What you need to make an Italian pizza

(makes dough for 4 pizzas, each one about 12 inches in diameter):

 600 mL of warm water

 7 cups (1kg) flour, type “00”*

 2.5 – 3 tablespoons (25 grams) of fresh yeast or 2 teaspoons (7-8 grams) of dried yeast.

 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

 1.5 teaspoons salt

 2 teaspoons sugar

*A note on the flour: In Italy, “00”, or “doppio zero,” flour is the most highly-refined and finest-ground flour
available. Not available where you are (or too expensive?). An all-purpose flour should work just as well!

How to make your pizza:

K i d s l o ve m a k i n g p i zz a , t o o !
1. Sprinkle the yeast into a medium bowl with the warm water. We don’t mean hot, and we don’t mean cold…
we mean warm! That’s the kind the yeast likes best. Stir until the yeast dissolves.

2. Place almost all of the flour on the table in the shape of a volcano. (Think Mt. Vesuvius… appropriate since
Naples is the king of all pizza cities!).

3. Pour the yeast-and-warm-water mix, along with the other ingredients, into the “crater” of the volcano.
 4. Knead everything together for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, keeping your surface
floured.

5. Grease up a bowl with some olive oil and put the dough inside. Turn the dough around so the top is slightly
oiled.

6. Cover the bowl and put the dough aside to let it rest for at least four or five hours.

7 (optional for those who want their pizza really authentic). Make a cross on top of the dough with a knife. An
old Italian tradition, this is seen as a way of “blessing the bread.”

8. Preheat the oven to about 400°F, or about 200°C.

9. Dump the dough out of the bowl and back onto the floured surface. Punch it down, getting rid of any
bubbles. (Note: Now’s the time to enlist a kid with more energy than they know what to do with!).

10. Divide the dough in half and let it rest for a few minutes.

11. Roll each section into a 12-inch disc. Now’s your chance to decide how thick you want your pizza to be!
Do you want it pizza alta (Neapolitan-style) or pizza bassa (Roman-style)? Just remember, your crust will puff
up a little bit as it’s baked!

12. Transfer the dough onto an oiled pizza pan or baking sheet.

13. Add tomato sauce, if you want a pizza rossa (red pizza). Lots of pizzas in Italy are actually pizza
bianca, without tomato sauce, so don’t feel like you have to! Brush the edges of the crust with a little bit of
olive oil.

14. Bake each pizza for about 10 minutes, then add mozzarella cheese (sliced or grated) on top, as well as any
other ingredients.

15. Let the pizzas bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. By lifting up the pizza to peek
underneath, you can make sure the bottom has browned, too.

16. Remove your pizzas from the oven and, for a real Italian touch, garnish with a few basil leaves. And enjoy!

Drugi

Ingredients:

Basic Pizza Dough

 4 cups Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour (substitute all-purpose flour)

 1 ½ cups, plus 2 Tbs water (110F-115F)
 2 tsp kosher salt
 1/2 tsp dry active dry yeast
 Topping

 6 tbs extra virgin olive oil

 1 can (14oz) whole peeled Italian tomatoes (San Marzano), pureed
 12 oz buffalo mozzarella cheese ball or fresh cow’s milk mozzarella
 24 basil leaves
 2 tsp sugar
 1 ½ cups water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Allow the yeast to proof
until it is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup of warm water,
combining it well with the yeast. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt.
2. Mix the dough with your hands, adding the remaining flour as needed to make dough
that holds together.

3. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, or until the
dough is soft and not sticky.
Grease a bowl with the olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn a few times to
coat with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours in
a warm place.

4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Punch down the dough and knead it for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out on a floured surface into a 12-inch
round and place the rounds on lightly oiled 13-inch pizza pans.
5. Turn in the edges of the dough about 1/2 inch to form a rim. You can stretch the
dough to fit an even larger pan if you wish. Place the dough on 2 wooden peels,
 dusted with cornmeal, if you plan to use baking stones to bake the pizza.

6. Brush each round with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Divide the tomato sauce between
the rounds. Divide the cheese and sprinkle it on top of the sauce.
7. Divide the basil leaves and sprinkle them on top of the cheese (or use them whole).
Sprinkle on the salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

8. Bake the pizzas for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust in nicely browned on the
bottom, and crust edges form a thick rim called a cornicione with tinges of a
blackened edge: crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Cut into
wedges and serve immediately.
NOTE: If using baking stones, PREHEAT THE STONES in a 500ºF oven for 20
minutes. Just before placing the pizza on the stone from the baking peel, sprinkle each
stone with a handful of cornmeal. Bake the pizza for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust
forms the same results as above.
Authentic Vera Pizza Napoletana Dough Recipe
Ingredients

By Volume
4 cups Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
1 ½ cups, plus 2 TBL water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry active yeast
By Weight
500gr Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
325gr water (65% hydration)
10gr salt
3gr active dry yeast
We highly recommend cooking by weight. It is fast, and easy to get the exact hydration
(water to flour ratio) and dough ball size you want. Personally, I do not use recipes or a
mixing cup when I cook dinner for the family, but pizza and bread dough is different.
Being exact counts, and nothing works better than a digital scale.

Mix the dough in a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine. If you are using a stand
mixer, mix it slowly for two minutes, faster for 5 minutes, and slow again for 2 minutes.

Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until double. Punch it down and
push out the air bubbles. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into three 275gr
equal pieces.

To make your pizza balls, shape each piece of dough into a ball. Gently roll your dough
into a ball, then stretch the top of the ball down and around the rest of the ball, until the
outer layer wraps around the other side. Pinch the two ends together to make a smooth
ball with a tight outer “skin.” Set your ball seam-side down where it can rest. Dust your
pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under
plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a
crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza ball should be soft and
silky.

Your pizza balls will need to rest for about an hour to become soft and elastic so that
they can be easily stretched into a thin crust pizza.

If you won’t need your dough for more than an hour, refrigerate it until you are ready to
start.
If you won’t have an hour to let your dough rest, read our Dough in a Hurry strategy. By
cutting back each phase of dough preparation by the right amount, you can make great
pizza or focaccia dough in as little as an hour.
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