The weather in Italy has been all sorts of wonky lately. But the sky has cleared, and the outdoor furniture is clean. Which can only mean one thing…
Summer Pizza Season is Here!!!!
If you’ve been around since the pandemic you might remember when we got our Ooni pizza oven... In the following months, Giuseppe made it his personal mission to perfect his dough recipe and I ate pizza twice a week for three months straight.
The first three, maybe four weeks it was fine. But by the end, I was ready to through him into the oven too…
Calabrians are kind, earnest, and most importantly stubborn. And when it comes to food and maintaining the quality and traditions of a dish like pizza that’s a good thing to have.
In the end, Giuseppe’s efforts were totally worth it. The result was a dough with fluffy edges, a chewy center, and salted to perfection. To this day it’s one of our favorite traditional Napoletana Pizza doughs.
BACK IN STOCK!!!
Before we dive head first into this very long pizza lovers post we need to tell you something…
ALL EXAU OLIVE OILS ARE BACK IN STOCK!!
Not familiar with our products? Here’s the TLDR about how we make EXAU oils:
100% Italian extra virgin olive oil
Exclusively produced with early harvest olives grown along the Ionian coast of Calabria, Italy
Our trees were planted by Giuseppe’s grandfather, father, and us making this little operation almost 100 years old and 3 generations strong
Giuseppe and I do work harvest and truly produce EXAU EVOOs ourselves
The olive oil club is OPEN! Join and get 10% off foreveeeer
We recently rebranded and the labels are cuuuuuute <3
Love it or hate it?
Over the years we’ve found that people either love or hate Pizza Napoletana. For Americans especially the texture can be a surprise (and offputting) at first. Typically, the bordering crust fluffs up a ton during baking resulting in a soft and chewy texture.
Meanwhile, the center, even softer and chewier, is often described as wet or soggy. To me, this sounds a lot like the battle for the edges vs the gooey center of brownies. And in case you’re wondering I’m firmly team ooey gooey center.
Pizza Napoletana is challenging to make because it requires a lot of time and like all baking there’s a science to it. The magic is in the details and it takes a good recipe plus some practice to achieve a nicely puffed bordering crust and perfectly melted center.
With that said the center of Pizza Napoletana can be overly gooey and raw. This can happen for a few reasons:
The dough has too much water
The dough is too cold inside and hasn’t come down to the right temperature
Too much sauce creating a soggy pond in the middle of your pie
There’s too much watery cheese, like mozzarella (I know I thought that was impossible too but it can actually cause uneven cooking)
Too many other heavy toppings preventing the pizza from cooking and rising
When we lived in California we used to throw pizza parties all the time. It was always so fun (and terrifying for Giuseppe) to see which toppings people would put on their pizza.
Well, one evening someone decided to build a mini Mount Everest in sauces, proteins, and cheese. Giuseppe’s eyeballs almost fell out of his head when he saw it float on a board towards the oven. That pizza went into the oven and well, something resembling a burnt calzone came out.
The moral of the story: don’t overdo it.
What if I don’t have a pizza oven?
When we left California for Texas we didn’t have a pizza oven anymore so had to come up with clever ways to continue making one of our favorite foods. We eventually came across the hybrid stove/oven technique and loved it.
You start by cooking the pizza in a pan on the stove, then add the cheese/other toppings and transfer everything to the oven to broil. This works best with a dark pan that can withstand high heat or even a cast iron skillet.
However, we found that a very heat-resistant nonstick pan makes it much easier to slide the pizza on and off. If you’re going to use a cast iron skillet make sure it’s preheated but not too hot or it can scorch the bottom of the pizza.
Alternatively, you can get a pizza stone for your oven that conducts heat extremely well and cooks the pizza quite quickly. If you go this route it’s better to get a square one that is big enough to be used for other things like flatbreads.
Two popular choices for pizza stones are this one and this one. And here’s a great guide to on how to use a pizza stone.
Is a pizza oven worth it?
