The
Associazione
Verace Pizza Napoletana (the Association
of True Neapolitan Pizza) maintains
strict member guidelines for ingredients,
dough, and cooking. This elite organization
maintains that pizza dough must be made
only with flour, natural yeast or brewers
yeast, salt and water. Dough must be
kneaded by hand or mixers which do not
cause the dough to overheat, and the
dough must be punched down and shaped
by hand. Also, only wood-burning, bell-shaped
brick ovens are permitted in pizzerias
that belong to this organization. The
pizza must be cooked on the surface
of the oven (often made of volcanic
stone), and not in any pan or container,
with oven temperatures reaching at least
400-430° C (750-800° F). These
ovens often have to heat up for hours
before the first pizza is cooked.