How to Bake Pizza Napoletana

Makes: 1 large pizza

Preparation time: Overnight

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients needed to make Pizza Napoletana:

For the dough:

• 3 ½ cups plain flour
• ½ cup wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
• Extra virgin olive oil, as required

For the topping:

• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 whole tomato, peeled and cut into thin slices
• Anchovy fillets
• 5-6 slices buffalo-milk mozzarella
• Dash of dried oregano, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Pizza Napoletana:

• Stir the yeast into lukewarm water until it dissolves and let it stand for about 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
• Empty the cups of both kinds of flour in a large mixing bowl and pour in the yeast-water mixture.
• Work them together with your fingers for a couple of minutes and knead in salt until well combined.
• Place the dough on a lightly-floured working surface and knead it rigorously for about 10-12 minutes or until it turns soft and pliable.
• Roll it into a large ball and place it in a bowl, greased earlier with small amount of olive oil.
• Wrap it up with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for half an hour.
• Return it to the floured surface and punch it down, alternately stretching and folding it for a couple of minutes.
• Place it back into the bowl and let it rest for another half an hour.
• Knead it on the floured surface once again in a similar fashion and place it in a pre-greased large container.
• Fit it with a lid and leave it in the fridge overnight or at least for about 6 hours.
• Remove from fridge and wrap it up in a kitchen towel before keeping it aside for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm up your oven to 425 degrees F.
• Flatten it out, using a floured rolling pin, into a semi thick, round pizza base and place it on a baking sheet, previously dusted with small amount of flour.
• Arrange the tomato slices on top of the pizza base, sprinkle the chopped garlic over it.
• Top it up with the anchovy fillets and a dash of oregano, salt as well as pepper and drizzle a lashing of olive oil over it.
• Place it in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the topping is heated through and the base is cooked to some extent.
• Slide out the baking sheet and arrange the cheese slices on top.
• Return it to the oven and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until the base turns crispy and the cheese melts.
• Take it out of the oven and drizzle more olive oil over it.
• Slice and serve.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on February 21, 2013 by