www.pizzamaking.com See the Pizza Forum. I refer to the Neapolitan Style section.
http://www.fornobravo.com
I like to make Neapolitan style pizzas. These mirror those popularized in Naples and use 00 flour, few toppings, and very high temperature ovens with a short cooking time.
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| Pizza Margherita |
Pizza Dough Recipe
Caputo Pizzeria Flour 200g
Instant Dried Yeast 1/4 tsp
Sea Salt 1/2 tsp
Water 116 - 120g
Tomato Sauce Recipe
Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
Sea Salt
Cheese
Mozarella
Tasty Cheddar
Fresh Basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Pizza Oven
My Pizza Oven is a Lincat PO49X with the Lincat POFS oven stand. The PO49X stands for (P)izza (O)ven and the 49 means that it will take 4 x 9 inch pizzas, or how I make them, 1 x 14 inch pizza. It has a maximum temperature of 400 deg C (752 deg F) and consumes 2.85 kW of power. The power consumption of 2.85 kW enables the oven to utilise a standard 13 amp wall plug. Most pizza ovens are higher power consumption and need to be wired direcly into the power supply. At the maximum temperature of 400 deg, a pizza will cook in this oven in 90 secs to 2 minutes.
There are two heater controls on the oven. First, the thermostat, which controls the oven temperature and controls an electric grill element situated at the top of the oven. The thermostat has temperature settings up to 400 deg C. Also, there is a bottom heater, which heats the stone base of the oven on which the pizza sits. This has settings from 1 to 6. When I first got the oven, I tried both controls on full and the resulting pizza was charred black on the bottom and was inedible. The oven was getting up to temperature (400 deg) in an hour. I ended up keeping the top thermostat set to 400 deg C and the bottom heater on full for 45 mins and then turning it completely off. The pizza was put in the oven for 90 secs and then lifted up under the grill element for the last 30 secs. The resulting pizza was cooked OK, although I had concerns that the base was still slightly too charred. Recently, I tried the top thermostat set to 400 deg C and the bottom control left turned off. The oven took longer heating up (1hr 30 mins), but the pizza was perfectly cooked with a nice light charring on the base. In a commercial situation, where several pizzas are being cooked one after the other, the oven's stone base will be cooled by the addition of each pizza and it would be necessary to apply bottom heat. Most often, I tend to cook just a single pizza and it seems no bottom heat is necessary.
Caputo Pizzeria Flour
Antico Molino Caputo makes what is widely accepted as the world's best pizza flour. It is important that pizza dough has the following properties:
- It must be soft and smooth
- It must stretch without breaking
- It must be extensible. i.e. it must stretch without springing back
- It must taste good
Caputo pizzeria flour consistently outperforms all other pizza flours in tests.
San Marzano Tomatoes
San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the volcanic soil of the Sarnese Nocerino area between Naples and Salerno in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The San Marzano tomato is now protected by tight rules, like many wines, cheeses and even Pizza Napoletana, obtaining the DOP (Denominazione d' Origine Protetta) label in 1996 from the European Union for the processed product. The flesh is much thicker than other plum tomatoes, with fewer seeds, and the taste is much stronger, more sweet and less acidic. San Marzano tomatoes have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for Vera Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza).
Vera Pizza Napoletana Guidelines
The Guidelines are:
1. A Wood-Burning Oven:
Pizza Napoletana must be cooked in a wood-fired dome oven. Gas, coal or electric ovens, while capable of produce wonderful pizza, do not conform to the Pizza Napoletana tradition.
2. Proper Ingredients:
Tipo 00 flour, San Marzano (plum) tomatoes, all natural Fior-di-Latte or Bufala mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and yeast. Only fresh, all-natural, non-processed ingredients are acceptable.
3. Proper Technique
Pizza dough kneaded either by hand, or with a low speed mixer. No mechanical dough shaping, such as a dough press or rolling pin, and proper pizza preparation. Pizza baking time should not exceed 90 seconds.
4. Proper Equipment
A proper work surface (usually a marble slab) and a wood-fired oven operating at roughly 800ºF.
5. The Final Product: Pizza Napoletana
Pizza Napoletana is not larger than 14 inch with a raised edge crust and thin (.11 inch) center. The pizza should be soft and elastic, and easily foldable, not hard or brittle.
The full detailed spec can be found here:
Pizza Ingredient Supplies
Caputo Pizzeria Flour
http://www.nifeislife.com/
http://www.nifeislife.com/caputo-wheat-flour-pizzeria-25kg-p-1064.html
San Marzano Tomatoes
http://www.mediterraneandirect.co.uk/San-Marzano-Tomatoes-P.D.O.-400g
These are £1.59 a can. Delivery is £6.50 on orders under £30, £3.50 on orders over £30 and free on orders over £50. This would be my second choice of supplier
These are £1.29 a can. Delivery is £5.00 on orders under £30 and free on orders over £30. This is my preferred supplier. Their price and delivery charges are unbeatable. 
These are £1.60 a can with delivery dependent on location and value of order. I believe delivery is £9.75 to Bristol. There is no free delivery option. I would not choose to buy from the Cornish Food Market.
http://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/la--motticella-organic-san-marzano-tomatoes---600g-3291-p.asp
http://www.mercanti.co.uk/Eng/tomatoes.html
http://www.giacobazzis.co.uk/BasilPestoTomatoSauceCrabSauceBologneseandmanymore_000.htm
Cirio @ £2.30 a can
http://www.luigismailorder.com/products/detail.asp?product=San_Marzano_Tomatoes_DOP&cat=Cupboard_Essentials&subcat=Even_More
Solania @ £1.95 a can. Delivery is £5.95.
