than Italian pizza flours.

Can’t find any 00 flours around (seems pretty unlikely – but it could happen)? Even a Tipo 0 (slightly coarser being the main difference) is allowable. And in fact, using a small ratio (no more than 20%) of Type 1 (even more coarse) is also permitted.

The Water

Yep – there are rules about the water too. Since about 1/3 of your pizza is water, that does actually make sense, right? And of course the most important rule is that it’s clean and pure of anything harmful.

AVPN recommends “moderately hard” water, which is more likely going to be tap water or bottled drinking water. Reverse osmosis purified water is generally soft and if your home has a water softener, your tap water will be too – in which case, maybe go get a bottle of Dasani or similar.

The water should be room temperature and, if you want to get really specific, have a pH of 6 to 7 (which is pure water (7) or slightly acidic (6).

Salt

Salt is used in both the dough as well as in the sauce. Sea salt is preferred, but not mandatory. Since it’s dissolved in the water first, the grain size is not that important – although large grains will make it more work for you.

Salt isn’t just for taste, but it’s also for (quoting the AVPN rules) “maintain the growth of bacteria and strengthens the gluten mesh resulting in its fine end color”.

Yeast

There are three choices for yeast to use in Neapolitan Pizza dough:

• Dry yeast (Saccharomices cerevisiae)
• Fresh beer yeast (they are not specific as to the variety)

Most folks will find dry yeast the easiest to source – but I’m betting you’ll be shocked as to how little you need!

However, you can also use a starter in place of yeast. AVPN allows for using a mother yeast/mother dough (which is effectively a starter, such as sourdough, biga, or poolish).

If you are interested in using sourdough in place of yeast, we have a post on that specifically.

Ingredients for AVPN Pizza Dough

• 1 cup of tap or bottled water (“moderately hard water”)
• 2 cups of Type 00 flour
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 of 1/8 teaspoons of yeast

Tip: Two Personal Size Pizzas Please!

If you want to make two slightly smaller pizza doughs (i.e. two personal size pizzas), use 3/4 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour, and the same 1/2 of 1/8 teaspoons of yeast. This will yield 16 ounces of dough and therefore two 8 ounce pizzas!

“The” AVPN Neapolitan Pizza Recipe

If you’ve made typical homemade pizza dough recipes, you’re going to read this and think “what?!?”. Well, trust me. I took it all from the AVPN rule book, I just changed the quantities to produce two “regulation-size” dough balls.

The other thing to note is that you need to start this recipe at least 10 hours before you plan to eat – and better to go with 24.

• Pour the water into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. If you don’t have one, you can totally do this all by hand.
• Add the salt. Using a small whisk or a spoon, dissolve the salt into the water completely.
• Add about 1/2 cup of flour into the water.
• Add the yeast.
• Start your stand mixer using the hook attachment on its slowest setting and slowly add the flour. Not all flour hydrates the same, so it may be that you’ll need a little less or a little more flour.
• The dough will form into a single compact ball.
  • When this happens, stop the mixer and check the texture.
  • Put a little flour on your hands and pull the dough off of the hook.
  • Knead the dough in your hands.
  • The texture and moistness should be consistent throughout. If it is not, return it to the mixer for another minute and check again.
  • The dough should be slightly tacky and smooth but should not be leaving much sticking to your hands. If it is, return it to the mixer and continue adding flour – slowly.
  • The final dough ball should be “fat” in appearance and sticky, soft, elastic, and smooth to the touch.

• Place the dough on a clean surface and cover with a damp cloth for one hour. The damp cloth is important to keep the outer surface from drying out.

• Remove the damp cloth and separate the dough into two balls of equal size (this recipe will make two dough balls approximately 9.5 to 9.9 ounces – which is right at the upper size limit).
• Work the two halves into balls (the traditional technique is to shape them the same way Italians prepare fresh mozzarella balls).
• Place the two balls into one or two sealed containers – the dough balls will double in size, so make sure they have enough room.

• AVPN allows for differing amounts of yeast based on the time the dough will now sit. The larger amount of yeast will allow the dough to be ready in 8 hours at room temperature. The smaller amount of yeast will require 24 hours at room temperature. If you change the temperature (for example by refrigerating, it will further slow the fermentation).

• The final dough will have become extensible (meaning you can stretch it) but not very elastic – perfect for making our pizza.

Stretching Out AVPN Neapolitan Pizza Dough

To be authentic, you MUST stretch the dough by hand. There’s even a specific technique for this. But then there’s also a good reason for this. The goal is to move the air inside the dough into the outer edge of the crust, which is called the “cornicione”. This is going to create a lovely, airy frame for the edge of your pizza.

