Homemade Neopolitan-Style Pizza
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Don't be scared off by the long list of instructions - this is actually the easiest pizza recipe you can make! And the best tasting.
Author: Andy Shapiro Katz (adapted from Jim Lahey)
Cuisine: Italian
Yield: Makes 4 individual pizzas
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 500 grams (17 ½ ounces or about 3 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) active dry yeast (can do 1 gram or ¼ teaspoon if you have time for a longer ferment)
- 16 grams (2 teaspoons) fine table salt (you need more if you use course or kosher salt)
- 350 grams (1 ½ cups) water
For the Sauce:
- 1 small can of crushed Italian plum tomatoes, OR a 2 cans of well-drained whole plum tomatoes that you mash up well.
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- optional - 1 finely minced/pressed garlic clove
- optional - chopped fresh oregano and/or basil
- optional - ½ teaspoon of sugar and teaspoon of red wine vinegar to "intensify" the sweetness and acidity
To Finish and Serve:
- 350 grams of mozzarella should be sufficient for 4 pizzas
- Fresh basil, chiffonade
- Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (optional)
- Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Directions
For the Dough:
- Mix your dry ingredients well so that the yeast and salt are well distributed
- Add the water a bit at a time, stirring each time to incorporate the water
- When all the water is added, mix until there is very little remaining dry flour. It should be a fairly sticky and "ragged" lump of dough. Cover it well - with either a tight-fitting lid and/or plastic wrap
- If you want to use it later that day, let it sit out for a minimum of 8 hours, and a maximum of 18 hours. Otherwise, let it sit out for 6-8 hours and then put it in the refrigerator for anywhere between 2 and 5 days. Take it out of the refrigerator at least 4 hours before you plan to use it so that it can come to room temperature.
- When ready to use, dump out the dough onto a well-floured surface and cut into 4 equal-size portions. Take each of these and knead for about 1 minute until smooth.
- Make smooth balls of dough using the inside-out pull and pinch on the bottom technique. Leave them on the counter, dusted with flour, for a minimum of 30 minutes, covered with a damp towel. 1-2 hours is best.
- To make the dough rounds, flatten the dough ball with your fingers. Use a little pulling and gravity to get the round about 50% larger. Stretch it the rest of the way by laying the dough on the backs of your hands, making fists, and stretching the outside of the dough round more and more, rotating it along the way.You want a fairly uniform thinness in the middle of the round, with a thicker ring going around the outside. (For a smoother (and still very good) final product without the irregular bubbles, you can also roll it out with a rolling pin. It really is fine this way (though perhaps less authentic and fun), and you are more likely to have a round pizza of uniform thickness that doesn't tear.)
For the Sauce:
- Just before cooking the pizza, mix together the sauce ingredients and leave by the stove.
To Finish and Serve:
- Put a large, oven-proof pan on your largest burner on high, and get it as hot as it can get - about 10 minutes. A drop of water should dance like crazy and evaporate in about 10 seconds.
- Turn on the broiler ("grill") of your oven and put the rack as high as it will go with your pan sitting on it.
- When the pan is hot, put your dough round right in it and cover it with sauce, shredded mozzarella (go easy with the cheese, you should see plenty of sauce through the cheese), and a little dribbling of olive oil.
- When you see that the dough has puffed up a bit (after about 1 minute), place the entire frying pan in your oven under the grill. Take it out when the top is as browned as you would like it to be.
- Add some fresh basil if you'd like, and/or some dry aged cheese like Parmesan or Romano.
- Allow the pizza to cool on a wire rack for 3-4 minutes. Don't just put it on a flat surface, or the crust will lose its crispness from the trapped steam.
- Cut with a pizza cutter or scissors, and enjoy!
Notes
Kosher Dairy and Vegetarian
If you are in Israel, Andy recommends Gad, Tenuva, or WiliFood mozzarella. He says you can try some of the Gad fresh mozzarella as well, but if you do, don't shred it - tear it or cut it into cubes.
Andy's Topping Rules of Thumb 1) Anything thick that contains a lot of liquid (zucchini, mushrooms, spinach) or are hard (broccoli or cauliflower) should be roasted/sauteed first over high heat (or cooked in the microwave to remove the moisture). 2) Otherwise, cut your toppings very thin. 3) Apply the toppings sparingly, you should still see cheese and sauce through the toppings. 4) Season your toppings with a little salt - if they are bland on their own, they will be bland on the pizza.
If you are in Israel, Andy recommends Gad, Tenuva, or WiliFood mozzarella. He says you can try some of the Gad fresh mozzarella as well, but if you do, don't shred it - tear it or cut it into cubes.
Andy's Topping Rules of Thumb 1) Anything thick that contains a lot of liquid (zucchini, mushrooms, spinach) or are hard (broccoli or cauliflower) should be roasted/sauteed first over high heat (or cooked in the microwave to remove the moisture). 2) Otherwise, cut your toppings very thin. 3) Apply the toppings sparingly, you should still see cheese and sauce through the toppings. 4) Season your toppings with a little salt - if they are bland on their own, they will be bland on the pizza.
Recipe by Katherine Martinelli at http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/recipe/2013/best-homemade-pizza-recipe-ever/