Pizza a Casa Mia – Part 2: Neapolitan Style Pizza

I need to start off this post by making an admission. I’ve not been fortunate enough to sample ‘the real deal’ that is authentic, officially classified and approved, neapolitan pizza. I’ve certainly read about it with great enthusiasm and have some idea of ‘the ideal’ but I suspect until I visit Naples, my efforts will be at best an homage to the great tradition that is ‘pizza napoletana’<italic>.

Neapolitan pizza is a very special food that represents the rich culture and heritage of its birthplace. The techniques and tools used in making this style of pizza are inseparable from the ingredients specific to the region. One could pore over the minutiae of such traditional techniques, but it boils down to this: the strict guidelines as laid out by organisations such as ‘Verace Pizza Napoletana’<http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/> place ‘authentic’ DOC <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denominazione_di_origine_controllata> Pizza Napoletana largely out of reach for the (non-italian-resident) home baker. If you wish, as some have, to obsessively pursue authenticity then you’re probably going to end up tracking down expensive flour, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, build a wood fired oven etc. It’s not for the fainthearted!

All of which sounds like a rather pessimistic start to a post. However, not to worry! My starting point for the recipe below was an attempt to get as close as possible to making a neapolitan style pizza in an unmodified domestic electric oven with readily available supermarket ingredients. After much experimentation, a LOT of reading and some burnt fingers(!) I have come to the conclusion: while it may not be feasible to make a facsimile pizza, I believe by using simple ingredients, and building a method around them to bring out the best flavour possible, you can get extremely satisfying results. The spirit, if not the pizza law of Naples can still inspire and inform the home baker to make great pizza.

Makes: 4 pizzas (11″- 12″ diameter)

This recipe takes about 21 hours from start to finish. It may seem a little complicated but actually involves very little work. I’ve drawn up an example schedule to clarify the order of events:

0:00 Convert storage starter to biga naturale; Mix 50% hydration autolyse.

4:00 First biga feeding; Mix 75% hydration autolyse.

8:00 Second biga feeding.

12:00 Third and final biga feeding.

16:00 Mix final dough.

16:20 Stretch and fold dough in bowl.

16:40 Stretch and fold dough in bowl.

17:00 Stretch and fold dough and form into a ball to ferment for a further hour; Prepare oven.

18:00 Turn on oven; Divide and shape dough into balls and proof (optional refrigeration of dough at this point); Prepare Toppings.

20:00 Turn on broiler (and leave on).

20:15 Start stretching and shaping pizzas. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes and, if possible, leave 10 minutes between each pizza.

Total dough ingredients:

615g flour (50/50 mix of King Arthur unbleached bread flour and Hodgson Mill all purpose)

397g water

15g sea salt

12g storage starter (100% hydration)

Over the years I’ve tried many different flours and combinations including 00, all purpose, bread and even pastry flour. The blend I’ve used in this recipe is a 50/50 mix of King Arthur unbleached bread flour (higher protein, malted hard wheat) and Hodgson Mill all purpose flour (lower protein, unmalted soft wheat). My choice was partly based on the selection of flour readily available to me in my local supermarket (US).

Toppings:

Margherita – tomato, sea salt (apply sparingly!), fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella) or mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil, olive oil.

Marinara – tomato, sea salt, oregano, sliced garlic, fresh basil, olive oil.

‘Filetti’ – sliced cherry tomatoes, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala, garlic, sea salt, fresh basil, olive oil (inspired by the pizza of the same name at ‘Una Pizza Napoletana’<http://www.unapizza.com>)

A note on preparing the tomato sauce:

Use good quality canned, whole tomatoes (purists will use San Marzano DOP, but there are plenty of other excellent products out there). Squeeze excess moisture and seeds from the tomatoes before crushing or blending until smooth. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove any additional seeds and there you have it! Simple!

Start by mixing a 50% Hydration autolyse which I’ll call ‘Biga Food’ for reasons that will become obvious: Mix 234g flour with 117g water until you have a smooth dough. Leave this dough covered with lightly oiled plastic wrap at room temperature (70-75F). It will be used to feed the biga at 4 hour intervals.

Now prepare the biga naturale by mixing 12g mature 100% hydration storage starter, 12g flour and 3g water and ferment in a covered container for 4 hours in a warm place (80-85F).

After 4 hours take 24g of the biga and mix with 36g of the ‘biga food’. Continue to ferment in the same manner at 80-85F.

Meanwhile prepare the 75% Hydration Autolyse by mixing 369g flour and 277g water in a bowl until evenly combined. Leave this autolyse in a covered bowl at room temperature (70-75F) for 12 hours while continuing to build up the biga naturale.

Feed the biga again at 8 hours with 90g of the ‘biga food’. Continue to ferment at 80-85F.

Feed the biga one last time at 12 hours with 225g of ‘biga food’ (same fermentation temperature as before).

