Basic Italian pizza
Ingredients
| Strong white bread flour | 200 gr | |
| Organic strong white bread flour | 300 gr | |
| Water | 300 ml | |
| Dried yeast (fast action) | 7 gr (1 sachet) | |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 30 ml | |
| Salt | 10 gr |
Tomato sauce
| Tomato Passata (good quality tomato sauce) | 500 ml | |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup or 60ml | |
| Sugar | 2 teaspoons | |
| Salt and freshly grounded pepper | to taste |
This recipe will give enough dough for 5x – 34cm pizza’s depending on the thickness of the crust. We like the base very thin like the southern part of Italy so if you like it thicker you might need to adjust the quantities in the recipe.
In a large bowl add the salt and place the flour on top of the salt.
Add the yeast on top of the flour and start pooring in the water while continue mixing, when the water is mixed with the flour add the Extra virgin olive oil and mix again.
For the last mixing you might want to use your hands to ensure you get a nice even elastic mixture and make a ball.
Take the dough out of the bowl and put a little of bit of olive oil in the bowl and rub in the sides. Please the though back in the bowl and cover with a damped towel and put aside for at least 2 hours.
We usually make the dough in the morning and leave it grow for the rest of the day.
Once done, divide in 5 equal smaller balls and flatten them with a roller pin or your hands.
For the tomato sauce.
If you have the time it’s best to cook you own tomato sauce since you probably don’t, do the following.
Mix the contents of the package Tomato Passata (this is just tomato sauce without any additives except for a little bit of salt) and stir in some Extra virgin olive oil and sugar to make it more smooth and dilute a little bit.
The sugar kills the acid of the tomato sauce which makes it less bitter/sharp.
Add some freshly grounded pepper and salt to taste.
Cut the rest of your toppings and enjoy!
Since everything is fresh and the pizza base is nice and thin you only have to put it in the oven for 9 minutes on 220C Fan oven preheated or preheated at 260C (top and bottom elements) use a nice round thin pizza baking tray
If you like your pizza’s nice an thick follow the description below, this is the recipe of my Italian friend:
Pizza:
Ingredients for 4 pizzas of the diameter of 30 cm:
1 kg flour
600 g Water
7g Dried Yeast
Extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
Salt 20 g
Sugar 2 teaspoons;
Preparation
Warm the water (just a bit, not boiling, just to help the process of mix the yeast) and ad the yeast that should be all dissolved making the water brownish.
Put the flour into a big bowl, add the water, oil, salt and sugar and mix until it gets a compact and elastic massa.
Let it grow for at least 2 hours (more is better) covering it with a clean kitchen cloth. It should double in volume.
When ready mix it again and prepare a thin layer on the oven trays. Add the tomato sauce, mozzarella (buffalo one gives more liquids but is more tasty. In Ah they have the Galbani one ), leafs of fresh basil and the desired topping.
Bake it in a already warm oven (220+ C) until the mozzarella become brownish and the dough crispy.
For the tomato sauce: get tomato sauce from supermarket, extra virgin olive oil, salt and sugar.
