Cooking class Sicily how to prepare the right Italian pizza
Cooking class Sicily proposes the ultimate Italian recipe : PIZZA
Who doesn’t like pizza raise your hand?
Pizza is a delicacy that is loved by everyone all over the world . Raffaele Esposito from Naples was the first person to make pizza in 1889. The pizzamaker (pizzaiolo in Italian)was called to the Royal court on the occassion of the visit of King Umberto and Queen Margherita . He decided to top the pizza using the colours of the national flag as ingredients: tomatoes for red, mozzarella for white and basil for green. The queen appreciated the the tricolor color pizza so much that Raffaele as a good Neopolitan immediatedly had the idea to rebaptise it Margherita.
When one decides to make homemade pizza the dough is the most important ingredient to concentrate on. When the dough leavens, it has to be handled delicately so it will remain soft after cooking. Another factor to take into consideration is the oven which must be static and not ventilated as ventilated ovens tend to over dry the crust.
Preparation
Use your hands to shape the flour into a circular mound on a wooden working board. Make a well in the centre and fill it with warm water, salt and yeast dissolved in water. Knead energetically for about 15/20 minutes.
When the consistency of the pizza dough becomes soft, form a ball and let it sit in a warm place covering it with a clean dish cloth. It takes about 3 to 4 hours to raise at room temperature, until it doubles in size.
Dice the mozzarella cheese and put in a siever to drain off while the pizza dough is raising.
Divide the pizza dough into six small balls, arrange on a tray dusted with flour and let them sit for 45 minutes covered with the dish cloth until they double in size.
Pour the purèed tomato sauce in a bowl and flavour with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Flatten round ball and strecht out into a round using your hands or a rolling pin on a dusted wooden working board about 1/2 inch thick.
Spoon on the tomato sauce and place the diced mozzarella cheese.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees centigrades and bake for about 10 minutes. Before serving sprinkle some olive oil and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
INGREDIENTS for 6 persons.
- 900 grms flour
- 30grms Beer yeast
- 10grms salt
- 5dl water
- 500grms mozzarella cheese
- 500grms purèed tomato sauce
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
Sicily cooking class organizes workshops on how to prepare PIZZA (original recipe)
Ingredients will be bought at the market below the school, then you will prepare the pizza dough, even though an already leavened pizza dough will be used. You will top the pizza, bake and eat it all together.
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