Dough ingredients:
1 kg. “00” Italian flour
800g water
7g natural yeast
18g salt
22g extra-virgin olive oil
Toppings:
450g tomato sauce
950g fresh cherry tomatoes
1 pinch granulated garlic
20g sea salt
30g chili peppers, sliced
8g oregano
400g buffalo mozzarella
30g extra-virgin olive oil
10 fresh basil leaves
Dough recipe:
Add flour, yeast and 80% of the water in a large bowl or mixer and mix for a few minutes. Then add the salt, remaining water and oil; continue mixing until the mass is thoroughly combined and no longer sticks to the sides of the container. Be careful not to overwork or overheat the dough during this process, which should take no longer than 15 minutes. Cover the dough to prevent it from forming a crust. Place the container in the refrigerator and let the dough rest for 48 hours. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and shape into a big ball. Cover and let it rise for another 24 hours in the refrigerator. After the leavening process is complete, place the dough ball on a 16”-by-24” baking sheet. Hand-stretch it gently, making sure the dough is evenly stretched to all sides of the baking tray.
Toppings:
Spread an even layer of the tomato sauce on the dough, leaving a ½” border around the edges. Place the cherry tomatoes, granulated garlic, oregano, oil, chili peppers and sea salt in a bowl, then mix and crush the ingredients with your hands. Spread the mixture evenly on the pizza. Bake at 610°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until crust is golden-brown. When pizza is ready, add hand-pulled pieces of buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
When in Rome
With its thin, crispy crust and robust flavor, Roman-style pizza has become a popular alternative to traditional Neapolitan pizza. Check out these examples from around the country:
In Cos Cob, Connecticut, Gravina (gravinact.com) serves up the Siciliana, made with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Italian tuna and red onions.
At Delarosa (delarosasf.com) in San Francisco, chef Ruggero Galaldi and his team created a Roman-style pizza featuring spicy fennel sausage, scamorza cheese and onion.
For something completely different, Amalfi Pizzeria (amalfipizzeria.com) in Central Valley, New York, invented a Roman-style pie called Waste Management, made with bacon, tomatoes, chicken, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and French fries.
