Neapolitan pizza

Pizza napoletana

This is THE pizza. After a lot of experimenting, this is it!

Pizza seems easy and it is, but if you want to make the Neapolitan pizza from the comfort of your own home, it's not so easy, unless you know what to do. So with hubby's help, good ingredients and a pizza stone which he bought for me (you can't do it without, a domestic oven can't reach the right temperature) you can do it! As we have one oven and one pizza stone, we had a "giro pizza" which means basically that when one is cooked, we share it. Then we make the next and so on. Ingredients for 4 people:

1. 650 g 00 flour

2. 430 g lukewarm water

3. 20 g salt

4. 4 g sugar

5. 1.3 g fresh yeast

6. 16 ml olive oil

7. Semolina flour for dusting

8. Topping :

9. 30 g chopped tomatoes mixed with about 150 ml of passata

10. 450 g buffalo mozzarella

11. Fresh basil

12. Olive oil

13. Pinch salt

Method:

1. Mix water and salt until dissolved. Add about 50 g of the flour and mix well, try to remove lumps. Then add the yeast and slowly add about half of remaining flour. Mix well with a spoon or fork. Now add oil and sugar.

2. Now it should be more dense, so you'll need your hands. Slowly add the rest of the flour, kneading continuously. Form into a ball. Grease another bowl with olive oil and put it in. Cover tightly with cling film. Leave to prove for about 14-16 hours overnight at room temperature.

3. Now divide the dough into 4. Place in greased aluminum trays, cover with cling film again and leave for another 3 hours. Meanwhile prepare the tomatoes the mozzarella. With buffalo mozzarella it's important to chop it and drain off the milk.

4. Follow the instructions for the pizza stone. Mine says to pre heat for one hour at maximum temperature. Now add a sprinkle of semolina flour on the wooden tray that should come with the stone. Take one dough ball, and shape into a circle, making sure you have a nice edge.

5. Add the pizza to the wooden tray, add tomato sauce, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven on the pizza stone and cook for about 5 mins. Now add a quarter of the mozzarella and some basil. Pop back in and turn on the grill to maximum temperature. Cook for another 3-4 mins until it looks yummy. Share, enjoy and make the other 3. Enjoy your "giro pizza"!