What is the right temperature for Neapolitan?

The AVPN standard is written for a wood-fired oven, where Neapolitan pizza bakes in 60-90 seconds at temperatures a home kamado cannot sustain. In the kamado, the reference is a chamber at 350-380 °C with the lid closed, the vents open and the stone preheated for 30-40 minutes: the pizza is done in about three minutes. Lower (300-350 °C) also works, but the base comes out denser.

Can I use supermarket flour or do I need 00?

You need 00 flour at W250+ (medium-high strength) so the dough handles heat without tearing. Caputo Cuoco (blue) or Garofalo 00 work. Regular bread flour (W150-180) does not hold — pizza tears going into the kamado. With regular flour only, drop to 280-300°C and make home-style pizza, not Neapolitan.

How long does the dough need to ferment?

Minimum 24 hours cold for decent flavour, ideal 48-72 hours. A pizza fermented 6 hours at room temp is edible but flat. Long cold fermentation builds aroma, improves digestibility and makes the dough easier to handle without sticking.

Will a standard pizza stone work or do I need a kamado-specific one?

Any cordierite stone handles 500°C — a generic Amazon pizza stone (Pizzacraft, Lodge) is fine. What matters is round and fits through the lid. Kamado-specific stones are usually identical with a markup. Cordierite is cordierite.

Can you make Neapolitan pizza without a kamado?

Not quite: Neapolitan pizza needs 350 °C or more, and a home oven at 275 °C with a stone or steel gives a good but crisper pizza in 6-8 minutes. A gas grill with a stone at 300-320 °C comes closest; a pellet grill lands halfway.

What do I do with the embers left after making Neapolitan pizza on the kamado?

After 3 min at 350 °C in a classic kamado about 350 g of live embers remain: 20 min more at 350 °C without touching the vents or 20 min at 210-270 °C closing the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

Neapolitan pizza on the kamado

Quick answer

Neapolitan pizza on the kamado bakes on a cordierite stone with the chamber at 350-380 °C, with the dough cold-fermented for 24-72 hours. It cooks in about three minutes: the base puffs up and the cornicione comes out leopard-spotted and elastic. The deflector and a stone preheated for at least 30-40 minutes are essential.

Prep: 1440 min
Cook: 3 min
Servings: 4 servings
Temperature: 350 °C

What time do you want to eat?

Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.

Serving time

13:02
the day before
Start the prep
13:02
Light the kamado
13:47
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve

Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.

Fire setupStone or steel

Dome: 350 °C
Deflector: Yes
Fuel: Plenty of lump charcoal
Setup: Deflector, pizza stone and pizza peel

Temperature curve

1:21 h from lighting

Kamado dome

#	From	Phase	Dome
1	0:00	Light the charcoalPlenty of charcoal, deflector and refractory stone	20 → 350 °C
2	0:45	StabiliseLet the stone soak for at least 30 min at 350-380 °C	350 °C
3	1:15	Bake90-180 seconds, turn once with the peel	345 → 300 °C
4	1:18	Recover temperatureRecover to 350 °C before the next pizza	300 → 350 °C
5	1:21	Serve	off

0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner

For this recipe

Ingredients

Servings4

Italian "00" flour (W 280-320)500 g
cold water325 ml
sea salt12 g
fresh yeast1 g
San Marzano DOP tomatoes400 g
fior di latte (cow-milk mozzarella)250 g
fresh basil20 leaves
extra-virgin olive oilas needed

Allergens

Gluten
Milk

Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.

The gear for this recipe

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Method

01
Dough
Dissolve the yeast in water. Combine with flour until integrated, add salt and knead 10 minutes. Smooth ball, 30 min rest, fold, 30 min rest.
02
Cold ferment 24h
Divide into 250 g balls and store in oiled containers in the fridge for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature 2 hours before cooking.
03
Sauce
Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand in a bowl. Salt and a drizzle of oil. DO NOT cook them. The freshness of raw tomato is the point.
04
Stabilise at 350°C
Load the kamado with plenty of charcoal, deflector and a baking stone on top. Bring it to 350-380°C and let the stone saturate for at least 30 minutes.
05
Stretch
Hand-stretch on semola flour, no rolling pin, leaving the edge untouched so it keeps air. ~28 cm diameter.
06
Top
Thin layer of sauce in the centre, never to the edge. Drained mozzarella in chunks. Do not overload — Neapolitan pizzas carry little topping.
07
Bake
Slide the pizza onto the stone with a floured peel. Bake 90-180 seconds. Rotate once with the peel for even browning.
08
Finish
Pull it off with the peel. Add fresh basil leaves and a thread of raw olive oil. Serve immediately.

