Authentic Italian Homemade Pizza Recipe
Authentic Italian Homemade Pizza
At home, you cannot hide our Italian descent. Pasta and pizza are greatly appreciated and consumed without frills or salaams. Everyone loves and does not refuse a plate of pasta or a fresh-baked pizza, from the youngest to the bisavós (great-grandparents). I feel very lucky to be born into a family that really enjoys being at the table and tasting the food. It is not only a physiological necessity but a moment of extreme pleasure and happiness.
Family gatherings are always documented with photos at the table, invariably with wonderful menus, most often simple and always very tasty—you can never miss the Italian food in the house! Yesterday, we had lunch, and dinner was a massive round of pizza made by nonna (my mother), homemade pizza from the dough to the sauce, and way too homely. There is no way to resist; washed down with a good wine, it is the true and lasting pleasure! A delight, as always!
Nonna’s Pizza Dough Recipe
This time, I was not the chef, but the nonna, with a very good recipe from Paul Vizioli’s book, *The Italian Bureau*. It’s easy to make and extremely tasty. It’s our recipe for pizza dough that can be frozen pre-cooked for later use.
Thin crust, crispy, and not that feeling of fullness, translating: it may be repeated once or twice (sometimes even more… *Rsrsrs*). There is no need for an antacid after a meal.
The secret is in the dough—nothing to be kneading, mixing until the ingredients are homogeneous—and ultra-cool in the sauce: ripe tomatoes without skin and seeds processed with garlic, salt, and basil. The cheese should also be of good quality, like any other dish that is made in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 500g wheat flour
- Salt (1 to 1 ½ teaspoon)
- 30g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4-6 tbsp oil
- 2 cups warm milk (or water, or a mixture of milk and water)
Instructions:
- Mix 1 cup of warm milk with the sugar and baking yeast until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
- Arrange the flour on a granite surface (marble, glass, or stainless steel) so that it looks like a mountain, add salt, and make a pit.
- Pour the oil and slowly add another cup of milk until it forms a ball. You may not need to use the entire amount of milk. Do not knead; the trick is to just mix with your hands, gently.
- Cover with a cloth and let rise for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Open the dough on a floured surface (little flour) with a rolling pin. We like very thin pizza, so this recipe yields about 5 medium pizzas.
- Place the pizza dough into greased baking sheets with olive oil (just a little) and pre-bake. When you see that the mass is flushed down a little, remove it from the oven and set it aside. Do this procedure with all the pizzas.
- Tip: Only assemble the pizzas at baking time; otherwise, the sauce will penetrate the mass and become soft.
Homemade Tomato Sauce
To use this amount of dough, use 6 to 8 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, processed with two cloves of garlic, a handful of fresh basil, and a pinch of salt. Only that. No other liquids, okay?
Assembling the Pizza
The basic pizza assembly: turn the more golden part of the dough down, add sauce, grated mozzarella, and the filling of your choice. Yesterday, there were two types:
- Margherita: sauce, grated mozzarella, sliced garlic sautéed in slightly warm olive oil (to remove the bitterness), tomato slices, and basil leaves.
- Canadian Tenderloin: sauce, grated mozzarella, slices of Canadian tenderloin, black olives, and sliced onions.
All washed down with good olive oil and oregano, and baked in a medium oven until the bottom is golden brown.
Filling Ideas:
(My mother wrote down in her notebook next to the recipe, but I don’t remember if these tips are also from the same book):
- Horseradish, mashed ricotta, and cream cheese
- Diced green apple and blue cheese
- Tuna in small pieces, mashed ricotta sauce, and onions
- Boiled potatoes in thin slices interspersed with mozzarella and cut anchovies (or thin slices of sausage) – I have never experienced this filling and it is very different.
Buon appetito!!