With a lot of time on my hands during the CoVid lockdown and unable to give cooking classes, this Italian Diva decided to take a temporary respite and venture into the world of baking. In the process, I have gained a whole new respect for those who possess the enormous talent of producing delicious pies, perfect cakes, rich desserts, and crusty breads.
The baking world is a science and there is a wide margin for error. In the past, I have made numerous attempts for a flawless outcome. In the process I’d make a complete disaster of my kitchen and like a mad scientist covered in flour, I would pay close attention to the instructions, pop it into the oven, then in eager anticipation only to have it fail and be thrown out into the trash.
Rarely have I tasted anything like what I experienced during my several trips to Italy where pizza is an art. Pizza Margarita is the most common which is named after the Italian princess with toppings of tomato, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. BTW The only place within 50 miles to purchase buffalo mozzarella which is about $15 per pound, was in the North End of Boston and on Federal Hill in Providence Rhode Island; it is an essential ingredient for authentic Neapolitan pizza.
In the USA some people put pineapple and ham as a topping which makes me recoil at the mere thought of it. The younger generation who are conditioned to eating fast foods of poor quality have taste buds that have gone numb, showing little interest in experiencing authentic Italian cuisine.
As a lover of Neapolitan pizza, I am usually disappointed in the local version of heavy and tasteless dough which they try to mask using poor quality cheeses and heaps of toppings. Furthermore, most chains prepare the dough the same day they bake it, which is one-dimensional in flavor rather than tasting rich and complex. This Italian Diva says, “It’s all about the dough.” The toppings are secondary.
In making Neapolitan pizza and for the best texture use a combination of bread flour with its higher protein count along with a fine grain flour known as “00”. A one-day quick ferment lacks bubbles and will form a tighter surface as it cooks. Slower fermentation is best to create a better gluten structure, which causes the dough to form larger, thinner bubbles. Perfect fermentation time is 72 hours in the fridge so plan 2-3 days in advance. Before shaping, be sure to let dough rest at room temperature 5-6 hours, once out of the fridge
Ciao, ciao, to all my foodies! If you want to make perfect pizza, please sign up for one of my workshops and I’ll give u the recipe. Go to TheItalianDiva.com
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