It’s National Pizza Day and I wanted to make the most authentic Neaopolitan-style pizza I could. Well...I didn’t make a Margherita Pizza, so I guess we’ll call it a “Near”apolitan Pizza. It’s tough to do this right. I’ve watched countless hours of video...especially the right ones, over and over again to pick up on all of the characteristics, and methods, to bring them to you for our culinary journey we’ve embarked on together.
The main characteristics are a very thin crust that just kisses the cusp of being cooked, that also produces a slightly charred, bubbly, but crispy end crust. The bottom dough is thin but strong enough to hold some ingredients and will just flop slightly. Next is fresh sauce and good, fresh ingredients, and to get the bottom crust just cooked and the ends charred, you’ll need a wood burning, brick-lined, pizza oven that reaches 750-1000 degrees (….record scratch). Don’t worry, I told you, I got you covered and this is a Nearapolitan pizza you can pull off at home...even the wood burning effect!
However, you can do none of this if you don’t start your dough a few days before you want to eat. I know, I know, but I keep telling you slow cooking is the best cooking and you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes to get perfection. As for the wood-burning oven? We’re going to par-cook this in the grill and employ some wood chips. The smoke only hits the ‘za for a few minutes, and you get a great, very subtle smokey, aftertaste: a la fire-kissed.
Ok, we’ve de-gassed the pizza dough and stretched it properly (or as close as we can since we’re not pizzaiolos), we’ve topped it with some good sauce, cheese, and veggies and herbs and it’s on that scorching stone. Good, right? WRONG. If you leave the pizza on that hot stone for too long (for the full cook), it’s going to burn and become too crispy and the top won’t brown or melt properly. Why?! Well because the grill isn’t an expensive commercial hellfire breathing, brick-lined stud. So, after 3 minutes on the stone, we have to transfer the ‘za to a foil-lined baking sheet and into our oven that was pre-heated to 550 and now has the broiler on to get the proper burnies and melties (official culinary terms, you guys) you need to finish this masterpiece. Ready to taste heaven? Let’s get cooking!
Neapolitan-style Pizza
If you don’t want to go through the whole grill part, you can bypass and just place the oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven, placing the stone on the lower rack and preheat the stone in the oven for 1 hour at 550 degrees. Cook the pizza on the stone for 4-5 minutes, then follow the broiling instructions.
Pizza Dough
22 oz 00 flour - (weigh the flour, trust me)
1.5 tsp table salt
1 packet rapid-rise yeast
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 cups of water (~110 degrees)
Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
Leaves from 2 fresh oregano sprigs, rough chopped
Pizza Toppings
Whatever you feel like making, but you need sauce, mozzarella, pecorino, and basil
Pecorino Romano cheese, grated.
Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)
Hot Italian Sausage, 2 large links
Mushrooms, sliced
Red pepper flakes
Fire roasted red peppers, sliced and cut into 3-inch lengths
Fresh basil
1 lb+ Quality Mozzarella (not pre-shredded) - 12 ¼-inch thick slices and the remainder shredded
Extra-virgin olive oil
Three days before you are going to make the pizza, prepare your dough by combining the flour, salt, and yeast in the large bowl of a stand mixer and whisk briefly to incorporate. Then, using the dough hook attachment, start the mixer on Speed 2. Add the evoo and slowly pour in the warm water. Once the water is poured in, increase to Speed 4 and let it knead, for about 10 minutes, until the dough comes together on the hook and appears smooth.
Meanwhile prepare a large bowl by lightly spraying it with cooking spray, as well as the top (or cling wrap). When the dough is ready, form into a ball and place in the bowl, cover, and set aside 2 hours to rise. After 2 hours rest, divide the dough into 4 equal portions (roughly 8.5 oz each) and form into smooth dough balls. I highly suggest you watch this video for both dough ball forming and stretching technique. After the 4 balls are formed, place in a 13x9 sized container, sprayed with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap (also sprayed with cooking spray) and place in your fridge for at least 48 hours and up to even 7 days !!! -- I went with 72 hours.
When the dough has fully rested, pull from the fridge and place on the counter for 2 hours to come to room temperature.
While the dough is coming to temperature, prepare your sauce and toppings.
For the sauce, preheat the oil and the smashed garlic over medium heat. After a few minutes, pour the tomatoes and their sauce in and crush the tomatoes with a spoon. Add the oregano and 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Using a hand blender, purée the contents (or process in a blender) and simmer for about 30 mins over medium-low heat.
For the toppings, boil some rapini for 1 minutes and then shock in an ice bath. Split the sausage lengthwise and brown in a nonstick skillet. Remove and chop medium. Then, add some evoo to the skillet with the sausage fat and 3 smashed garlic cloves and heat until fragrant, then discard the garlic. Add in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, the broccoli rabe, chopped sausage and sliced mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes or so. Then set aside to cool on a paper towel lined plate.
About an hour before you’re ready to cook the pizza, place the pizza stone on your grill and turn all the burners to high and let it pre-heat for an hour. I also always keep 2 foil-wrapped bricks in my grill on the top shelf to help hold on to some heat in the grill. Soak wood chips in water while the grill heats up. After 45 minutes, place the chips in a smoker box (or foil packets with poked holes for smoke to escape) and place on the burners for the last 15 minutes of pre-heating.
Preheat your oven to 550 degrees with the oven racks in the top and lower third.
Now, it’s time to stretch the dough. I am no expert and I looked like a rookie on my first few tries - it took till my 3rd pizza to get the best one (which was still merely ok), so definitely use your weaker dough balls first, as practice tries. You want to stretch the dough, like this. Most importantly, while working on one dough ball, keep the remainder covered with a damp kitchen towel. We’re going one-at-a-time here.
Take one portion of dough and place in a bowl of flour, flipping it over to get flour on both sides. Then stretch and rotate your dough as seen in the link above.
Once you have 1 pizza dough ready, place it on a lightly floured pizza peel and spoon on a ladleful of sauce, spreading it around with the back of the ladle. Sprinkle on some Pecorino Romano, then place the rapini, sausage, sliced red peppers, and mushrooms around the sauced dough. Top with some ¼ inch thick sliced mozzarella. Place a few basil leaves around the pizza, drizzle with evoo, and sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella.
Using the pizza peel, slide the dough onto the hot stone and cook for 3 minutes with the cover closed. Meanwhile, turn the oven from 550 degrees to the broil setting.
Using the pizza peel, sliding it under the pizza at a 45-degree angle from the side, transfer the pizza to an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and place it on the top rack under the broiler. Cook for about 2 minutes, monitoring the browning. Remove from the oven with the pizza peel and let cool for a few minutes before devouring.
Note: If you’re bypassing the grill/smoke method, you’ll need to cook it in the lower third of the oven on the stone at 550 for about 4 minutes and still move off the stone for the broil portion.
___________________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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