September 7, 2026 · neapolitan
Backyard Neapolitan Margherita (60-Second Bake)
The classic that every outdoor pizza oven was built for — 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a bake measured in seconds.
- Prep
- 30m
- Cook
- 2m
- Total
- 24h 32m
- Rest / Ferment
- 24h
- Servings
- 3 twelve-inch pies
This is the pizza the backyard oven was invented for, and the one every new oven owner should master first — because it teaches heat management, launching, and turning, the skills every other outdoor recipe on this site builds on.
It’s also the best oven-comparison recipe there is, which is exactly what we’ll do with it: same dough, same toppings, three different ovens. Results coming in a follow-up post.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Mix and slow ferment
Mix, knead 8 minutes until silky, and ferment: 4 hours at room temp, then ball into three 270 g balls and rest 18–24 hours in the fridge (or all day on the counter, the traditional way).
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Preheat like you mean it
Koda 12: fire to 850–900°F with the stone fully saturated — a solid 20–25 minutes, not 10. Ninja Woodfire: max pizza setting, full preheat. An infrared thermometer takes the guessing out either way.
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Stretch gently
Press from the center out, preserving the puffy rim. Neapolitan dough is delicate — knuckle-stretch, don't roll.
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Top light, launch fast
Thin layer of crushed tomatoes, scattered mozzarella, a few basil leaves, thread of oil. Launch immediately — a loaded pie glues itself to the peel in under a minute.
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Bake — two ovens, two clocks
Koda 12: 60–90 seconds, turning every 20. Ninja Woodfire: tops out around 700°F, so plan on 3–4 minutes — you trade some leopard-spotting for a slightly crisper base, and it is still a legitimately great pie. Pull when the cornicione is puffed and spotted.
Gear we used
Some links below are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
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Ooni Koda 12
Hits 950°F and its 12-inch stone is exactly the size a classic Neapolitan wants to be. The oven this recipe was tested on.
Pending affiliate link
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Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven
Live Amazon Associates link. The convenience play — tops out around 700°F, so use the 3–4 minute timing in the bake step.
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Etekcity Infrared Thermometer
Live Amazon Associates link. The difference between a 90-second pie and a pale one is stone temp you can't see. This tool ends the guessing.
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12-inch perforated pizza peel
Sized to the Koda 12, and the perforations shed excess flour so it doesn't burn bitter on the stone.