How to make a perfect pizza, just like an Italian

Pizza, the queen of Italian tables. Beloved by everyone, all over the world it is the undisputed symbol not only of cuisine, but perhaps of the entire concept of Italianisms. But how is Italian pizza prepared? What is the official recipe?  

Trying to reproduce it at home is difficult but not impossible. So, if you want to know how to make pizza like an Italian, keep reading. 

Here is the recipe for a real Italian pizza. The variant shown here is the Margherita pizza, undoubtedly the most iconic.

Ingredients

·       Ingredients for the dough:

o   300gr of flour 0

o   200gr manitoba flour

o   400g water

o   3 gr yeast [starter or beer]

o   1 spoon of Extra virgin olive oil

o   salt

·       Ingredients for the dressing:

o   Tomato sauce

o   Fiordilatte cheese or mozzarella

o   Fresh basil

o   Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation method

To prepare the dough, combine the flours and add the water a little at a time, mixing with your hands. Make the flour absorb the water well and continue until you have a smooth dough. Now add the yeast with the help of a little water, mix the dough to mix all the ingredients well.

About 5 minutes after adding the yeast, add the salt and Extra virgin olive oil. When the dough is smooth and not sticky again, let it rest for at least 6 hours. If you can let it rest for 12, or even 24, the taste will surprise you. Studies have shown that the optimum temperature for dough to grow and flavor to develop is around 85F – 30C and the humidity at 75%.

When the dough has risen, you can divide it into smaller dough and roll them out one at a time. Once rolled out, stuff the pizza with tomato sauce and oil.

Now you can put the pizza in the oven at full power for about 10 minutes. Then, add the mozzarella and basil, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Buon appetito

What are the origins of pizza?

The origins of pizza are very ancient and date back to over 3000 years ago! The first to knead were the Egyptians. And thanks to the discovery of yeast, they began to prepare a sort of cake made with flour, honey, and water. Even the Greeks prepared a similar mixture, adding onions and olives. In short, every people accompanied the pizza with poor ingredients that they had available. Because it is a poor food, still today pizza is widespread food throughout the Mediterranean basin.

But for pizza as we know it, we have to wait for the discovery of America and the importation of the tomato into Europe.

It was the city of Naples in the 16th century that introduced tomatoes into the diet, in fact until then they were considered poisonous and suitable only for fertilization. Poor Neapolitan families began to accompany dry bread with tomato, as it was a cheap lunch with easy-to-find ingredients. 

And this was the fortune of the city! Soon this combination of flavours also spread among the nobles and street vendors of fresh pizzas, just as we know them, sprang up around the city.

What are the variations of traditional Italian pizza?

Traditional Italian pizza is not just Margherita! There are many other variations with a unique flavor and with super Italian products.

Other very famous pizzas are the Marinara [tomato sauce, garlic, oregano], the 4 Stagioni [tomato sauce, mushrooms, olives, ham, artichokes], the Capricciosa [tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, and olives], the 4 cheeses [with 4 different types of cheese].