1: Ingredients
500g of medium strength flour
2 g of fresh baker’s yeast
350 ml of water at room temperature
20g of extra olive oil
1 tsp of honey
10g of salt
2: Ingredients (filling)
300g of tomato purée
2 tbsp of extra olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp of dry oregano
250g of fresh mozzarella
1 bunch of basil
3: Method
MAKING THE DOUGH
- In a bowl combine the baker’s yeast in ½ of water.
- In a food processor combine the flour, honey and salt. Increase the speed to medium and add the yeast mixture until a soft ball forms.
- Gradually add olive oil while processor is working.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for a few minutes on a floured surface to prevent sticking.
- Place in a bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes at room temperature
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it with your hands until it is smooth. Form your pizza dough onto a round ball and transfer to a cleaned, oiled and floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let it rest for about 8 hours.
THE FILLING
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Using floured hands, shape each half into a boule (ball shape) by folding the dough under itself.
- Set each boule on a floured surface and knead.
- Transfer the bases to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust. Cover with a clean cloth and allow them to rise for about 1 hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400ºC. (If you have some dishes, pans, ..made of refractory clay to bake pizzas, put them inside the oven)
- Remove mozzarella from the fridge. If it’s incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary) you may want to let it sit on a paper tower to remove moisture for about 15 minutes the dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
PLACE TOPPINGS AND BAKING
- Combine tomato purée, oregano, olive oil and salt. Season to taste.
- Spread the mixture across the dough. Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Add the basil leaves. (if you are baking in a standard oven, add the basil leaves after you bake because they turn black and for a perfect use they must remain green)
- Bake in the oven. As Neapolitan tradition, you only need 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Slice into 4 pieces and serve immediately. (You should roll each portion, when eating, in order to avoid the cheese escape)
