Baked Goods, Recipes

Margherita, Regina Del Forno Rustico: The Neapoletan Thin Crust Pizza

Picture a pizza as you know it, inclusive of all toppings and a delicious, crispy base that has been baked to perfection. Sounds almost drool-worthy if you get the combination right. But did you ever think that your mental image of a pizza could be dramatically different to that of another person? There’s no telepathy involved, but I can almost guarantee that if we compared that picture to a local from another country, it would be completely different. What makes me so bold about this prediction? Let’s consider what comes to your mind first when you think of a pizza. Perhaps it would be any number of the adjectives yeastless, hand-tossed, thin-crust, deep-dish, pan-fried, cheese-crust, 12-incher and even ‘magic dough’ – all of which are non-existent in the most traditional sense of a pizza recipe, but are so prolifically advertised by commerical pizza companies. In truth, pizza, one of the world’s most popular take away foods, has as many varieties to choose from as there are varieties of coral in the deep blue sea. But did you ever think about how it has been received around the world, how the locals of a country have adapted it to their local fare and daily diet? Sydneysiders are blissfully unaware of the dense variety of their favourite home-delivery food, though slowly they are becoming more and more familiar with the New York, Chicago, Greek, French, Mexican and Lebanese versions among others, and at a crawling pace, are also rolling up their sleeves to add their own variation to the mix. And by showcasing this easy-to-follow recipe, hopefully you’ll soon be inspired to give it a try yourself.

But before we dive straight into the details, a little bit of history into this recipe to tantalise your tastebuds. My grandmother and my mother each have their own unique knack for making pizzas that I am still unable to parallel. In their wisdom and experience, the tricks of the trade have been passed down and only by applying a bit of observational learning have I been able to collect their best secrets for the best results. While my grandmother will choose a non-stick stainless steel tray that has been liberally coated with quality oil and spread over the pizza top evenly with concentrated tomato paste, anchovies and Spanish onion, my mother will instead make sure that the toppings meet the edges of the pizza topping and ensure the bottom is dusted well with flour with garlic granules. When I asked my grandmother politely one day in my youth, she passed me a cheeky grin and simply said, “You gather this, that, and the other, and mix them in a bowl.” Of course, she never mentioned what ingredients were needed, what quantities or even the method for bringing it all together! Although she wouldn’t tell me what goes into a great pizza, my mother was delighted to give me a few pointers that I have built upon with practise and insight into better edibility and nutrition (Okay, maybe not the second one). In my opinion, what makes the best pizza is time and thyme. Time is needed to let the flavour of the oil, sugar, salt and herbs soothe the dough as it rises in the right setting for the right amount of time, while fresh or dried thyme add a unique pepper-savoury flavour to cheese and tomato bases — the quintessence of the classical Margherita.

By far the best pizza I have ever experienced was home-made from a wood-fired oven in a open bushland setting in regional New South Wales, with a pizza dough that was golden-brown from baking beneath the fresh air and warm sun, with the perfect amount of yeast and a rubbery consistency. The natural aroma of the wood, the smoky residue of the warm brick, the rural town air and the freshest ingredients made for a delightful tasting experience that – quite surprisingly, is more easily replicable in a city setting than you might think.

So, if you care to hear some of the secrets and techniques to a great pizza night or pizza party, you’d best keep reading on to gather all I have learned about this finnicky but rewarding art. A sneak peak? As always – use only a pinch of yeast and a lot of love and you’ll see the difference in your final product!

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The Ten Top Tips from Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea: Secrets to a Thin Crust

  1. One of the most common problems I have come across personally and while watching others making pizza on our pizza nights’ is the amount of yeast they use in their mixing bowl. Use too much and you end up with a fluffy and boisterous gooey dough that is not malleable at all and only sticks to your counter. Use too little and you will find yourself eating a very dull slab of wheat. Experiment carefully and use a teaspoon at all times – never rely on rule-of-thumbs or trust your bare hand.
  2. Water and flour are also very important to get right. In the many cookbooks on the sidebar here, you’ll read the same tip I am about to offer you – you can always add more water, but you will find it hard to add extra flour if you’ve carefully budgeted it and have already got dough all over your fingers. Add the water into the bowl slowly, mixing it in as you go, and making sure that your surface is clean and free of obstructions so that you are able to dust it with flour for rolling out.
  3. Be sure that you never leave your dough out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, unless you enjoy eating Australian damper that is devoid of moisture and flavour: it’ll cook in there!
  4. Oil your pizza pan evenly – not too much, not too little, and use your rolled-out dough to push and mould the dough to the shape of the tray. That way, you won’t struggle with the same issues of having to transfer it over.
  5. When rolling out the dough, use a combination of a rolling pin as well as your own push-pull-knead procedure, as this will most effectively release trapped air bubbles and ensure a finer consistency with less bumps and bubbles.
  6. Soggy, rolled-out pizza dough is your worst enemy. If your topping is too laden, then you are going to experience an unpleasant time when trying to serve it to your guests.
  7. Make sure you are using good quality flour and fresh yeast; so often you will find that expired yeast gets you nowhere and that poor quality flour tastes awful, refuses to properly rise and has a terrible consistency. Bread-making flour or triple-sifted plain flour is the way to go. For extra flavour, try using a bread mix with soy and linseed or another combination of seeds.
  8. When baking, don’t be tempted to open the oven to take a sneak peak; the sudden escape of heat and inducement of cold air means that extra air bubbles get introduced into the dough, which manifest in a negative way to the presentation — ever had a delivered pizza with strange ‘air-craters’ on it? That’s why!
  9. Put in a fresh farm egg along with tepid water when you are making the mixture, along with a splash of olive oil. These instructions will be in the recipe list, but it’s important to note that using olive oil will add to the taste, warm water will help with mixing and an egg will help obtain a golden baking colour as opposed to a pure white.
  10. Gas and natural wood ovens work best; if you can’t make do with that, purchase a baking pizza stone. They make a real difference in the crispness of the crust when popped into the oven.