About this recipe

Slow-fermented dough (24h cold), uncooked San Marzano tomatoes, well-drained fior di latte and basil added off the heat. The kamado faithfully mimics a Neapolitan wood-fired oven.

Will it fit your kamado?

Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Tight
A 28 cm pizza just fits a ~33 cm stone; one at a time, letting the stone recover.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Fits
A 28 cm pizza fits well; the 4 servings go in four short batches.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
Fits with room to spare; with a large stone two small pizzas may fit.

What to serve with it

Sides

Green salad with olive oil
Grilled Padrón peppers

Wine: Young Bierzo Mencía red or Navarra rosé
Beer: Cold pilsner-style lager
Alcohol-free: Sparkling water with lemon and basil

Leftovers and storage

In the fridge: Cool within 2 h; because of the mozzarella, keep well wrapped in the fridge, 1-2 days.
Freezing: Freeze by the slice for 2-3 months; fresh basil suffers. Never refreeze.
Reheating: Covered cast-iron pan over medium heat 4-5 min, or kamado at 250 °C on the stone 2-3 min.

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.

Leftover embers

You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat

For 3 min at 350 °C in a classic kamado you load about 1.25 kg of charcoal and burn 900 g: when you serve, about 350 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:

Without touching the vents
350 °Cfull heat, direct
20 minof embers
- Iberian pork tenderloin grilled with Pedro Ximénez glaze8 min · 280 °C
- Sesame-Crusted Seared Bluefin Tuna on the Kamado (Tataki)4 min · 280 °C
- Red prawns over live fire on the kamado in 6 minutes6 min · 280 °C
No recipe needed
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (2 min each)
- Whole peppers until the skin blackens, for peeling (8 min)
- Pineapple or peach slices, char-marked (3 min)
Closing the vents a little and waiting for it to drop
210-270 °Cgrilled vegetables
20 minof embers
- Saffron Milk Caps on a Steel Griddle with Garlic and Parsley10 min · 250 °C
- Rum-glazed grilled pineapple on the kamado14 min · 220 °C
- Grilled provolone on the kamado with tomato, oregano and olive oil, in a cast-iron skillet12 min · 230 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)

Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 350 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 1 h of fire, lighting included.

History of the dish

Origin: Naples, capital of Campania (Italy)
Period: Early 18th century (around 1715–1725)
Where it is cooked today: Naples, home to some 3,000 pizzaiuoli, remains its birthplace; pizza has spread worldwide, and the AVPN promotes the Neapolitan kind beyond Italy.

European legislation dates the first appearance of pizza napoletana to between 1715 and 1725, and by the 18th century Naples already had several shops known as "pizzerias". It was cheap street food: in the late 19th century the journalist Matilde Serao described it as humble fare that "turns yellow in the sun".

The marinara is dated to 1734 and the margherita to 1796–1810. Tradition holds that the latter was presented to the Queen of Italy during her visit to Naples in 1889, although the Royal Household letter said to prove it is now regarded as a forgery.

Italian emigrants took pizza to the United States in the early 20th century, and, according to the CNRS anthropologist Sylvie Sanchez, it was its spread around the world that saved it. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana was founded in Naples in 1984; in 2010 the EU registered it as a traditional speciality guaranteed, baked in a wood-fired oven at about 485 °C, and in 2017 UNESCO inscribed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo on its intangible heritage list.

Sources

Commission Regulation (EU) No 97/2010 — Pizza Napoletana (TSG) — EUR-Lex, European Union (eur-lex.europa.eu)
Art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo' — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ich.unesco.org)
Pizza Margherita may be fit for a queen, but was it really named after one? — National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)
Chi siamo — Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (pizzanapoletana.org)
Pizza: Globalization for Dinner? — CNRS News (news.cnrs.fr)

No kamado?

