Go to the Recipe: Neo-Neapolitan Pizza
I just... I love you guys. So much.
Great ideas! Also, I love the stone on top-steel on bottom- idea on the Amazon pizza steel link! That's brilliant!
Doesn't it make sense to preheat the oven WITH the steel/stone inside? We got a baking steel just for pizza-making purposes. It's fantastic, but I always preheat with the steel in the oven. The whole point of that hour-long preheat is to get all that metal mass really, really hot and radiating, right? Looking forward to trying Joe's method with the on/off broiler.
I've got one of those standard NYC apartment ranges that has a separate broiler tray below the oven. Any advice on adapting this process to my equipment?
This is a great series. You guys rock (as usual). However, I would like to suggest a small correction. If you're using a pizza stone put it in the oven from the start so it warms up with the oven. I've cracked one by adding it room temperature into the red hot oven.
Ahh! Thanks for the note. The wording was definitely not clear there—I updated—but indeed, the steel or stone should be added right at the beginning so it heats along with the oven.
Yes, thank you Stephanie. That is what we meant but it wasn't clear. Updated.
If your broiler is below the oven, I suggest making pizza in a friend's house whose oven has a top mounted broiler instead. Sorry, no easy way around your problem - I've been there and can relate.
Looking forward to trying out the four and a half minute bake with the broiler strategically on and off. I've done the long preheat with a pizza stone but haven't utilized the broiler element yet (electric stove).
And another beautiful video!
A cheaper/larger version of the baking steel may be had if you have a welding or fabrication shop nearby. I was able to get a 14"x16"x1/2" bit of steel from a local shop for about $20. Another $10 and they dressed all the edges and sandblasted the top surface. From there, I just seasoned it like I would cast iron. With the extra thickness, it take a bit of time to get up to temp, but I can pull a lot of pizzas off in quick succession. Also, the thing is absurdly heavy.
Hi to all..my name is karl and I live in Malta... I like chef step alot and I took alot of ideas from you... i want to share an idea with you that I use in my kitchen to have the perfect pizza... I use a cast iron pan instead of pizza stone and in the video I saw that you use a piece of steel. The only thing that I do differnt from you is that I put the steel on the biggest burner on the cooker for 10mins until it is super hot.... than I put pizza dough with toppings on the steel and than right under the broiler or grill which is preheated to the max before.. I also adjust the height of the reck in the oven so that their is only few centimiters between the pizza and the grill.. enjoy the feast...
Depending on your oven and broiler, the broiler staying on may actually allow your oven to heat up beyond max temp, and you can use that to your advantage.
The high temp / broil / high temp / broil method is approximately what Ken Forkish recommends in Flour Water Salt Yeast. I've always done it with a stone, but have contemplated a steel for some time...
Hi, I am Italian, and this are some of the home pizzas I made
Your recipe is quite good but presents some issues in dough preparation and also cooking method can be improved a lot.
Please publish another article with fancy chefsteps pizza toppings! my fav: creme fraiche, small boiled potatoes, thyme, grated lemon zest, large thin stripes of lardo bacon (should become translucent, NOT crispy). Topped with raw baby spinach after baking. Give it a try
so tell us your improvements
Remember, the Pizza you are talking about is being made in America..not Italy. "vive la difference" the French say and it's a good thing for America and Italy as well. If you're an Italian you probably know one of the largest McDonald's restaurants in the world is next to the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The Hamburgers they sell are not at all like they are here in the USA ( where the burger takes it's origins ) and that's because that beautiful fountain is not in the USA nor are the burgers made near it. The goal here is a good pizza for an America palate not a pursuit of origin-ism or purism. ( note I grew up in Europe too and now live in the USA. I got over the " our way" stuff a long time ago and am better off for it ).
When in Italy I expect Italian authentic food. If I'm going to have a burger there I want it your way. And thank God that's how most of the world wants it.
Get an oven thermometer. Everyone should use them. Max out that broiler and give it 20 minutes. That's what you have to work with. A pizza purist would say making one is an art that needs talent and experience. That's true but that's not what this site is about. These CheftStep guys take technological ( with some art for sure ) approach and one of the tenets of that is constraining variables. That's why all the exact measurements and detailed technique descriptions. Cooking temp is as important as it gets and you aint gettin whats on that dial. You can eliminate the temp variable with a good oven thermometer..dial your oven in and forget that unknown.
Hi,
I can't have my oven on and also my broiler on so what do you suggest?
Oven Max temp then broiler some minutes before then max temp for the first 3 minutes and then broiler??
That is a very cool idea. Thanks for sharing, Karl.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. In a top-mounted broiler, generally how close is the top rack to the broiler flame?
First off, really liked the recipe - I've been a hobby pizza maker since I first made my own pizza stone in 1998. Now I have a neapolitan wood fired pizza oven. Some nit picks:
- In a couple of places it's noted that you can freeze either fresh/cake yeast or dough. You can't freeze dough or yeast - it will kill the yeast and ruin your dough. I have done this many times and learned the hard way.
- You should heat the stone/steel on the Max temp of the oven (550F for consumer models)
- You can ferment at a lower temperature for longer, I do 72 hours in the fridge 40 F/5 C which gives the dough a richer fermented flavour
- Salt is a yeast killer - careful, I don't add salt until the kneading
- 850F/450 C is the ideal temp to do this
- Flour! very important here, you should get a good flour - I recommend "00" flour from italy, or if you're in Canada there are some great Canadian flour equivalents.
IMHO - the spreading out the dough is the hardest part of all of this and very important to get right.
Yup, my oven is the same. You've got the order correct. The 45 min of preheating and having the cooking done on the top rack should mean you'll get a decent crust.
Can someone recommend a high quality tomato sauce? Are we talking about Hunt's tomato sauce or something harder to find?
San Marzano tomatoes in a can, picked from the foothills of Mt Vesuvius in Italy, is usually your best bet for your default pizza tomato sauce without knowing any other factors. Do not pre-cook the sauce, all you need is a little seasoning on the pizza (salt/pepper/dried spices if you wish) - the oven will cook the sauce for you.
Bravo spl33n, thats what a pizza should look like! I disagree with Richard Richardson, most Americans think their bastardized version of pizza is accurate. The style of pizza found in this recipe is unique to the highest quality spots of the north west, but you are unlikely to find this style held aloft in NY, Southern CA, Phoenix, Chicago, NJ, CT, NY, etc etc etc.... In reality most regional American pizza it is very good; yet sub-par compared to the quality of the dough you are using in In reality most regional American pizza it is very good - yet sub-par compared to the quality of the dough you are using in your pictures. As an example of the different regions in America's differing views on pizza, growing up in NYC we would say thumbs down on a pizza which has a stiff point. Pizza is supposed to sag and be bendable in the eyes of NY'ers. So be proud of your achievement spl33n, I hold your pizza in the highest of reguard and I wish I could figure out how to mimic your results. Feel free to ignore Mr Richardsen comment, there really is no such thing as "American" pizza, our styles here tend to be drastically different in each state - and sometimes even between cities within the same state. We do a great job in the USA, but only a few artesian restaurants exist that work hard to deliver a similar dough style that you are showing in your pictures - and thats a shame. For additional research, check out the "Gold Medal" Margherita Pizza at Tony Gemignani's Pizza Rock. His book features many regional pizza styles found across America, but his most aclaimed and award winning pizza is his Naopolitan style Margherita - clearly the best of the bunch. