Description
High heat triggers the Maillard reaction between amino acids and sugars in the dough. The reaction forms new brown molecules that create the crust's toasted flavor and color.
Cultural Background
Pizza with tomato and cheese toppings first appeared in Naples, a port city in southern Italy, during the 1700s and 1800s. Street sellers there sold flatbreads topped with cheap local produce. Tomatoes reached Italy from the Americas in the 1500s and became common on these breads by the early 1800s. A written record from 1866 describes a version with basil, mozzarella cheese, and tomato. The 1889 story of a pizza named after Queen Margherita of Savoy is disputed by historians and likely grew later. The dish spread with Italian immigrants to the United States in the late 1800s. In the dough, two wheat proteins called gliadin and glutenin absorb water and form gluten, a network of stretchy strands. Kneading lines up the strands and adds disulfide bonds between them so the dough traps gas. Yeast added to the dough consumes sugars and releases carbon dioxide bubbles that expand during baking. At oven temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit the Maillard reaction begins between protein fragments and reducing sugars. This same heat also gelatinizes starch grains in the flour so they release chains that set the crumb structure. The single technique that decides success is preheating a baking stone or steel to full oven temperature so the base cooks and browns from below before the top dries. One surprising fact is that Neapolitan pizza makers once sold slices folded in paper for workers to eat while walking.
Recipe Info
PREP TIME: 25 minutes plus 1 hour rise
COOK TIME: 10 minutes per pizza
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 35 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
DIFFICULTY: Medium
Ingredients
- 500 grams bread flour
- 325 grams water at room temperature
- 10 grams salt
- 3 grams instant yeast
- 200 grams canned whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 250 grams fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 15 milliliters olive oil
Instructions
- Adult: Preheat oven to its highest setting, usually 500 degrees Fahrenheit or above, with a baking stone or steel on the middle rack for at least 45 minutes.
- Mix flour, water, salt, and yeast in a bowl until no dry flour remains.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour until doubled.
- Divide dough into 2 or 4 pieces and shape each into a ball; rest covered for 20 minutes.
- Stretch one dough ball by hand into a 12-inch round on a floured peel or parchment.
- Spread a thin layer of crushed tomato over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Add sliced mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Adult: Slide pizza onto the hot stone and bake 8 to 10 minutes until crust edges are browned and cheese bubbles.
- Remove from oven, add torn basil leaves, and repeat with remaining dough.
Tips
- Dough that tears when stretched has not developed enough gluten; let it rest longer or knead more next time.
- Use all-purpose flour if bread flour is unavailable.
- Ferment the dough in the refrigerator overnight for deeper flavor from slower enzyme activity.
Nutrition
Calories: 520
Protein: 22 grams
Carbs: 72 grams
Fat: 16 grams