---
title: "Neapolitan Pizza: Tradition Meets Innovation"
speaker: "Isabella Martinez"
duration: "90 minutes"
image: "talks/neapolitan-pizza-tradition-meets-innovation.jpg"
topics:
  - "Pizza"
  - "Bread"
  - "Italian"
---

Isabella Martinez brings her sourdough expertise to one of the world's most beloved breads: Neapolitan pizza. This session explores how natural fermentation and artisanal approaches can elevate pizza while honoring — and sometimes gently challenging — traditional methods.

## What You'll Learn

**The Neapolitan Foundation**
Before innovating, we must understand. Isabella breaks down the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) standards and why they exist — the specific flour types, hydration levels, fermentation times, and baking temperatures that define authentic Neapolitan pizza.

**Natural Leavening for Pizza**
Isabella pioneered the use of sourdough starters in her weekend pizza service at Madre Masa. Learn how she adapted her bread baking experience to pizza, managing fermentation times, adjusting hydration, and developing the complex flavors that set her pizzas apart.

**Working with High Hydration Doughs**
Neapolitan dough at 65-70% hydration presents unique handling challenges. Isabella demonstrates her approach to mixing, folding, and shaping these wet doughs without deflating or tearing — techniques that translate to any high-hydration bread baking.

**Beyond the Margherita**
While respecting tradition, Isabella explores how the Neapolitan framework can accommodate innovation. Seasonal toppings, unusual cheese selections, and flavor combinations that push boundaries while maintaining the essential character of Neapolitan pizza.

**Home Oven Adaptation**
Not everyone has access to a 900°F wood-fired oven. Isabella shares her methods for achieving excellent results in home ovens and on outdoor pizza ovens, adapting technique to equipment.

## Live Demonstration

Watch Isabella shape and bake pizzas in real-time, explaining her movements, timing, and decision-making throughout the process.

## Who Should Attend

Pizza enthusiasts, bread bakers curious about pizza, and anyone interested in understanding how traditional techniques can be thoughtfully evolved. All skill levels welcome.

*"Pizza is bread at its most generous — sharing its surface with whatever the season offers."* — Isabella Martinez
