Pizza has become number one among the most famous and common food products in the world. Overcoming all cultural differences and the language barrier, pizza requires compliance with clear rules of production, which allow it to be called exactly pizza! It seems that it is quite simple to make. However, in order for a real pizza to turn out, it is necessary to follow quite a few important rules of preparation and baking, as well as to do it regularly, then the skill is developed, all the tricks become easy and understandable.
Baking conditions
To bake an elastic pizza that folds perfectly in half, you need a special oven. Baking should take place in a wood-fired oven at a temperature of 200-215 °C .
The “Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Association” recommends shortening the cooking process to 60-90 seconds at a temperature of 485 °C for a soft and flavorful pizza.
Dough
The dough for real pizza is made on the basis of wheat flour (classification in Italy ” Type 0 ” or ” Type 00 “), hard types of flour can be added, but always only fine grinding is used. The method of cooking pizza is important. It ranks first among the “classic pizza” criteria adopted by the Italian government. It is recommended to knead the dough by hand, to form a cake without a rolling pin, and the thickness of the dough should be no more than 0.3 cm . Experienced pizzaioli quite easily cope with such requirements, spinning the cake on one finger in the air.
Little tricks
When making, sometimes it is not taken into account that sugar is simply necessary for a good dough. Moreover, yeast is combined with sugar and warm water. And certainly not salt with yeast and warm water. And a small but very important nuance — olive oil is not poured immediately into the center of the flour, but is first mixed with salt and water, and only then is it combined with the flour.
It should be noted that real pizza is prepared only with the use of olive oil, which is applied evenly to the entire crust. For this, special containers with a narrow long spout are used, which allow the oil to flow in a thin stream. You don’t need much oil for pizza, ideally it should be poured in circles, starting from the outer edge of the pizza to the middle. The distance between the circles is not less than 0.5 cm .
Traditional pizza toppings
Tomato sauce is used in almost every pizza. The special Neapolitan version is prepared from 1 kg of fresh tomatoes, which are chopped and boiled for about an hour with spices: basil leaves, oregano, black pepper, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt.
Mozzarella cheese, which even babies can eat, is especially respected and loved in Italy. This type of cheese, made from buffalo milk, is included in many types of pizza. In addition to Mozzarella, Parmesan is often used. For cheese lovers, a special pizza called “Four cheeses” is made.
The location of the ingredients on the pizza itself, which are spread evenly in one layer, is also of great importance. Pizza should be thin even with toppings, this shows a certain class of pizzaiola and the quality of the establishment.
One secret that all lovers and fans of this Italian dish know about is the use of a special knife for cutting pizza. This device allows you to quickly cut and serve a tasty treat to the table. As you know, the tastiest pizza is freshly made.
Sincerely, “Adriano” pizzeria.