AVPN Standard Pizza Marinara

Pizza marinara is the oldest of all tomato-topped pizzas. Debuting in the 1700s, this combination of dough, tomatoes, garlic, oregano and oil has been around for centuries. Perhaps unsurprisingly, pizza alla marinara came in at the top of the list when the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza Association, or AVPN for short) drew up its guidelines for classic pizza styles. The AVPN is known for upholding the standards of Neapolitan pizza around the globe,  and its  stamp of approval is a big deal in the pizza world: Only pizza marinara, pizza Margherita and pizza fritta carry it. 

Our chef and culinary advisor, Kelsey Small, took on the challenge of creating a pizza marinara recipe that would follow all of the AVPN’s rules for dough, ingredients and method. He baked the pizza at high temperature in an Ooni Karu 16 — the world's only pizza oven recommended for domestic use by the AVPN — but you can make a delicious version of this pizza in any Ooni oven. The result is simple, uncomplicated and delicious. 

A neapolitan style pizza with tomato sauce topping

Note

If you want to create an actual AVPN-approved pizza marinara, don’t make any substitutions in the ingredient list; tipo ‘00’ flour and San Marzano tomatoes make this recipe truly authentic. 

For the dough

1. Combine the salt and the water in a large mixing bowl.

Then, add 50 grams of flour and stir. Next, stir in the yeast until it dissolvesGradually add the rest of the flour, working and mixing until you have a shaggy dough.

2. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it onto a clean work surface.

Knead until smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

3. Let the dough rest for 4 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Then, cut the dough into three 250-gram balls, and let them rise in a proofing box overnight.

For the toppings

1. To prepare the toppings, put San Marzano tomatoes in a mixing bowl and crush by hand.

Add a pinch of sea salt to the tomatoes. Slice your garlic as thinly as possible and set aside.

Cooking the Pizza

1. Preheat your Ooni oven for 15 to 20 minutes, aiming for 800°F to 900°F (425°C to 490°C), on your baking stone.

You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer. When the oven is hot, stretch your first dough ball out on a lightly floured surface to form a 12-inch pizza base. Once the dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel and lay the base on it. Top the base evenly with the sauce, garlic and dried oregano. Finally, add a drizzle of olive oil before launching the pizza into the oven with your Ooni pizza peel. 

2. Bake for 60-90 seconds, rotating regularly for an even crust.

Take the pizza out of the oven, drizzle with additional olive oil, slice and enjoy.