• Place a light layer of flour on your work surface.
  • Semolina (coarse) flour can be used for this – and I found it to be really helpful for stretching the dough. But you do not want too much absorbed into the dough – so if the dough is very sticky, you might choose to use your 00 (at least to start).
• Remove one dough ball from its container onto the floured work surface.
• “With a motion from the center outwards, and with the pressure of the fingers of both hands on the dough ball…”, stretch your two hands apart and then lift and turn the dough 90 degrees.
• Continue to do this while forming a more-or-less round shape and creating a taller outer rim about 0.5 inches tall.
• You may need more flour during this process but you should use as little extra as possible.
• Done right (which is not easy), the center of the crust should be just 0.1 inches thick. That’s less than the thickness of two pennies!
  • You’re better off with a thicker, smaller pizza than risk making a hole.
  • If you do make a hole, ball the dough up and try again. This will likely add more flour and density to your pizza, so its best to avoid making a hole – especially a second time.

AVPN Pizza Recipe – Margherita or Marinara?

Now that your dough is ready, it’s time to prepare and cook your pizza.

With the AVPN rules, you can go onto make a Margherita or Marinara pizza. And since you have two dough balls now, you can make one of each!

Recipes for both are at the bottom of this article.

Tips for both of these AVPN Pizza Recipes

• You’re working with just a few toppings. Go the extra mile and get quality products!
• Fresh basil and fresh garlic simply cannot be replaced with dried flakes or powder. Splurge. Please!
• You may be tempted to buy “pizza sauce”. That’s not how it’s done in Naples. They rely on a simple tomato sauce. But you can buy a great sauce for this pizza off the shelf! More on that below.
• For the Margherita pizza, you may be intimidated to try whole mozzarella. It’s not cheap and it expires quickly. This really is a great way to elevate your AVPN Pizza Recipe

What is a Margherita Pizza?

This pizza has a lovely history:

Italian King Uberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889. The legend goes that the queen and king decided to try the local cuisine and a certain combination of pizza toppings represent the colors of the Italian flag – Red (tomato sauce), White (mozzarella cheese), and Green (Basil) – was dubbed the “Margherita Pizza”. The royal blessing was where things started, but more than 200 years later, the desire to honor the nation continues.

What is Marinara Pizza?

And like other Neapolitan pizzas, the Marinara pizza hails from Naples too. Contrary to what some believe, the name “Marinara” does not imply a seafood topping, nor does it automatically relate to marinara sauce that we often associate with pasta.

Instead, the name is derived from “La Marinara,” the Italian word for sailor (so not completely different from the idea of seafood).

Legend has it that the Marinara was the pizza of choice for sailors returning to the Bay of Naples due to its simple ingredients that are resistant to spoilage: tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil.

And doesn’t that sound like a legendary pizza?

AVPN Pizza Sauce

Most people will be surprised to learn that “pizza sauce” is not the right sauce for this pizza – I was!

Generally speaking, the tomato sauce will be specifically of the San Marzano variety because of the unique flavor – and I would vouch for that choice.

It’s very easy to make your own Neapolitan Pizza Sauce – we have a quick and easy recipe for you to try! You can buy canned San Marzano tomatoes, puree, strain, add a pinch of salt, and voila! You have traditional sauce!

Speaking of salt in the sauce, the AVPN specifies quite little salt to be used (less than 2 teaspoons for 2 pounds of tomatoes) – basically a small pinch for your pizza. Of course, you can adjust to taste. They also specify that the salt should be added to the tomatoes rather than the pizza – unless you are using fresh tomatoes.

But you can also buy an excellent pre-made Italian tomato sauce used by folks in Naples on their pizza at a local grocery store. This is a great starting point.

AVPN Neapolitan Pizza – Cooking Instructions

The AVPN says a traditional Neapolitan pizza should be cooked at ~900°F and exclusively in a wood-fired oven. You may know that your conventional indoor oven is not going to get there. To hit those temperatures, you need to use an outdoor pizza oven.

• Preheat your oven (a wood-fired pizza oven is best at >900ºF; a conventional indoor oven: 450º)
• Spread a light mixture of flour (coarse grain like semolina is great for this).
  • Some people use cornmeal on their pizza peel, but I don’t recommend it for such hot temperatures.
• Place the dough on the pizza peel, quickly apply your toppings, and launch into the pizza oven!
• Turn your pizza:
  • in an outdoor oven, about ever 45 seconds turn it a quarter turn 4 times until done
  • in an indoor oven, cook for about 10 minutes and turn once, then cook for 5 more minutes and turn off the oven and leave it for 5 more minutes.
• Remove and let stand for about 3 minutes.
• Cut and serve immediately!

Final Thoughts on the Best 00 Pizza Dough Recipe

The simplicity of this Italian AVPN Neapolitan pizza recipe (which is pretty solidly one of the best 00 pizza dough recipes out there) is its greatest asset, offering a harmony of flavors that will undoubtedly impress. Sometimes, simplicity with quality ingredients truly is the ultimate sophistication.

Buon appetito!

March 2, 2025