When the biga has matured (at 16 hours) you can mix the final dough:

369g biga naturale

All of the 75% hydration autolyse

15g salt

Fold/knead together the ingredients gently until evenly mixed and rest the dough for 20 minutes. Try to squeeze out any lumps with your fingers.

Knead the dough in the mixing bowl by taking the dough from the edge, stretching and folding it over the centre. Continue working around the edge of the dough (turning the bowl with your other hand) until you have stretched about 30 to 40 times.

Rest the dough for another 20 minutes.

Knead the dough as before, one more time.

Shape the dough into a rough ball and leave to ferment for a further hour.

Prepare a 12″ pizza stone by placing it in the centre of a 15″ pizza pan and arranging lava rocks (on the pan) around the stone.

Place the assembled stone and lava rocks on the highest shelf (closest to the broiler).

Divide and shape the dough into 4 balls (roughly 250g each). Avoid shaping the balls too tightly or you may find it difficult to stretch the final pizza.

Proof the dough balls for 2 hours at room temperature (70-75F) or alternatively refrigerate them for up to 2 days.

When using refrigerated dough, rest the dough balls for about 2 hours at room temperature before shaping.

Preheat the oven on the maximum setting (500-550F) for 2 hours.

10 minutes before shaping the pizza, turn on the broiler.

Shape your pizza base <video>, add sauce and toppings and transfer the pizza to a peel. Alternatively shape the pizza base, transfer to the peel and lastly add sauce and toppings.

Carefully slide the pizza off the peel on to the stone. Don’t worry if a few lava rocks get shifted slightly.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges are puffy and blistered and the sauce/cheese are bubbling.

Hint: Since the lava rocks can get in the way, I’d recommend using a small pair of tongs to aid in removing the cooked pizza from the stone.

Serve and eat immediately!

Due to the extreme heat involved in baking these pizzas, the pizza stone is  liable to crack. I would recommend getting a 12″ pizza stone expressly for the purpose of baking this style of pizza. The cracked stone can be re-used so long as it is supported by the larger aluminum pizza pan.

While the recipe was specifically developed for a standard domestic electric oven, I see no reason why the dough could not be used to make pizzas in a wood-fired oven. If you do happen to try this recipe in such an oven, please drop a comment and let me know how it fared. Of course, I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe. Your feedback is always much appreciated.

I need to start off this post by making an admission. I’ve not been fortunate enough to sample ‘the real deal’ that is authentic, officially classified and approved, neapolitan pizza. I have a picture in my mind of ‘the ideal’ but I suspect that short of a visit to Naples my efforts will be, at best, an homage to the great tradition that is pizza napoletana.

Neapolitan pizza is a very special food that represents the rich culture and heritage of its birthplace. The techniques and tools used in making this style of pizza are inseparable from the ingredients specific to the region. One could pore over the minutiae of such traditional techniques, but it boils down to this: the strict guidelines as laid out by organisations such as Verace Pizza Napoletana place authentic DOC Pizza Napoletana largely out of reach of the (non-italian-resident) home baker. If absolute authenticity is your aim then you’re probably going to end up tracking down expensive flour, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, build a wood fired oven etc. In other words, it is a pursuit for the true obsessive.

All of which sounds like a rather pessimistic way to start a post. However, not to worry! My starting point for the recipe below was an attempt to get as close as possible to making a neapolitan style pizza in an unmodified domestic electric oven with readily available supermarket ingredients. After much experimentation, a LOT of reading and some burnt fingers(!) I have come to the conclusion: while it may not be feasible to make a facsimile pizza, I believe by using simple ingredients and building a method around them to bring out the best flavour possible, you can get extremely satisfying results. The spirit, if not the pizza law of Naples can still inspire and inform the home baker to make great pizza.

Makes: 4 pizzas (11″- 12″ diameter)

This recipe takes about 21 hours from start to finish. It may seem complicated but actually involves very little work. I’ve drawn up an example schedule to clarify the order of events:

• 0:00 Convert storage starter to biga naturale; Mix ‘biga food’.
• 4:00 First biga feeding; Mix 75% hydration autolyse.
• 8:00 Second biga feeding.
• 12:00 Third and final biga feeding.
• 16:00 Mix final dough.
• 16:20 Stretch and fold dough in bowl.
• 16:40 Stretch and fold dough in bowl.
• 17:00 Stretch and fold dough and form into a ball to ferment for a further hour; Prepare oven.
• 18:00 Turn on oven; Divide and shape dough into balls and proof (optional refrigeration of dough at this point); Prepare toppings.
• 20:00 Turn on broiler (and leave on).
• 20:10 Start stretching and shaping pizzas. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes and, if possible, leave 10 minutes between each pizza.

Total dough ingredients:

• 615g flour (50/50 mix of King Arthur unbleached bread flour and Hodgson Mill all purpose)
• 397g water
• 15g sea salt
• 12g storage starter (100% hydration)

Over the years I’ve tried many different flours and combinations including 00, all purpose, bread and even pastry flour. The blend I’ve used in this recipe is a 50/50 mix of King Arthur unbleached bread flour (higher protein, malted hard wheat) and Hodgson Mill all purpose flour (lower protein, unmalted soft wheat). Both of these flours were available in my local supermarket (US).

