Pizza
Probably Italy's most famous export, the Pizza has always been synonymous with the Peninsula. In the rest of the world it is a particular favourite of Children and Teenagers but it is a somewhat distorted dish that they love so much. When I first went to Italy, the first thing I had was a Pizza and it bares little resemblance to what we get in the freezers of our supermarkets and even what alot of the Pizza delivery companies make (we wont mention any names!)
The main problem with making proper Italian Style Pizza is very few of us have a wood fired oven. This really makes a massive difference as the Pizza cooks in two minutes or less rather than the 15-20 minutes recommended on the back of the box! I've been trying out different techniques of Pizza making for the past year to try to get as close to the real thing as possible and this is what I've settled on. Don't be afraid to change the topping to whatever you prefer!
A Pizza Stone is a very handy piece of equipment if you plan on making a lot of Pizzas. Preheat it at the highest temperature for an hour or so and it'll really help your Pizza along. You can also use a Pizza Tray (most have holes in the bottom to help it crisp) but these dont work aswell and you may need to adjust cooking times.
For the Dough
(Makes 4 Pizzas)
500g Italian '00' Flour or Extra Strong Bread Flour
320ml Warm Water
2 x 7g Sachets of Dried Yeast
1tbsp Golden Caster Sugar
1tbsp Fine Sea Salt
5tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
For the Tomato Sauce
(For 4 Pizzas)
500g Tomato Passata
1tsp Dried Oregano
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
For the Topping
(to taste)
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Parma Ham/Prosciutto (torn)
Skinless Sausage (cooked and crushed)
Peppers/Chilli (finely chopped)
Basil Leaves (torn)
Mozarella Cheese (thinly sliced)
Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat Oven to its highest Temperature with the Pizza Stone inside
1. First make the dough. Add the Yeast and Sugar to the warm water and stir well. Leave to rest for a few minutes until foamed on top. Meanwhile sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and add the Oil followed by the Yeast mix. Bring together and once a dough has formed tip out onto a well floured board. Kneed for 10-15mins until smooth and elastic. Put into a fresh mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
2. Meanwhile make the Tomato Sauce. Put the Passata into a pan and bring to the boil, add the Oregano, season and allow to reduce by half. Add the Garlic and Oil and stir well until combined (1-2 minutes) Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Tip the Pizza dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for 1-2 minutes. Split into 4 equal parts. Wrap the pieces your not using in cling film and chill immediately (or freeze to keep fresh). Roll out the dough for as many Pizzas as your making (to the approx size of your stone), take the stone out of the oven, sprinkle some Polenta or Semolina on top (or a little flour if you dont have any) and place the Pizza on top. Top with 3 heaped tablespoons of the Tomato Sauce and put into the oven for 3-4 mins until browned and looking almost cooked. Do this for as many Pizzas as your making before laying all the par cooked Pizzas out on a table.
Turn the oven down to 160 deg C. (you may need to open the door for 10-20 seconds to allow the temperature to drop, get the extractor on first though and watch out for kids/pets!!)
4. Top the Pizza(s) with the toppings of your choice, finishing with the Mozarella Cheese (I used Parmesan, Prosciutto, Homemade Fennel Sausage and Mozarella). Sprinkle with a little freshly ground Pepper and (optionally) drizzle with a little Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Put back into the oven (the stone isnt necessary at this point so you can cook as many as your oven will take together) for 3-5 minutes until the cheese has melted into a wonderful gooiness!
5. Remove from the oven, cut and enjoy!
Variations:
Top with anything you like! The method is the main point of this post so top with whatever takes your fancy!
Labels: 00, Basil, Dough, Flour, Garlic, Ham, Mozarella, Oregano, Parmesan, Pizza, Tomato, Yeast
Probably Italy's most famous export, the Pizza has always been synonymous with the Peninsula. In the rest of the world it is a particular favourite of Children and Teenagers but it is a somewhat distorted dish that they love so much. When I first went to Italy, the first thing I had was a Pizza and it bares little resemblance to what we get in the freezers of our supermarkets and even what alot of the Pizza delivery companies make (we wont mention any names!)
The main problem with making proper Italian Style Pizza is very few of us have a wood fired oven. This really makes a massive difference as the Pizza cooks in two minutes or less rather than the 15-20 minutes recommended on the back of the box! I've been trying out different techniques of Pizza making for the past year to try to get as close to the real thing as possible and this is what I've settled on. Don't be afraid to change the topping to whatever you prefer!
(Makes 4 Pizzas)
(For 4 Pizzas)
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
2. Meanwhile make the Tomato Sauce. Put the Passata into a pan and bring to the boil, add the Oregano, season and allow to reduce by half. Add the Garlic and Oil and stir well until combined (1-2 minutes) Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Top the Pizza(s) with the toppings of your choice, finishing with the Mozarella Cheese (I used Parmesan, Prosciutto, Homemade Fennel Sausage and Mozarella). Sprinkle with a little freshly ground Pepper and (optionally) drizzle with a little Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Put back into the oven (the stone isnt necessary at this point so you can cook as many as your oven will take together) for 3-5 minutes until the cheese has melted into a wonderful gooiness! 