Neapolitan pizza
Neapolitan vs. Roman Pizza: What's the Difference and Which Flour to Use
Italy has more than one way to make pizza. The two styles most people know are Neapolitan pizza, from Naples, and Roman pizza, from Rome. They use similar ingredients, but the dough, the fermentation, the oven and the flour are different, and that is what gives each pizza its own texture. Here is a simple guide to the differences, and which Italian flour to choose for each style.
Neapolitan pizza: soft, light and puffy
Neapolitan pizza is round, with a soft, thin center and a puffy, airy rim called the cornicione. The dough is made with only flour, water, salt and yeast, with no oil or sugar. It is stretched by hand, never with a rolling pin.
It bakes very fast in a very hot oven: about 60 to 90 seconds at around 800 to 900°F (430 to 485°C), traditionally in a wood-fired oven. The result is tender and foldable, with leopard spots on the crust.
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) protects this tradition and sets the rules for authentic Neapolitan pizza.
Contemporary Neapolitan pizza
A newer style keeps the Neapolitan method but uses higher hydration and longer fermentation for a taller, even airier crust. Learn more in What Is Contemporary Neapolitan Pizza?
Roman pizza: thin, crunchy or tall and airy
"Roman pizza" covers a few different styles:
- Pizza tonda romana: a round pizza with a very thin, crispy, cracker-like base, called scrocchiarella (crunchy). The dough usually includes a little olive oil and is rolled out thin. It bakes longer at a lower temperature than Neapolitan pizza, so it gets crisp all the way across.
- Pizza in teglia (pizza al taglio): baked in a rectangular pan and sold by the slice. The dough is very wet and fermented for a long time, so the inside is light and full of holes and the bottom is crunchy.
- Pizza alla pala: a long, oval pizza stretched by hand and baked on a wooden peel (pala). It is airy inside and crisp outside.
- Pinsa: an oval Roman-style flatbread made with a blend of flours, light and crunchy.
Side-by-side comparison
| Neapolitan | Roman tonda | Roman in teglia / alla pala | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texture | Soft center, puffy rim | Thin and crispy | Airy inside, crunchy bottom |
| Dough | Flour, water, salt, yeast. No oil | Usually a little olive oil, rolled thin | Very high hydration |
| Fermentation | Short to medium | Medium | Long, often cold (24 hours or more) |
| Oven | Very hot, 60 to 90 seconds | Lower heat, a few minutes | Electric or deck oven, in a pan or on a peel |
| Flour | Medium-strength 00 | Type 0 or 00 | High-strength flour |
Why the flour matters
The biggest difference between these styles is how long the dough ferments and how much water it holds. Italian millers measure flour strength with the W index. A higher W means the dough can hold more water and handle a longer fermentation without breaking down.
- Neapolitan pizza needs a medium-strength 00 flour that stays soft and extensible over a short to medium rise.
- Roman pizza in teglia and alla pala needs a strong flour that can hold very wet dough over a long, cold fermentation and still bake up light.
Which Polselli flour should you use?
For Neapolitan pizza
- Polselli Classica Tipo 00 (W 270, 12% protein, 8 to 10 hour fermentation). AVPN certified and made for classic Neapolitan pizza.
- Polselli Organic Tipo 00 (W 220, 11.5% protein, 5 to 6 hour fermentation). A good choice for same-day dough.
For contemporary Neapolitan pizza
- Polselli Vivace Tipo 00 (W 290, 13% protein, 16 to 18 hour fermentation). Built for higher hydration and a tall, airy crust.
For Roman pizza in teglia, alla pala and pinsa
- Polselli Super Tipo 00 (W 360, 15.5% protein, 24 to 26 hour fermentation). A high-strength flour for long, cold fermentation and high hydration.
- Polselli La Romana (W 360, 15.5% protein). A Type 0 blend with rice flour, semola rimacinata and natural sourdough, made for crunchy pizza alla pala and pinsa.
The bottom line
If you love a soft, puffy crust that bakes in about a minute, make Neapolitan pizza with a medium-strength 00 flour. If you want a crunchy base or a tall, airy slice from the pan, go Roman with a strong flour and a long fermentation. Either way, the right Italian flour does half the work.
Shop all Polselli flours, and don't forget the salt: see The Salt Secret in Neapolitan Pizza Dough.
