Here are some simple tips that will help you prepare an Italian pizza at home that will be the envy of even the best pizzerias.
Juicy and at the same time crunchy, light and tasty. Neapolitan pizza holds a special place in world cuisine and is among the most recognizable Italian culinary masterpieces.
The first beginnings of the current Neapolitan pizza date back to 1600, when bakers enriched the dough with coarse salt, lard and garlic, and in a richer version with cheese and basil. The real Neapolitan pizza, as we know it today, was created on a special occasion in 1889, when King Umberto and Queen Margherita came to visit Naples. The famous Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito prepared three different pizzas for this occasion, including the legendary margherita pizza, which would later bear the name of the queen, who was very enthusiastic about this new dish.
The legendary Neapolitan pizza contains very few ingredients, but to achieve that distinctive taste that will instantly take you to the noisy and romantic streets of southern Italy, you need to choose top-class ingredients, master the right leavening techniques and shaping and lasting but not less – the real Neapolitan pizza is cooked in minutes, so it is important to use it for cooking powerful oven and ceramic baking stone.
- Round shape with a maximum diameter of 35 cm.
- The edge of the pizza is high and airy (the height of the edge is 1-2 centimeters).
- Neapolitan pizza is soft and juicy.
Let’s start with the flour. Famous pizzerias swear by type 00 flour, which is an extremely soft flour that has a high protein content and will conjure up the right texture and taste of the dough. The pizza will be juicy and its characteristic crust crispy and airy.
Add warm water, salt, olive oil, sugar and yeast to the dough. Typical Neapolitan pizzas don’t contain a lot of yeast, so the rise is slower.
The dough is enriched with selected Italian ingredients: juicy Italian tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.
The pizza is always shaped without kneading. From the lifted mass with the palms, form a circle, which you gently and sensitively shape into the desired shape, spreading the dough with your fingers from the inside out. The dough can be turned several times. The edge is done by gently pushing the dough with your fingers and thus the air towards the edge.
The goal is to place the pizza in a preheated oven at the highest temperature. If you cook it on a stone, you will prevent the heat from being lost. The pizza will cook very quickly and its dough will be pleasantly crispy.
At the heart of the perfect kitchen is always an exceptional oven, which is not only a first-class design surplus, but is equipped with all the advanced features that enable a complete cooking experience at home.
Miele ovens it is distinguished by a particular sophisticated elegance that combines with the latest and unique technologies. To ensure that homemade specialties reach the concept of excellence, Miele innovators have developed two special oven models that will help you make your pizzas as delicious and original as if you were baking them in a real bread oven.
Learn more about Miele Pizza Plus ovens
With a special pizza baking function, you can also easily experience the Gourmet ceramic baking stone, which is given to you upon purchase. To make you really feel like a famous Neapolitan pizza maker, they will also give you a wooden pizza spatula. In addition, you will also receive a recipe booklet with which you can prepare even more bakery masterpieces. We reveal the first.
Preparation time: 27 hours
For the dough:
- 250g wheat flour
- 160 ml lukewarm water, 1 g fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
For the coating:
- 100g tomato puree
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
- 16 basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 125g mozzarella
To design:
- 1 tablespoon wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon durum wheat flour
Quickly knead the flour and water and let stand for half an hour. Dissolve the yeast in 20 ml of water. Add it to the dough with the olive oil and sugar. Knead a smooth dough with a mixer. Finally, add more salt. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for two hours.
Cut the dough in half and knead briefly. Form balls and arrange them next to each other in a deep dish. Cover the dough with cling film and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Italians often leave the dough in the refrigerator for another day.
Preheat the oven with the baking stone. Take the dough out of the fridge. Leave to stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle the work surface with flour. From a ball of dough on a round baking sheet, form a bottom with a diameter of 30 cm. While doing so, push the dough with your fingers and shape it. During this time, turn the dough several times. Sprinkle the wooden spatula with the grains. Place the shaped pastry dish on a wooden spatula.
Stir in tomato puree and salt. Spread half of it on the bottom of the pizza, leaving about 2.5 cm of edge. Spread the mozzarella over the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil leaves. Place the pizza from the spatula on the baking stone and bake until golden brown.
Form another pizza dough. As soon as you take the first pizza out of the oven, roll out the topping after the second test and bake another pizza until golden brown.
Customer of advertising content is Miele