This simple traditional Italian Neapolitan pizza is healthy, easy, and delicious to prepare. The dough balls can be made in advance, frozen, taken out, and thawed to rise further, or they can be simply shaped, baked with a tomato base, and frozen for later use. Whatever the case, pizza is a tradition in the Pienaar household.
Part 1:
- 1 kg stone-ground bread flour or tipo 00 flour
- 700g water
- 1/4 tsp brewer’s yeast
- 5 ml white sugar/honey/brown sugar
- 5 ml salt
Pizza Dust:
Keep this flour mixture in the freezer if not used immediately. This mixture is important to prevent the dough from sticking to the pizza peel and also helps it release easily from the pizza stone surface. Additionally, it assists with shaping the dough.
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 cup super fine cornmeal or fine polenta
- 1 cup bread flour
Mix together.
Instructions:
- Mix the flour, white sugar, and salt together. Dissolve the yeast in the water with an extra pinch of sugar. Mix the water into the flour and knead just until all the ingredients are combined. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then knead well for 5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.
- Let the dough rest again for 2 hours. Divide the dough into 5 portions and, very importantly, form them into balls as seen in the Instagram Video below. Let the dough rest covered in the fridge for 12 hours.
View this post on Instagram
Part 2:
- Remove the dough from the fridge, let it rest for 30 minutes, and follow the video instructions. If you haven’t watched the video: Carefully take each dough ball out of the container and place it on a small amount of Pizza Dust. Begin pressing the dough flat with your fingertips from the center outwards. Then, turn the dough and repeat until the dough reaches the size and thickness you prefer. Place the dough on the pizza peel with extra Pizza Dust on the peel, arrange the pizza with toppings directly on the peel, and slide it into the pizza oven. Oven temperature should be about 300-350°C. Close the door, bake for 5 minutes, turn the dough, and bake for another 5 minutes.
Note on Coals for Pizza Oven:
Coals should be around the pizza, against the sides of the oven. The pizza should be in the middle. The heat should radiate from all around and then also from above as the heat moves up due to convection currents. Hardwoods are always the best option for baking pizza.
If you do not wish to parbake, you can prepare the pizza immediately with toppings, or just bake the bases with the tomato base and then cool and freeze.
Parbaking for Bases:
Bake at 230°C for 8-10 minutes. Store with baking paper layers in an airtight container or bag.
Source: www.annelienpienaar.co.za by Annelien Pienaar, 2022
Quantity: 5 large pizzas