Credit: Courtesy of Steven Joyce
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Napoli On The Road: 3 recipes that will have you mastering the art of Neapolitan pizza at home
2 months ago
7 min read
Crispy, chewy and bursting with flavour – Napoli On The Road brings the authentic taste of Neapolitan pizza to your kitchen with modern recipes from pizza master Michele Pascarella.
Few foods spark as much passion as pizza, and nowhere does it better than Naples. In Napoli On The Road, award-winning pizzaiolo Michele Pascarella shares his secrets for making the perfect Neapolitan pizza at home. Combining tradition with modern creativity, Pascarella’s recipes showcase everything from classic margheritas to bold, contemporary flavour combinations.
Credit: Courtesy of Steven Joyce © Ryland Peters & Small
With expert tips on dough-making, fermentation and baking, this book guides you through every step to achieve that crispy-yet-chewy crust. Whether you’re a pizza purist or looking to experiment with inventive toppings, Napoli On The Road will help you master the art of Neapolitan pizza – no wood-fired oven required.
First though, you will need Pascarella’s basic pizza dough recipe, which will be the base for all your pizza creations.
Basic pizza dough
Pascarella says: “This recipe makes sufficient dough to create six 32cm/12-inch diameter pizza bases. If you don’t need that number of pizzas, the dough balls can be frozen in a sealed container before the cold fermentation stage and then defrosted for a few hours before use.”
Ingredients
- 1kg medium strength flour
- 700g water in total
- 2g fresh yeast (or 1g dry yeast)
- 25g fine salt
- 5g extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- a stand mixer with both whisk and dough hook attachments
Method
Tip the flour into the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 550g of the water to the flour and mix for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is compact.
Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl. Cover and leave to rest at room temperature (18–20ºC) for 2 hours.
After the resting period, place the dough back in the bowl of the stand mixer. Dissolve the fresh or dry yeast in 50g water. Add the yeast mixture to the rested dough and start mixing. The dough might initially seem a bit loose, but don’t worry.
Gradually add the 100g water, in a slow, thin stream, while continuing to mix. When about half of the remaining water has been added, fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and incorporate the salt. Continue adding the rest of the water gradually followed by the olive oil (if using) until the dough is well combined, smooth and homogeneous.
Let the dough rest, loosely covered, on the counter for about 20 minutes.
Once rested, perform folding techniques on the dough, turning it onto itself to create a smooth and elastic texture.
Place the rested and folded dough in a bowl tightly covered with cling film. Leave it to rise for about 3–4 hours at room temperature (18–20ºC).
After 3–4 hours have passed, the dough will have doubled in size. Remove the cling film and tip the dough out from the bowl onto the counter, using a spatula to ease it out. Use a dough scraper to divide into 6 pieces of equal size. Use your hands to stretch, fold and shape each piece into a ball.
Transfer the dough balls to a suitable lidded container, replace the lid and seal. Let the dough balls rest in the container at room temperature for 1–1½ hours.
After the dough balls have rested, place the sealed container in the fridge at 4–5ºC for a further 12–14 hours for cold fermentation to take place.
Remove the container from the fridge and allow a further 30 minutes to 1 hour for the dough to come to room temperature (this will depend on the ambient temperature of your room). Next, use a dough scraper to carefully remove each ball from the container and place it on a floured counter. (You can use wheat or semolina flour at this point, but do use semolina flour sparingly as too much will taint the taste of your pizza dough once cooked.)
To shape a dough ball, press it into a disk using your fingers, shaping it so the dough is a little thicker around the outside edge. Drape it over the back of your hand and stretch it over your knuckles. Lift the dough and using both hands use your fists to stretch and turn it until it’s about 32 cm in diameter.
Working quickly, add your chosen toppings and bake as directed by the individual recipes.
Note
If you are not confident to shape a base by hand as I do (it takes practice!), you can roll the dough out on a flour-dusted counter using a rolling pin. Do however use a small rolling pin and roll out from the centre of the disk, leaving it thicker around the outside edge to create the delicious risen crust.
Capricciosa bianca
Pascarella says: “A rich combination of ham, salami, mushrooms, chargrilled artichokes and black olives.”
Ingredients
- 1 ball Pizza Dough
- flour, for dusting
- 100g fior di latte, torn into pieces
- 30g shiitake mushrooms
- 15g stoned black olives
- 40g salami Napoli, cut into small strips
- 30g chargrilled artichokes in oil (antipasti style), sliced
- 10g finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 70g prime quality fresh ham, cut or torn into strips
- a few fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature for at least 40 minutes.
Begin with dough that has been allowed to rise properly. Roll out the dough ball on a lightly floured surface, forming a slightly raised edge around the sides. Lift onto a baking sheet.
Evenly spread the fior di latte over the pizza base, avoiding the edges. Season with a pinch of salt, then add the mushrooms, black olives, salami Napoli and chargrilled artichokes.
Place the pizza at the bottom of the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Transfer the pizza to the upper part of the oven and switch to the grill mode and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven, add the fresh ham, basil, a grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let the pizza rest for a minute before slicing and serving.
We’re on fire
Pascarella says: “Fiery and creamy with rich tomato, ’nduja (spreadable spicy pork sausage from Calabria) and buffalo stracciatella.”
Ingredients
- 1 ball Pizza Dough
- flour, for dusting
- 120g passata
- 100g ’nduja
- 10g finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 80g stracciatella
- a few fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle salt
Method
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature for at least 40 minutes.
Begin with dough that has been allowed to rise properly. Roll out the dough ball on a lightly floured surface, forming a slightly raised edge around the sides. Lift onto a baking sheet.
Evenly spread the passata over the pizza base, avoiding the edges. Season with a pinch of salt.
Place the pizza at the bottom of the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes.
After the initial 5 minutes of baking, when the base is nearly but not fully cooked, remove the pizza from the oven. Add dollops of ‘nduja over the top and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Transfer the pizza to the upper part of the oven and switch to the grill mode. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven, add the stracciatella, basil leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let the pizza rest for a minute before slicing and serving.
Nerano
Pascarella says: “A delicate balance of courgette (zucchini) and provolone.”
Ingredients
- 1 ball Pizza Dough
- flour, for dusting
- 100g courgettes
- extra virgin olive oil, to sauté and drizzle
- olive oil, for shallow frying
- 80g fior di latte, torn into pieces
- 100g stracciatella, pulled into pieces
- 30g provolone, shaved
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cut half the courgettes into small pieces, place them in a pan with a little water, black pepper, salt and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Simmer for 10 minutes over moderate heat until soft. Blend the mixture with a stick blender to make a cream. Cut the remaining courgettes into thin rounds using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, add the courgettes and fry until they are crisp but not burnt.
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature for at least 40 minutes.
Begin with dough that has been allowed to rise properly. Roll out the dough ball on a lightly floured surface, forming a slightly raised edge around the sides. Lift onto a baking sheet.
Evenly spread the courgette cream over the pizza base and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Place the pizza at the bottom of the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes.
After the initial 5 minutes of baking, when the base is nearly but not fully cooked, remove the pizza from the oven. Add the pieces of fior di latte.
Transfer the pizza to the upper part of the oven and switch to the grill mode. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust is lightly golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven, add the fried courgette pieces, stracciatella and provolone and finish with a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Let the pizza rest for a minute before slicing and serving.
Napoli On The Road by Michele Pascarella, £22 (Ryland Peters & Small)
Images: Steven Joyce
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