Since the sixteenth century, pizza has been a pillar of Italian culture and heritage. From there, it spread throughout the entire world, where it was variously interpreted, served, and appreciated by almost everyone. Pizza is a popular dish that is made in many different ways around the world to reflect various cultures and places of origin.
But what does authentic Italian pizza actually taste like? What characteristics lead it to become the renowned and exquisite dish that we all know and genuinely love? In this article, we will be covering a bit of its history and will also learn how to prepare authentic Italian traditional pizza with pizza flour
A Bit of Pizza History
Since the sixteenth century, pizza has been a pillar of Italian heritage and food culture. Long back the wealthy people in Italy considered pizza to be the poor man’s food. Pizza was a common menu item in smaller and less popular restaurants in the 1880s and was also sold by street vendors.
Then in 1889, the Queen and King travelled to Italy on a state visit. The two decided to send away for a range of locally made pizzas because they were bored and uninterested in their usual French feasts. And they were happy with their newfound dish.
So content that Queen Margherita herself inspired the name of the famous “Margherita pizza.” Pizza immediately established itself as a completely new cuisine and surged in popularity.
The Role of Pizza Flour in Pizza
The crucial step in making a good pizza is getting the dough right. One of the pizza’s most vital factors is its crust, which is typically thin but fluffy in texture. The dough isn’t just something that gives a pizza base but has a huge role in adding the food’s texture and binding its taste together.
While you are preparing to make a pizza, make sure to choose the finest pizza floor for your dish. The quantity of fresh yeast and pizza 00 flour needed to create its ideal base. Once you get your dough right it could even transport you straight into Italy!!
How to Make a Pizza?
As we mentioned above, to get your pizza right, your crust must be done right. To get your crust right, you have to bring your dough to perfection. The distinctive flavour and outstanding texture that can only be found in Italian pizza can be found in the crust.
The next main ingredient is pizza sauce. The sauce is most often made from peeled fresh tomatoes mixed with a variety of precise herbs. Authentic Italian pizza does not mix the toppings and sauce to be baked together, the sauce is merely spread along the crust.
Some varieties of Italian pizza, known as Bianca, are served completely without sauce and are instead drizzled with olive oil. Now let’s check out all the ingredients you will need to make traditional pizza;
( The ingredients mentioned below are for making 4 pizzas, with a diameter of 12 inches each. )
- Warm water 600 ML
- Type 00 flour 7 cups
- Fresh yeast 25 gram
- Olive oil 6 tablespoons
- Salt 1.5 tablespoon
- Sugar 2 tablespoon
Steps:
- Combine the yeast and the warm water in a medium bowl. The water should not be too cold or too hot. Just warm water, the yeast prefers that kind the most. You need to stir the water to let the yeast dissolve.
- Take the pizza 00 flour into another bowl.
- Pour the warm water mix into the flour slowly and stir along with the other ingredients.
- Maintaining a floured surface, mix the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth.
- Put the dough inside a bowl that has been coated with some olive oil. The dough should be turned so that the top is lightly oiled.
- The next step is to cover the bowl of dough and let it rest for at least 4-5 hours.
- Preheat the oven to about 200C or 400F
- Drop the dough back over onto floured surface after removing it from the bowl. Remember your punching lessons and start punching them down, this is done to get rid of any bubbles in the dough.
- The dough should be divided in half and left some time to rest.
- Disc out each piece into a 12-inch diameter. This is your chance to choose the desired pizza thickness! Just keep in mind that the crust will expand slightly while baking.
- Place the dough on a baking sheet or pizza pan that has been oiled.
- If you prefer a pizza Rossa, add tomato sauce (red pizza). Do not feel it necessary to use tomato sauce because so many pizzas in Italy are pizza, Bianca. Add a thin layer of olive oil to the crust’s edges.
- After each pizza has baked for around 10 minutes, top it with any additional toppings and mozzarella cheese (sliced or grated).
- Pizzas should be baked until the cheese has melted and the crust has browned. The bottom of the pizza can be checked to see if it has browned by raising it up.
- For a true Italian finishing touch, take your pizzas out of the oven and top them with a handful of basil leaves. And enjoy!
Wrapping Up
Pizzas are always a delight to eat. If you are planning on making pizza at home do follow the recipe and enjoy. Also, make sure that you choose the best pizza 00 flour for your baking adventure!