INGREDIENTS
330g tepid water
500g all-purpose white flour
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved and quartered
1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
2 green-red Roma or egg tomatoes
250g of fresh grated mozzarella cheese
jar of crushed fresh garlic paste

THE SEVEN SWEET PINCHES OF THYME™
pinch of ground sea salt
pinch of Greek oregano
pinch of wild thyme
pinch of white sugar
pinch of ground white pepper
pinch of rosemary
pinch of marjoram

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/392°F, preparing the middle rack for use.
  2. Advance-prepare or sudden-prepare the zucchini and eggplant by frying or grilling them until tender. Cook and keep to the side for the moment.
  3. Prepare a clean and clear counterspace for use. Dust briskly with flour to stop the dough from sticking.
  4. Add the required amounts of ingredients to a large Pyrex® bowl, making sure that water is added last and in careful increments.
  5. Stir with a strong steel spoon until thoroughly combined. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it is too dry, add a touch more water. Remove from bowl.
  6. Kneed and plough dough with push and pull motions across the benchtop until reaching an elastic consistency that is slightly sticky to the touch but not wet.
  7. Oil a non-stick, flat baking tray and flour lightly. Push and pull dough over the length of the tray until all the corners are met. Use a thumb and forefinger creasing method to stretch.
  8. Use the prongs of the fork to create a pleating effect downward and outward, folding inward. You are given creative license here to make the crust of the pizza as thick or thin as you like; for thicker, use small pinching actions, for thinner, be sure to flatten the curves and push the excess dough inward. Oil flattened dough lightly once more.
  9. With a culinary brush, stroke the  with the garlic paste liberally. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough with a spoon and finish with cheese and other condiments.
  10. Place into oven for 30-45 minutes, or until desired baking colour and flavour is reached.
12 December 2008   ·   8 comments

8 comments to “Margherita, Regina Del Forno Rustico: The Neapoletan Thin Crust Pizza”.

Angela — December 15th, 2008, 2:07 pm

What gorgeous pizzas! I love the liberal application of garlic before the tomato sauce—I’m guessing there’s a nice kick to every bite? And thanks for the ’seven sweet pinches of thyme’ recipe; I look forward to trying it out.

Matt — December 16th, 2008, 10:47 am

Hi Angela,

Thank you so much for reading about the summer pizzas post; you’re very right about that kick with the garlic, as the high baking heat and the time in the oven secures the roasted juices into the base itself.

Let me know if you have time to give this one a try :)

Germaine — December 18th, 2008, 11:31 pm

What a coincidence, we just had pizza tonight and then I read this post. It is so true that every person has his own secret recipe of pizza making. With our hot and humid weather, we are still experimenting the best methods and ingredients. So far, we have made many delicious pizzas since we came back. But still I reckon the best pizza is still from where it originated from…..Napoli……thin and crispy but slightly chewy crust, it would be a bonus if it is topped with buffalo’s milk mozzarella from Vannulo.

Diana — December 19th, 2008, 10:49 pm

That sounds so delicious! I will have to try your recipe.

Matt — December 20th, 2008, 9:22 am

Hi Diana, thanks for dropping by :)

Even if you’re a pizza fanatic and make dough by day and cheese by night, I hope this post brought out the sentiment in your mind that the more attention you put into the dough, the better the outcome, even regardless of your toppings (of course, good toppings help too!)

Matt — December 22nd, 2008, 10:12 pm

Ciao Germaine,

How are your pizzas like back home? With every dough rolling session, I bet you’re coming closer and closer to a personal style that reminds you of your time in Italy. I’d be really curious to hear how they turn out for you in the climate, since I read up somewhere that some people are fanatical enough, for example, about New York style crust pizzas that they actually have the city tap water “exported” because they believe the mineral deposits in the water add to the unique flavour.

Now if only they sold buffalo milk mozzarella here… you know, I mentioned it to a friend not long ago and complained how they don’t stock it here in Oz. He looked at me sideways as though I was crazy. He didn’t believe me that such a thing existed and if it did, he doubted it would taste very nice.

One of the things I really admire about the Neapolitan style of pizza making is their variety: you can make a pizza pie, a calzone or just fold your pizza in half divided through the centre, and you’ve got something reminiscent of a puff pastry. I’m getting a bit worked up about pizza, I think :)

Tommy Lee — January 9th, 2009, 6:00 am

Hi there, I found your blog via Google while searching for bare minerals ingredients and your post regarding Margherita, Regina Del Forno Rustico: The Neapoletan Thin Crust Pizza looks very interesting to me. Keep up the good work.

Matt — January 9th, 2009, 11:26 am

Thanks, Tommy. I’m very glad to hear that you appreciate the recipe :)

The Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea project found its roots when it was plucked excitedly from the garden, washed briskly in a basin of water and lovingly left out to dry in a soothing marinade of vision and ambition ... More »

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