Pizza contemporanea
Also known as: contemporary Neapolitan
A contemporary Naples movement keeping the traditional crust and bake but embracing gourmet, often post-bake-finished toppings well beyond the classic canon.
- Origin
- Italy, Naples
- Thickness
- thin
- Bake temperature
- 420-480 celsius (typically 450 celsius)
- Bake time
- 60-100 seconds (typically 80 seconds)
- Skill level
- advanced
- Domestic oven
- difficult
- Time commitment
- 12-48 hours including fermentation
- Topping density
- moderate
Origin and history
A broader contemporary movement within Neapolitan pizza-making that keeps the traditional rim and short bake but embraces higher-quality, more elaborate, and often gourmet toppings (including ingredients and combinations well outside the AVPN's traditional canon), frequently finished with ingredients added after baking.
Defining characteristics
- Same rim and short-bake fundamentals as classic Neapolitan
- Elaborate, often gourmet or seasonal topping combinations well beyond the traditional canon
- Frequent use of post-bake finishing ingredients (burrata, prosciutto, arugula, flavoured oils)
Dough
- Hydration
- 60-70 percent of flour weight (typically 65 percent of flour weight)
- Salt
- 2.5-3 percent of flour weight (typically 2.8 percent of flour weight)
- Ball weight
- 250-290 grams (typically 270 grams)
- Bulk fermentation
- 2-8 hours (typically 5 hours)
- Ball/cold fermentation
- 12-48 hours (typically 24 hours)
Mixing: Machine or hand mixed
Kneading: Similar to classic Neapolitan, sometimes more developed for a stronger structure to support heavier gourmet toppings
Shaping: Hand-opened from the centre outward
Expected crumb: Open, irregular crumb in the rim
Tolerance: Similar tolerances to classic Neapolitan, adjusted for whichever preferment or starter is used
Common failure modes
- Overloading elaborate toppings can overwhelm the short bake, similar to classic Neapolitan
Flour choices
Supports the extended fermentation and higher hydration (up to 70%) this modern Neapolitan evolution uses.
A workable alternative where a higher-W 00 flour isn't available.
Suitable preferments
Adds dough strength and a deeper flavour beyond a straight direct dough.
Used by some contemporary pizzaiuoli pursuing extra structure for the style's higher hydration and longer fermentation, not a fixed requirement.
Construction and bake
- Open the dough
- Apply base sauce/cheese
- Bake
- Add post-bake finishing ingredients
Traditional method: Wood-fired or gas pizza oven, similar to classic Neapolitan
Common modern adaptations
- Home ovens with a steel, applying the same adaptation logic as classic Neapolitan
Techniques
Builds dough strength for the extended fermentation and higher hydration this modern evolution uses.
Flavour and texture
A classic Neapolitan base elevated with more complex, often richer or more seasonal flavour combinations than the traditional canon
Serving
Served whole, uncut
Traditionally not pre-sliced · One pizza per diner
Ingredients
Ingredient intelligence
Sauce
A common alternative base for this movement's gourmet topping combinations, offering an aromatic, herbal contrast to the classic tomato canon.
A chilli-forward variant on the tomato base, suited to this style's willingness to depart from the traditional canon in favour of bolder, more elaborate flavour profiles.
Cheese
A firmer, often lightly smoked melting cheese offering a more assertive flavour than fior di latte, suited to this movement's richer topping combinations.
A grated, umami-forward finishing element used in small quantity to round out richer gourmet topping combinations rather than as a primary melting cheese.
A pungent, non-traditional addition in keeping with this movement's willingness to pair Neapolitan fundamentals with ingredients well outside the classic canon.
Toppings
A rich, creamy post-bake finish that stays cool and intact rather than melting into the pizza, a hallmark of this movement's finishing style.
A rich, cured pork topping offering a savoury, fattier contrast to this movement's often delicate cheese and sauce choices.
A seasonal, sweet-savoury addition typical of this movement's gourmet, produce-forward experimentation well beyond the traditional canon.
Construction order
Derived from this style’s own structural ingredient data — see the construction order & topping load guide for why order varies by style.
- Sauce: Pesto, Spicy tomato sauce (arrabbiata-style)
- Hard cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano
- Melting cheese: Scamorza, Blue cheese
- Primary topping: Guanciale, Fig
- Post-bake addition: Burrata
Domestic adaptation
Same adaptation approach as classic Neapolitan for the base; toppings adapt easily to any home kitchen
Common mistakes
- Adding elaborate post-bake toppings in such quantity that the delicate base can't support them structurally