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Montanara

Also known as: montanara napoletana

A Neapolitan hybrid that fries a small dough disc first, then tops and briefly bakes it, combining a fried base with conventional pizza presentation.

Origin
Italy, Naples
Thickness
medium
Bake temperature
400–450 °C (typically 420 °C)
Bake time
60–120 s (typically 90 s)
Skill level
advanced
Domestic oven
good
Time commitment
6-8 hours including fermentation
Topping density
moderate

Origin and history

Generally accepted

A Neapolitan round pizza that is first briefly deep-fried, then topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and basil, and finished with a short bake, combining the crisp base of frying with the topping presentation of a conventional pizza.

Defining characteristics

  • Fried first, then topped and briefly baked — a hybrid of frying and conventional pizza assembly
  • Round, unstuffed, unlike pizza fritta
  • Crisp, puffed base from the initial fry, distinct in texture from a purely baked crust

Dough

Hydration
58–65% (typically 60%)
Salt
2.5–3% (typically 2.8%)
Ball weight
120–160 g (typically 140 g)
Bulk fermentation
2–4 h (typically 3 h)
Ball/cold fermentation
4–8 h (typically 6 h)

Mixing: Similar to standard Neapolitan dough

Kneading: Short, gentle kneading

Shaping: Opened into a small disc, fried whole, then topped

Expected crumb: Airy and puffed from frying

Tolerance: Smaller discs fry more evenly than large ones

Common failure modes

  • Oil too cool leaves it greasy rather than crisp and puffed

Calculate this dough with the dough calculator →

Flour choices

  • Type 00 flourTraditionalGenerally accepted

    Same Neapolitan-family dough base as its parent style, pizza fritta, whose extensibility allows the disc to be fried and topped without tearing.

Construction and bake

  1. Open small dough discs
  2. Deep-fry until puffed and golden
  3. Top with sauce, cheese, and basil
  4. Brief finishing bake

Traditional method: Fried first, then finished with a short bake in a very hot oven

Common modern adaptations

  • A domestic frying pan with sufficient oil depth substitutes for a dedicated fryer
Pan or stovetop-assisted methodWood-fired pizza oven

Techniques

  • Opening the doughNormally requiredGenerally accepted

    Same Neapolitan-family opening technique as its parent style, pizza fritta.

Flavour and texture

A crisp, puffed, fried base topped conventionally, combining textures of both frying and baking

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Serving

Served as a small, individual pizza, often as street food or an appetiser

Usually eaten whole or cut into wedges · One or more per person as a snack or starter

Ingredients

Sauce

Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce

Cheese

Fior di latte

Toppings

Fresh basil

Ingredient intelligence

Sauce

  • Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauceTraditionalGenerally accepted

    Applied after the initial fry, on the same short finishing bake as a conventional Margherita, so it stays bright rather than reducing further.

Cheese

  • Fior di latteTraditionalGenerally accepted

    Applied after the initial fry, melting during the brief finishing bake without becoming greasy on top of the already-fried base.

Toppings

  • Fresh basilTraditionalGenerally accepted

    Added during the brief finishing bake alongside tomato sauce and cheese, mirroring a conventional Margherita topping on a fried base.

Construction order

Derived from this style’s own structural ingredient data — see the construction order & topping load guide for why order varies by style.

  1. Sauce: Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce
  2. Melting cheese: Fior di latte
  3. Fresh herbs: Fresh basil

Domestic adaptation

A frying pan handles the fry stage; a hot domestic oven or broiler finishes the bake stage reasonably well

Common mistakes

  • Confusing montanara with full pizza fritta — montanara is topped and finished with a bake, not stuffed and fully fried

Flavour balance and what to serve with it

Based on uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce and fior di latte with Montanara’s crust and bake.

Bright.

The full profile

Taste

Salt
Moderate
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce, Fior di latte
Sweetness
Moderate
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce
Acidity
High
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce, Fior di latte
Savoury depth (umami)
Moderate
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce, Fior di latte

Aroma

Aromatic intensity
Moderate
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce, Fior di latte
Freshness (green, herbal or bright lift)
Moderate
From Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce

Mouthfeel

Richness (fat)
Moderate
From Fior di latte, Montanara crust
Creaminess
High
From Fior di latte

What it does to the pizza

Water it releases
High — from several sources
From Fior di latte, Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce
Fat it renders
Moderate
From Fior di latte

Little or none: bitterness, chilli heat, pungency, smoke, crunch or crispness.

What makes it work

  • Acidity against richness. Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce cuts through the richness of Montanara crust and Fior di latte.
  • Freshness against richness. Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce lifts a rich pizza.

The reasoning behind each of these, with its limits and sources: how PizzaHQ judges balance.

Watch-outs

  • Minor

    Likely to release a lot of water

    Uncooked San Marzano-style tomato sauce and Fior di latte both give off water in the oven. A soft, wet centre is expected in Montanara; this matters if it goes further than that, or if you bake it in a cooler oven.

    1. Pre-cook, roast or salt-and-drain the wettest vegetables first.
    2. Drain fresh mozzarella, or swap part of it for low-moisture mozzarella.
    3. Use less sauce, or a thicker one.
    4. Use fewer wet toppings, spread thinly, rather than piling them in the centre.
    Why: water from several toppings soaks the base

    Fresh mozzarella, raw mushrooms, courgette, fresh tomato, spinach and loose sauces all release water in the oven. Together they can flood the centre before it sets, especially in a cooler, longer bake.

    Limits: How much water actually lands on the base depends on preparation, quantity and the bake.

    More: pizza is watery, base is soggy, mushrooms raw vs pre cooked, artichokes and water release

Traditional or common choices, often alternatives to each other, not counted above: Fresh basil.

What to serve with it

Drinks, by what they do

  • Refresh between rich bites: sparkling water with lemon or lime; unsweetened iced or hot tea; a crisp pale lager or pilsner; a dry cider; a dry sparkling wine.
  • Match the tomato's acidity: sparkling water with lemon or lime; a light, high-acid red wine with soft tannins; a crisp, unoaked dry white wine; a dry cider.

Why these work, and what the evidence does and does not show: drinks with pizza.

Pairing works the same way without alcohol: every suggestion includes a non-alcoholic option, and nothing here is a reason to drink.

Sides

  • A green salad with a sharp dressing — Acidity and freshness give relief from a rich pizza.
  • A bitter-leaf salad (rocket, chicory, radicchio) — Bitter leaves contrast with fat.
  • Raw crunchy vegetables or a vinegar slaw — Crunch the pizza does not have.

Probably skip: cured meat and cheese (more of what the pizza already has plenty of.)

How drink pairing works

Build your own version and check its balance

Related and comparable styles

  • Derived from Pizza fritta

    Montanara shares pizza fritta's frying technique but tops and finishes with a bake rather than fully frying a stuffed pocket.

Sources and evidence

Show sources and evidence

How PizzaHQ assesses confidence and evidence →