We’ve had the Ooni for a few years now and absolutely love it. My only complaint is that it’s a bit too narrow and low to roast things like chicken in. It’s really built for flatbreads which is why it’s so good at making pizza. Plus that grease splatter presents a real fire hazard!
If you’re a HUGE pizza and flatbread fan and have the space we absolutely recommend investing in a pizza oven like the Ooni. However, if you’re only an occasional pizza maker then it might just be another big AF appliance taking up space and collecting dust.
Speak of big dust collectors… when’s the last time you used your KitchenAid ; ) Well, if you make this recipe you can break that bad boy out!
Not into pizza? TBH I’m a little afraid of you, but try this focaccia instead, you can make it in your oven.
The toppings
Giuseppe prefers to keep things simple and always goes for the classic margherita with some really nice mozzarella and super fresh basil. I like to switch things up. Some of my favorite combos are:
tomato sauce with thinly sliced provola (provolone) and prosciutto or sauted salsiccia
tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmigiano, and sweet sauteed onions
besciamella with provola, blackened broccoli rabe, and roasted fennel sausage (my fav in the winter!)
besciamella with provola, parmigiano, and thinly sliced and fried potatoes
Whichever toppings you choose remember these three things:
Don’t make a puddle of sauce
Keep it to a max of three to four toppings
Don’t weigh the pizza down too much (or it won’t cook)!!
Use your first one to get a gauge of the correct ratio of toppings and then you’ll fall into the pizza-making and topping groove.
So what are your favorite toppings? Give us the dets and let us know below!
Pizza Napoletana Recipe
The full recipe can be printed out on our blog : ) The recommended EVOO for this recipe is the Turi.
Ingredients: Neapolitan Pizza Dough
1 kg flour, type 00
2 g fresh yeast
25 g sea salt
1 pinch Sugar
700 ml cold water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients: Margherita Toppings
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can 15 oz. San Marzano tomatoes
4 leaves of basil
2 pinch of salt
600g Mozzarella
Directions
In a large bowl (or KitchenAid) add the flour, yeast, and water. Mix by hand for 10 minutes (for KitchenAid mix on level 3 for 5 minutes).
While mixing add the salt and extra virgin olive oil.
Continue to mix for another 15 minutes until the pizza dough starts to become smooth (KitchenAid mix on level 3 for 7 minutes).
Place in a container and cover with plastic wrap.
Leave at room temperature for 3 hours.
Cut the pizza dough into four 250g pieces. Form each piece into a ball.
Place in a flat container with approximately 2″ between each piece (or you can place each dough in its own bowl). Cover with plastic wrap again and continue to let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
Put the dough in the fridge for 24 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator 3 hours before planned use.
While waiting, open the can of San Marzano tomatoes and pour them into a medium bowl, then smash the tomatoes with your hands creating a ‘crushed’ texture.
Add the basil and salt and stir. Set aside for at least 1 hour.
If you’re using a home stove/oven then preheat the oven to the max temperature (usually 550°F). If using a pizza stone preheat it with the oven. For an outdoor oven, the ideal temperature is 800°F.
Chop the mozzarella into ½ inch pieces.
Begin to form the pizza dough into a circle approximately 12-14 inches wide and place it on a wooden pizza board.
Add 3-4 tbsp tomato sauce. Make sure it’s evenly spread out by using the back of a spoon. Then add the cheese and basil in an even layer.
If cooking with a home stove/oven then preheat a round nonstick and oven-proof pan or cast iron pan that’s the same size as the pizza on medium-high heat. Once hot place the pizza onto the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. While cooking add the sauce and then the cheese. Then finish cooking in the oven on broil to fully melt the cheese and heat the top of the crust.
If cooking with a pizza oven then add all the toppings and just place it into the oven and cook until the edges are fluffy and the cheese is fully melted, usually about 90 seconds.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, cut, and serve!
That’s all for today. Wishing you… Happy Juneteenth! Happy Father’s Day! And Happy Weekend!
Xx
-Skyler & Giuseppe