Neapolitan
First made in Russia, this Neapolitan pizza is a scrummy pizza worth trying.
Carefully baked, this pizza boasts an amazing taste paired with a abundant smell.
Make sure to always use excellent toppings and add them to a delicious crust for you and family to savor a scrumptious feast.
If you have a taste for Vegetarian pizzas with San Marzano Tomatoes sauce then you’ll love this.
Pizza is incredibly popular for so many reasons! For one, it’s a versatile dish that can be customized to suit just about any taste. Whether you prefer a classic pepperoni pizza or a more unconventional option like a BBQ chicken pizza, the options are endless.
Additionally, it’s a food that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, making it perfect for family dinners, parties, or a casual night in. Another reason why pizza is so popular is that it’s a relatively inexpensive meal that can be made at home or easily ordered from a pizzeria or even delivered to your doorstep.
Lastly, It’s just flat-out delicious! The combination of gooey melted cheese, savory tomato sauce and various toppings is hard to resist for many. All in all, pizza is a crowd-pleaser, and it’s no wonder it’s so beloved by so many people around the world.
Pizza in Russia
Other popular Russian meals contain Beef, lamb, pork and Chicken, and Potatoes plus root vegetables. Sour Cream, porridge and bread accompanies many meals.
Take a look at some of the other pizzas from Russia here.
| Origin | Russia |
| Type | Vegetarian |
| Sauce | San Marzano Tomatoes |
Neapolitan Pizza Recipe
We’ve come up with a recipe for a delectable home baked Neapolitan Pizza that you can make either in your typical kitchen oven or backyard pizza oven.
| Dough | 2 hours |
| Assembly | 10 minutes |
| Baking | 12-20 minutes |
Neapolitan Pizza Ingredients
Choose enough pizza toppings for the amount of pizzas you will be creating. The pizza sauce and dough ingredients below are designed for 3-4 pizzas, so scale up or down, based on your requirements.
Simple Pizza dough
- 2 tsps (7 g sachet) dried yeast
- 1 cup (250 ml) luke-warm water
- 400 g (2 2/3 cups) 00 or pizza flour
- 2 tsps salt
- 3 tbsps (1/4 cup) olive oil
Neapolitan Pizza Toppings
Toppings used in this pizza recipe, are;
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Mozzarella
- Basil
Simple Tomato Pizza Sauce
- 1 can (15oz/420g) tomatoes, whole or crushed
- 1 can (6oz/170g) tomato paste
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/4 a small onion
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp salt
Want to try a different sauce? See our article on the different types of pizza sauces.
TIP
You can click on any of the tags at the bottom of this page, to find other pizzas besides Neapolitan Pizza, that use that topping.
Pizza Dough Method
If you don’t have much time, grab a premade pizza base at your local grocery store, or create your own homemade pizza dough following the simple steps below.
- Whisk the lukewarm water and yeast in a plastic or glass jug. Let mixture stand for five minutes.
- Add salt and flour in a large bowl. Create a hollow well in the middle and gently pour the liquid yeast mixture and oil.
- Using a spatula, or your hands, mix the dough really well until smooth. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for five minutes.
- Lightly oil a bowl, and place dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes to an hour, or until it doubles in size.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for another 5 minutes or until smooth.
- Sprinkle a little flour on the bench before rolling to prevent dough from sticking.
- Divide the dough into balls, and roll out bases to desired size.
TIP: We have other dough recipes if you would like to try your hand at sourdough, poolish or more.
Tomato Pizza Sauce Method
You can make this tasty pizza sauce following the simple steps below, or you can purchase a pizza sauce at your local supermarket.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Pizza sauce should be reasonably smooth.
- Let sit in the bowl for 5 minutes.
- Your pizza sauce is now ready to use.
- You can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Remember, you can always adjust the seasoning to taste with a little bit of salt and pepper.
Preparing Neapolitan Pizza
Start by heating your oven to at least 450 degrees.
Spread out your dough on a well floured surface.
