PIZZA

Today we’ll talk about how to make a great homemade pizza!

Every time I’ve been to the US, I’ve tried different pizzas, from the fresh pizzeria pies to frozen ones.

And to be honest, I have to admit that some of them were really good!

But I can assure you that authentic Italian pizza is very easy to make, inexpensive, and, most importantly, much lighter! That’s why Italians can eat an entire pizza and still have room for tiramisù. 😉

Below, I will show you step by step how to make a delicious homemade pizza, first off by preparing your dough in the morning so you can bake your pizza that same evening.

I’ll also reveal some great tips that will truly revolutionize the way you make pizza!

INGREDIENTS for about six people:

For the Dough:

• 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of all-purpose flour (less refined is better)

• 3.4 cups (800 ml) of room-temperature water

• 0.8 (22g)oz of salt

• 0.6 oz (17g)of active dry yeast (the kind in packets, be careful not to get the instant yeast, as it won’t make your pizza rise)

Toppings:

Of course, this is completely up to you. Here we’ll cover the classic combinations, but feel free to get creative... even with pineapple 😂

• 3 cups (700ml) of unseasoned tomato sauce (see parmigiana recipe)

• 14 oz (400g) of mozzarella (use vegan mozzarella for a vegan version)

• Olives to taste

• Basil to taste

   Semolina flour for stretching the dough

INSTRUCTIONS:

Let's start by pouring all the flour into a large bowl. Then, add the salt and baking powder, and mix all the dry ingredients together.

At this point, start pouring in half of the water, mix, and continue adding the remaining water.
Mix all the ingredients well, first using a large spoon and then your hands.
The dough will look rough, but that's completely normal.

Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the oven (turned OFF, but with the oven light ON).
This will slightly warm the environment where the dough will rest, helping the fermentation process.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then take it out and fold it once. You'll immediately notice that the dough starts to gain strength and elasticity. After folding, cover it again and place it back in the oven.

Repeat the folding and resting process two more times.

These folds help create air pockets inside the dough, making it lighter.

Once the dough folding process is complete, let it rise for about 3 hours (still in the turned-off oven with the light on).

After three hours, you’ll see that the dough has doubled in size.
Now it’s time to portion the dough for the final rise.
Depending on the size of your baking pans, divide the dough as follows:

• 12–14 oz (350–400 g) for larger pans

• 7–9 oz (200–250 g) for smaller pans

  Continue until all the dough is divided up.
  
  Once the dough is divided, we stretch it on the countertop and then transfer it to the baking pan.
  
  Once the dough is portioned, we’ll stretch it directly into the pans where it will later bake.

  To help with stretching, we’ll use semolina flour.
  Sprinkle some on the work surface, place the dough on top, and lightly dust the dough with semolina as well.
  This will prevent sticking while stretching.

  We’ll only use our hands, specifically our fingertips, to stretch the dough.
  Start by pressing on one side, then turn the dough and repeat, always using your fingertips.

  You can decide how thick or thin you want your pizza.
  Keep in mind that during baking, it will rise and become thicker. If you roll it out thin, the pizza will be crispier—like Roman-style pizza.

In the video, we also stretch the edges, so there won’t be a pizza crust, making it crispier (Roman-style pizza).

If you prefer, you can leave the edges unstretched, resulting in a higher crust (Neapolitan-style pizza).
In the initial photos, you can see the results of both types of pizza.

Once the dough is stretched, transfer it to the baking pan.

Line the pan with parchment paper, lightly grease it with oil, and carefully place the stretched dough inside, making sure it adheres to the edges as much as possible.

Repeat for each pizza.

Season the sauce by adding two / three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some basil.

It’s time for the toppings!

Start by preheating the oven to its highest temperature, using the static mode (no broiler, or the outside will burn).

Have you decided how to top your pizzas?

Let’s start like this: spread some tomato sauce on the pizza. Once the oven is fully preheated, start by baking the first pizza on the oven floor for about 10–15 minutes.

After that, take the pizza out, add a bit more sauce if it looks too dry, and finish with the rest of the toppings: mozzarella, olives, potatoes—whatever you like!

Then, put the pizza back in the oven, this time on the middle rack, for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the next pizza (with only sauce) on the oven floor and repeat the process.

Enjoy your meal!

P.S. Baking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your pizza. 🍕