David got a pizza stone for Father's Day and he's been dying to make us some authentic italian pizza. Did you know that there is an official "approved" way for making real italian pizza. Well, apparently there is... italians have some pretty high standards:
"To call a pizza a true Neapolitan pizza, one must adhere to the guidelines outlined by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, based in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza."
Seriously?
No, really it's true and you can bet David found all the exact ingrediants...from the exact flour to the exact yeast and tomatoes. He cooked it on the stone in the grill in the backyard.
I have to say it was pretty darn similar to what we ate in Naples. Super Super GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Kathy! Just saw your update on facebook and had to come check it out! I am so excited that you started this! Hopefully you are better at blogging than I am! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, my mouth is watering! My bro-in-law served in Italy also and took us out for some "real" pizza - SO yummy! Not quite the same as Little Caesars...
That does look good! You'll have to post the official approved method :)
ReplyDeletethats a GOOD hubby!!! looks YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteNeapolitan - shoot, I don't see any chocolate, vanilla or strawberry anywhere. Farce!
ReplyDeleteOkay Sidney, here are the rules:
ReplyDelete"To call a pizza a true Neapolitan pizza, one must adhere to the guidelines outlined by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, based in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza. According to their rules, an authentic Neapolitan pizza must be:
•Cooked in a wood-fired oven. Gas, coal, and electric ovens do not qualify.
•Only fresh, high quality ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, 00 flour, fresh mozzarella, and other high quality toppings may be used.
•The dough must be formed by hand, be no more than an eighth of an inch thick, and should be cooked for approximately 90 seconds at temperatures over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
So it's not possible to make true, authentic Neapolitan pizza at home without building a wood-fired pizza oven as part of an outdoor kitchen. But it is possible to come very close in a home oven, and enjoy that Neapolitan taste. Here are some tips and techniques to keep in mind:
Pizza Dough
Dough should ideally be made with an Italian typo 00 flour, like Caputo 00. The 00 designation describes the way that the flour is milled, to a more fine consistency than the average flour, which allows for higher hydration dough. Typo 00 flour also has a very high protein content, which creates more gluten in the dough, allowing it to stretch easily and well."
Holy Pizza Batman! I remember you talking about pizza (right?) you waiting 2 hours for during your trip to Italy. Wowzers. Yum!
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