"Pizza Napoletana" - Naples-style pizza - these recipes will turn you into a real pizzaiolo
A father from Calabria and a mother from Ludwigshafen - Domenico Gentile's heart beats with an Italo-German double heart. Summers were all about the dolce vita, tasting of traditional southern Italian cuisine. Cooking became one of his first loves, later it became his vocation. At some point, the restaurateur had had enough. He had eaten enough bad food in Germany - "Pasta in cream. Pizzas with rock-hard crusts and horrible toppings." Gentile became a food blogger. His motivation: to introduce people to authentic Italian cuisine. "Cooking Italy" became a kind of online standard work. The only thing Gentile wasn't so keen on was Napoletan pizza. Until 2018.
In Naples, he was captivated by the allure of these culinary works of art and understood that pizza can be more than just a plain flatbread. And he got to know Italy's true rock stars - the pizzaiolo. In Germany, however, the Napoletan style of pizza making, the supreme discipline among pizza chefs, had barely caught on at the time. Thanks to social media and online recipes, however, Germany is now "at the peak of the Pizza Napoletana movement", writes Gentile in "Pizza Napoletana: How to make the original at home".
The cookbook was created in collaboration with food photographer and author Vivi d'Angelo. In it, Gentile reveals the secrets of perfect pizza. These include a simple pizza dough and the classic tomato sauce, which are the basis of every good pizza.
Nothing works without it: how to make a simple pizza dough
It all starts with a simple yeast dough with a small amount of yeast, which requires no pre-dough and can also be kneaded by hand if you don't have a suitable food processor. After a total resting time of 7-9 hours, you will have ready-made dough balls that you can use to make pizzas or other recipes that use pizza dough.
Preparation time30minutes (by hand or 20-25 minutes with a food processor) plus at least 7-9 hours or up to 48 hours resting timeIngredientsfor 6 dough balls (6 pizza bases)1 kg wheat flour tipo 00 with at least 12 percent protein content (e.g. Caputo Cuoco or Pizzeria, W value 260-320) plus possibly some for dusting3 g fresh yeast600ml very well chilled water (overnight in the fridge or approx. 30 minutes in the freezer) 25 g saltExtra virgin olive oil for greasingIn addition, a food processor as required6 sealable round containers or 1 large sealable container (e.g. dough ball box)
Working the dough by handPour the flourinto a bowl and crumble the yeast over it. Pour in 300 ml of water and work in by hand. Then knead more water into the dough until there is about 50 ml left. This process takes about 10 minutes. Only then work the salt into the dough and gradually add the remaining water. The dough can be worked on the work surface without resting. If it does take longer to continue, cover the dough with a cloth. Spread a little olive oil on the work surface, place the dough on top and knead well by hand for another 10 minutes or so - this is important for the elasticity and stability of the dough and should not be skipped under any circumstances. Keep beating the dough on the work surface to simulate processing with a professional dough machine. As soon as the dough is elastic and no longer sticky, cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to rest for 60 minutes. (Alternatively, brush the dough ball with a little olive oil and cover with cling film or simply place a large bowl over it.
Preparing the dough with a food processorIfusing a food processor, insert the dough hook. Pour the flour into the mixing bowl and crumble the yeast over it. Pour in 300 ml of water, start the machine at the lowest speed and let it process. Then increase the speed slightly and add more water until there is about 50 ml left. Only then work the salt into the dough and gradually add the remaining water. The kneading process takes a total of 12-15 minutes, set the machine to as high a speed as possible for the last 3 minutes. Remove the mixing bowl from the machine, cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave the dough to rest for 60 minutes.
TIPSIfyou know from the outset that you only want to bake one or two pizzas and are not planning to bake pizza the next day or the day after, and if you don't want to try any of the recipes from the last chapter, which show you other possibilities of what can be prepared with the dough, you should make less dough. For three pizzas or dough balls, simply halve the quantities of ingredients. For two pizzas or dough balls, use 340 g flour, 200 ml water, 1 g yeast and 8 g salt. Proceed as indicated in the recipe.
Recipe for San Marzano tomato sauce
San Marzano tomatoes are an old variety that originated in southern Italy and were named after San Marzano sul Sarno in Campania. They are also known as bottle tomatoes because of their elongated shape. San Marzano tomatoes have an intense aroma, only a few seeds and are ideal for a delicious pizza sauce.Makes approx. 520 g500g peeled whole canned San Marzano tomatoes8 basil leaves15 g salt2 tbsp extra virgin olive oilPreparation time: 5 minutesPlace the San Marzano tomatoesand their juice in a bowl and mash well by hand. If you prefer a smoother sauce, pass the tomatoes through a blender. Tear the basil and add to the tomatoes. Finally, stir the salt and olive oil into the sauce.TIPDo notuse a hand blender, as this will destroy the tomato seeds and could add a bitter note to the sauce.
Read also:
Domenico Gentile's fascination with Napoletana pizza led him to Italy, where he discovered the art of pizza-making and the talented pizzaioli. Despite the popularity of Napoletan pizza in Italy, Gentile noticed that its reputation in Germany was lacking.
Back in Germany, Gentile started incorporating the Napoletan pizza techniques he learned into his own recipes. He recognized the importance of using the correct type of flour, such as wheat flour tipo 00, for creating a soft and elastic dough.
Source: www.stern.de
