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So here we are at bread number 25 in the book Bread baker's Apprentice: Pizza in the Neapolitan style. As you may have heard by now, my hubby is truly first generation Italiano, and so PIZZA is a serious topic for him. We have tried many pizzas all over our city, and there is only ONE place here in the US we go to get true pizza napoletano, and it's Antico Pizza. Having said all that, when this recipe came up, Nic was enthusiastic about trying to duplicate as close to the real thing at home. The verdict? Honestly, the pizzas were WAY better than average, but I think maybe my oven didn't get hot enough(it only heats up to 500 degrees). And also, my toppings were not too authentic either, maybe I should have tried to do some more authentic styles of pies. At any rate, I would say these pizza are definitely worth trying at home. If you have Mr Reinhart's book you can follow along on page 207 where he begins his introduction to how pizza is the perfect food,etc, but it is pretty interesting reading regarding how so many factors contribute to great pizza, but he believes in the power of the dough. I am not sure that is exactly what I believe, because at Antico Pizza they import all their ingredients from Italy, flour, salt, cheese, tomatoes, and other seasonings including their oregano, and I have to say, theirs is the closest we've had to REAL Italian Pizza.
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Mixed dough was on the slighty sticky side.

Reinhart tells us that the single biggest flaw in pizza making is that the pizza maker doesn't allow the dough a long rest in the refrigerator to release enzymes and improve gluten relaxation. So, after mixing the dough, I cut it into 6 pieces and formed them into balls and slipped them into the fridge.

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The next day, I took out 4 of the pizza balls (and froze the other two)and made small disks and then let those rest for about 2 hours. I then rolled them out into thin circular type shapes that looked very RUSTIC. Since toppings are endless, and Peter warns against using everything but the kitchen sink, we decided to top each pizza with a different assortment of ingredients. I think they look good enough to send to yeastspotting.

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Spinach, carmelized onions,feta, and pecorino in a tomato base
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fresh mozzarella,basil, anchovy paste and fresh cherry tomatoes
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Carmelized onions,pepperoni, and mozzarella
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Spainach, Mushrooms, and fontina cheese
Barbara W in N. Florida
7/30/2010 03:27:48 am

That was great. I love how you used different toppings on several pizzas. Great pictures too.

It's funny now to read about how dough can be much better with refrigeration. Long ago in my earlier baking years with just the Joy of Cooking to go by (which had I think two recipes that were overnight, refrigerated dough recipes) I searched and couldn't get advice about this and determined it was better to never refrigerate it. Now it's the rage and we can find out more easily how to make great breads!

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Sugar
7/31/2010 12:38:39 pm

It's caramel and caramelize. Carmel is a mountain in what is now Israel.

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8/8/2010 10:47:20 pm

Sandra,
All your pizzas look super! Do you bake them on a stone? I think the key to a great pizza next to the freshest ingredients is the oven temperature.
I have made grilled pizza on the BBQ and it is out of this world. I will blog about next time I make it.
Your two previous breads look pretty amazing as well!

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Sandra
8/9/2010 02:05:04 am

Barbara,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, you are right-- the refrigeration technique seems to have been a sudden phenom, but it really does seem to make a difference. How wonderful to have access to such great info and be able to share it!

Sugar,
Caramelize it is, appreciate the grammar check.

Hi Oriana,
Yes, I did bake the pizzas on a stone, and I agree that oven temperature probably has a lot to do with the best crusts, but unfortunately, my home oven does not go over 500 degrees :(. I am sure you have had incredible pizza while you were over in Italy, though. I will look forward to reading your blog on the BBQ !

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