How to make it without a kamado: oven, gas grill or pellets

Neapolitan pizza wants 350-380 °C and 90-180 seconds. No home oven gets there: you get a good pizza, but a different style, crisper and less airy.

Home oven

Temp.: 275 °C (the maximum) with a stone or steel
Time: 6-8 min instead of 90-180 s

Steel or stone on the upper rack, preheated 45-60 min at full heat
Switch on the top grill for the last minute so the rim browns
Drain the fior di latte well: over 7 min it releases water and floods the centre

SmokeBarkJuicinessGood pizza, different style: crisp, no leopard-spotted rim

Gas grill

Temp.: 300-320 °C with a stone and all burners on high
Time: 3-5 min, a bit longer than on the kamado

Heat the stone 30-45 min lid down; the base will always run ahead of the topping
When the pizza goes in, turn the burners under the stone down to medium
Turn it every minute with the peel: gas grills have a much hotter side

SmokeBarkJuicinessClosest you get without a kamado, though the rim rises less

Pellet grill or electric smoker

Temp.: 260-290 °C with a stone; an electric smoker will not do
Time: 5-7 min instead of 90-180 s

Stone on the grate and the grill at maximum for 45 min before the first pizza
Leave 10 min between pizzas so the stone recovers its heat
The dough picks up a faint pellet smoke aroma, which does not happen on the kamado

SmokeBarkJuicinessDecent pizza, closer to a home oven than to the kamado

Temperatures and times are a guide; the original recipe is the kamado one. Tempted? which kamado to choose for what you cook

Editor's tips

The stone needs at least 30 min at 350°C. Loaded cold, the base will stay raw inside.
For a hint of smoke on the cornicione, crack the lid for 10 seconds when loading — the oxygen flares the coals.

Gear for this recipe

As an Amazon Associate, mikamado.es earns from qualifying purchases. At no extra cost to you.

Big Green Egg Large
The Large holds the 350 °C dome heat that a Neapolitan needs, one pizza at a time.
€2,099
See alternatives on Amazon Read review
Jealous Devil 100% White Quebracho lump charcoal 15.8 kg
€206
View on Amazon Read review
Onlyfire GCG-8552 Cooking System (2 grates + rack + 2 deflectors) for Large Kamado
€95
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Ooni 14" Perforated Aluminium Pizza Peel
Perforated 14" peel to load and turn the pizza without it sticking.
€26
See alternatives on Amazon Read review

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FAQ

What is the right temperature for Neapolitan?
The AVPN standard is written for a wood-fired oven, where Neapolitan pizza bakes in 60-90 seconds at temperatures a home kamado cannot sustain. In the kamado, the reference is a chamber at 350-380 °C with the lid closed, the vents open and the stone preheated for 30-40 minutes: the pizza is done in about three minutes. Lower (300-350 °C) also works, but the base comes out denser.
Can I use supermarket flour or do I need 00?
You need 00 flour at W250+ (medium-high strength) so the dough handles heat without tearing. Caputo Cuoco (blue) or Garofalo 00 work. Regular bread flour (W150-180) does not hold — pizza tears going into the kamado. With regular flour only, drop to 280-300°C and make home-style pizza, not Neapolitan.
How long does the dough need to ferment?
Minimum 24 hours cold for decent flavour, ideal 48-72 hours. A pizza fermented 6 hours at room temp is edible but flat. Long cold fermentation builds aroma, improves digestibility and makes the dough easier to handle without sticking.
Will a standard pizza stone work or do I need a kamado-specific one?
Any cordierite stone handles 500°C — a generic Amazon pizza stone (Pizzacraft, Lodge) is fine. What matters is round and fits through the lid. Kamado-specific stones are usually identical with a markup. Cordierite is cordierite.
Can you make Neapolitan pizza without a kamado?
Not quite: Neapolitan pizza needs 350 °C or more, and a home oven at 275 °C with a stone or steel gives a good but crisper pizza in 6-8 minutes. A gas grill with a stone at 300-320 °C comes closest; a pellet grill lands halfway.
What do I do with the embers left after making Neapolitan pizza on the kamado?
After 3 min at 350 °C in a classic kamado about 350 g of live embers remain: 20 min more at 350 °C without touching the vents or 20 min at 210-270 °C closing the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

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