Neapolitan pizza

How to make Neapolitan pizza . When we talk about pizza, we inevitably have to talk about Neapolitan or Napoletana pizza .

This is the most traditional pizza in Italy and the only one that has the Specialià Tradizionale Garantita designation of origin , since 2004. This seal exhaustively regulates the preparation, both of the Italian dough , and the ingredients that can be used. place as a filler.

It was in Naples in the mid-17th century when this type of pizza began to be prepared in its most current form. Legend has it that it was among the favorite dishes of King Ferdinand I. So it helped its expansion throughout the country. Regarding the dough, this is different from the rest of the country’s pizzas. The time and shape of the ferment is proper and regulated, as well as the shape and time of baking. As at home we do not have a wood oven that reaches 450 to 600º C we will have quite difficult to get a Neapolitan pizza dough itself. But what we can do is prepare it with the ingredients that tradition dictates.

The most traditional Neapolitan pizza is the Neapolitan margarita pizza . Its ingredients are super basic but the result is impressive. Tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and olive oil are the only filling to prepare this great and traditional Italian pizza .

Now, there are a series of rules that we have to respect to get a tall pizza. The mozzarella must be that, mozzarella, nothing similar. The tomato sauce that is natural, the oil for the olive dressing and the better the better, and the basil always fresh, in no case dry or in a pot.

Respecting these premises we will get a Neapolitan margarita pizza as tradition dictates. Not all pizzas taste the same, that’s why we give you some tips to make a good Italian pizza . Just follow the step by step of the recipe and you will have a yummy pizza.

Preparation of the pizza dough

1. If we have chosen to prepare a homemade pizza dough , on the blog you can find the recipe for how we make it at home. It is a very tasty and tender dough that I encourage you to prepare.
2. If you do not have time or you have not had the forecast and you cannot wait any longer with the pizza craving, you can always use a pre-made dough that you will easily find in supermarkets. The result is not the same but it serves a hurry.
3. Once we have the pizza dough ready, the first thing we do is turn on the oven. At the top, the maximum of your oven, in my case at 250º C to have it ready at the time of introducing the pizza.
4. Since the temperature has to be high, it can take around 10 or 15 minutes, which will be the time we need to assemble the pizza.
5. Once we have the pizza dough ready, already spread, we prepare the filling.

Baking and preparing Neapolitan pizza

1. We peel the two tomatoes and one we leave it whole and the other we chop it and stop it by the mixer.
2. Spread the crushed tomato on the entire surface of the dough. Taking care to leave about 2 cm free. all around the perimeter of the pizza.
3. We cut the other tomato into slices and the cheese into slices and spread them over the surface of the pizza.
4. We distribute some fresh basil leaves and water with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
5. Bake with the oven very hot at 250º C for 8 minutes. It is long enough for the dough to be ready and the cheese to melt.

As you can see, it is very easy to enjoy a homemade pizza at home with one of the simplest and most delicious in the entire Italian repertoire.

This pizza, simply accompanied by a straw, while I enjoy watching a movie in front of a TV, is one of my confessible vices.

I encourage you to visit more recipes for tapas, snacks and pinchos  perfect for an unforgettable evening with yours.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album .