You can’t go to Italy, so bring Italy to you!
Italian pizza is not like Australian pizza, which the Italians call ‘Pizza Americana’.
A traditional pizza from Roma or Napoli has a base of chopped tomato and ‘placings’ of Mozzarella or Bocconcini cheese and other things like artichoke hearts etc.
Tonight, I made Pizza Romana. The basil (the undisputed King or Queen of herbs) is added after the pizza leaves the oven, not before. I have taken a few photos to show the process and I took a photo of every pizza, including the vegan version, so you can make this at home.
Ing.
Base
550gm ‘Tipo 00’ white flour, 440gm for the base, the rest to sprinkle
310ml warm water
2 teaspoons dry yeast (I use Lowan dry yeast because it always works)
2 tablespoons olive oil
A sprinkle of Murray River Pink salt
Top
2 x 440ml cans of diced tomatoes
A tub of bocconcini or fresh balled Mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Murray River Pink salt
A splash of olive oil
Method
In a bowl mix the 440gm flour, yeast, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Add the 310ml warm water (not hot, not cold). I usually fill a jug with 250ml boiling water and top up to 310ml with 60mls cold water. Stir it all up until it is well mixed. Then tip it ono the bench and start to knead. Knead, knead, knead until you don’t need to knead anymore!
Place your dough into the same bowl you used to mix the dough, pour on a little olive oil and seal the bowl with Glad Wrap and place somewhere warm for 20-30 mins whilst it rises. May your dough rise!
Preheat the oven to 240c.
When the dough is done, place it onto the bench and punch it, then knead it again for a few minutes until you have an excellent, soft, elastic dough. Roll it into a thick roll and slice it into however many even pieces you want to make that number of pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball and then press it into a pancake on a dusted bench. Keep pressing it with your hands, flipping it occasionally until the desired pizza size is reached. I made six pizzas from 440mg flour. They were each about 250ml in diameter.
Sprinkle the base with flour, particularly at the edges to get the rustic look. If it looks good, it is good. Presentation is everything!
Pour on your diced tomato directly from the can, the puree is also wanted. Now add your bocconcini or Mozzarella in clumps, sprinkle a little Murray River Pink salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Place into the oven. Bake for about 10 mins or until the edges reach the right colour.
When the pizza leaves the oven it will be extremely hot. Add your basil, take a photo for Brendan and eat it!
You can do this. Be a superstar in your kitchen!
Enjoy.