Toppings

• Margherita – tomato, sea salt (apply sparingly!), fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella) or mozzarella di bufala, fresh basil, olive oil.
• Marinara – tomato, sea salt, oregano, sliced garlic, fresh basil, olive oil.
• Filetti – sliced cherry tomatoes, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala, garlic, sea salt, fresh basil, olive oil (inspired by the pizza of the same name at Una Pizza Napoletana).
• Pepperoni (pizza alla diavola) – tomato, parmigiano reggiano, fior di latte, pepperoni, roasted red pepper, fresh basil, olive oil (something of a departure from classic neapolitan pizza especially with the use of pepperoni!).
• Anything else you fancy! Avoid loading the pizza too heavily with toppings or it will not cook thoroughly.

A note on preparing the tomato sauce: use good quality canned, whole tomatoes. Purists may favour San Marzano DOP, but there are plenty of other excellent products out there. Squeeze excess moisture and seeds from the tomatoes before crushing or blending until smooth. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove any additional seeds and there you have it! Simple!

Method

1. Start by mixing a 50% hydration autolyse which I’ll call ‘biga food’ for reasons that will become obvious: mix 234g flour with 117g water until you have a smooth dough. Leave this dough covered with lightly oiled plastic wrap at room temperature (70-75F). It will be used to feed the biga at 4 hour intervals.
2. Now prepare the biga naturale by mixing 12g mature 100% hydration storage starter, 12g flour and 3g water and ferment in a covered container for 4 hours in a warm place (80-85F).
3. After 4 hours take 24g of the biga and mix with 36g of the ‘biga food’. Continue to ferment in the same manner at 80-85F.
4. Meanwhile prepare the 75% hydration autolyse by mixing 369g flour and 277g water in a bowl until evenly combined. Leave this loose mixture in a covered bowl at room temperature (70-75F) for 12 hours while continuing to build up the biga naturale.
5. Feed the biga again at 8 hours with 90g of the ‘biga food’. Continue to ferment at 80-85F.
6. Feed the biga one last time at 12 hours with 225g of ‘biga food’. Allow it to ferment as before.

When the biga has matured (at 16 hours) you can mix the final dough:

• 369g biga naturale
• All of the 75% hydration autolyse
• 15g salt

1. Fold/knead together the ingredients gently until evenly mixed and rest the dough for 20 minutes. Try to squeeze out any lumps with your fingers.
2. Knead the dough in the mixing bowl by taking the dough from the edge, stretching and folding it over the centre. Continue working around the edge of the dough (turning the bowl with your other hand) until you have stretched about 30 to 40 times.
3. Rest the dough for another 20 minutes.
4. Knead the dough as before, one more time.
5. Shape the dough into a rough ball and leave to ferment, covered, for a further hour.
6. Prepare a 12″ pizza stone by placing it in the centre of a 15″ aluminum pizza pan and arranging lava rocks around the stone.
7. Place the assembled stone and lava rocks on the highest shelf, closest to the broiler.
8. Divide and shape the dough into 4 balls, roughly 250g each. Avoid shaping the balls too tightly or you may find it difficult to stretch the final pizza.
9. Proof the dough balls for 2 hours at room temperature (70-75F) or alternatively refrigerate them for up to 2 days. When using refrigerated dough, rest the dough balls for about 2 hours at room temperature before stretching.
10. Preheat the oven on the maximum setting (500-550F) for 2 hours.
11. 10 minutes before shaping the pizza, turn on the broiler.
12. Stretch out your pizza base to a diameter of 11-12 inches. Add sauce and toppings and transfer the pizza to a peel. Alternatively shape the pizza base and transfer to the peel before adding toppings.
13. Carefully slide the pizza off the peel on to the stone. Don’t worry if a few lava rocks get shifted slightly.
14. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges (cornicione) are puffy and blistered and the sauce/cheese are bubbling.

Serve and eat immediately!

Other notes:

• Since the lava rocks can prove an obstacle, I recommend using a small pair of tongs to aid in removing the cooked pizza from the stone.
• Due to the extreme heat involved in baking these pizzas, the baking stone is liable to crack. I would recommend getting a 12″ pizza stone expressly for the purpose of baking this style of pizza. The cracked stone can be re-used so long as it is supported by the larger aluminum pizza pan.
• While this recipe was specifically developed for a standard domestic electric oven, I see no reason why the dough can’t be used to make pizzas in a wood-fired oven. If you do happen to try this recipe in such an oven, please leave a comment to let me know how it fared. Of course, I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe. Your feedback is always much appreciated.
• Please be careful if you decide to ‘trick out’ your oven. Messing with the thermostat can result in some v. high temperatures and the potential for cracked oven windows as well as some nasty burns. I can’t personally recommend it and this recipe doesn’t require any oven modification.

Submitted for Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast

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