If you have a pizza peel, flour the peel and create your pizza on it.
Start by spreading the sauce all over the base. This pizza uses San Marzano Tomatoes. Spread the San Marzano Tomatoes Thinly yet evenly, leaving a margin for the crust.
Add the largest toppings first – typically meat or seafood, then the smaller toppings.
Add cheese last, and sprinkle it all over to help keep the toppings in place when it melts.
This pizza has the following toppings:
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Mozzarella
- Basil
Whilst this pizza is tasty by itself, yet why not pair it with another pizza as well?
Oven time
Put the Neapolitan pizza on the middle shelf of the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, open the door and check the pizza.
This pizza should take approximately 15 minutes, however allow it to cook to personal taste.
About Parmesan
Parmesan is a translation of the Italian words, Parmigiano-Reggiano. The two terms refer to the same cheese. Often referred to as the “King of Cheeses”, Parmesan is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk, which is then Aged for at least 12 months.
Parmesan was praised as far back as 1348 in the writings of famous Italian writer, Boccaccio, in his works, the Decameron. October 27 is designated the International “Parmigiano Reggiano Day” by The Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Pizza Tools
When making Neapolitan Pizza, I suggest you just use what you have available, without spending any money. My recommended basic pizza tool list is…
Chef Apron
OK, not really pizza related, but a good chef apron makes me feel the part when I am making my pizzas. I’d probably wear a chef hat if I got one too!
Pastry Brush
A pastry brush is vital if you need to ever coat your dough in water, oil, eggs or more. They are cheap to have and very handy to use.
Pastry Brush
If you ever coat your dough in water, oil, eggs or more, then you need a pastry brush. These brushes tend to be cheap to have and very handy to use.
Basil
One of the most popular and easy to grow garden herbs, Basil is a sun loving herb which grows in warm weather. Originally found in India, there are between 80-150 species of Basil, which can be found in so many cuisines around the globe, including Thai and Italian foods.
Most types of Basil that we eat belong to the sweet basil species. Basil used to be used in Egyptian embalming techniques, and has been found in mummies in Egypt. Handy!
Pizza Facts
Here are a few interesting pizza facts…
Largest pizza delivery
The largest pizza delivery was organised by Pizzas 4 Patriots (USA), who sent 30,000 pizzas with DHL Express to the United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 4 July 2012. The 12 inch pizzas were made by Great Kitchens, Inc. in Illinois in June 2012.
Salami in space
Pizza Hut made history when they sent a 6-inch salami pizza via a Russian rocket to the International Space Station. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov munched on the treat and even took marketing photos.
Ah, a museum
There is a Pizza museum in Philadelphia called Pizza Brain. It contains one of the world’s largest collections of pizza themed memorabilia. Oh and you can buy and eat pizza there too.
Vegetarian Pizzas
Keen on seeing more than Neapolitan pizza? We have plenty of other Vegetarian pizza recipes to look at, as well. Enjoy!
Pizza making FAQ
Hope to make fantastic pizza at home? Here are some expert answers to some of the most Frequently asked questions.
Can I make pizza without making pizza dough?
Absolutely! Just buy a premade base at your shopping centre, or even ask your local pizza store if they will sell you some bases or dough. It’s amazing how many people will willingly do this, to encourage you to start your homemade pizza hobby.
Can I use Baking Powder instead of yeast?
I don’t recommend using baking powder as a replacement at all. Baking powder is a chemical leavener. It isn’t the same as yeast at all. Yeast is an organism that enables pizza dough to develop richer flavors and texture. Types of bread that are made with chemical leaveners are a totally different texture than pizza.
Can I use durum wheat flour for pizza dough?
It depends; if it’s fine enough, yes. Durum wheat is a variety that is usually ground down to make semolina, which is used to make pasta. If it is ground into a finer flour, it can be used to make pizza dough and breads.
Have you made Neapolitan Pizza?
Your thoughts on Neapolitan Pizza will help us improve, let us know! Tag us on our Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you thought of it! I’d love to know.
Featured image: Source
