Pizza for Dear People

There’s nothing nicer than passing beautiful day together with dear people and getting to know others! When the scent of fresh cooked pizza flows through the neighborhood, it’ll attract them automatically!

I’m lucky to have found great neighbors and friends, and as pizza is the ideal instrument for gathering everyone and express appreciation, we have – again and unianimously wanted – arranged a type of small summer party in front of the house, where I was responsible for the food. I won’t deny you the tasty results!

About the Dough

Unfortunately the timing was bad and the temperatures were higher than expected, so the dough overproofed a little. Here‘s how to do it right.

It’s been a simple hand-kneaded direct dough (about 4 kilos – yikes!) with a hydration of 65% and 3% salt. 24 hours of proofing time were planned, it got some more. However, I was able to make some – kinda rectangular – pizzas:

The Pizzas

Pizza Margherita

The classic! San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, parmesan dust, buffalo mozzarella and some good olive oil.

Pizza Fiocco

A creation of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Roberto Susta! Based on thick cream with fine prosciutto cotto, over which cooked potatoes are pressed. Some parmesan dust, pepper and olive oil over it – yummy!

Pizza Esmeralda

A dedication to my dear neighbor, who supplies me with food whenever I’m in need. We created this one together! A “pizza bianca” with a cheese sauce made from gorgonzola and mascarpone cheese, with spinach and garlic, grilled chicken breast stripes, parmesan dust, buffalo mozzarella and some olive oil. Wow, that was a good one!

Pizza Bianca ai Funghi

Honestly, I don’t know whether there’s a name for it. It’s a slightly modified version of a recipe I found in a YouTube video. Based on a besciamella (better known as “béchamel”) sauce, topped with mushrooms (roasted with red onions and garlic, and tossed in rosé wine). Eventually finished with parmesan dust, buffalo mozzarella and a little bit of truffle oil.

Pizza al Prosciutto di Parma, Rucola e Parmigiano

Another beloved classic! The pizza is made with the good San Marzano tomatoes, some parmesan dust, buffalo mozzarella, and, after cooking, topped with rucola, wafer-thin prosciutto di parma (in this case aged 24 months) and parmesan. As I didn’t have a cheese slicer at hand, I grated it over the pizza.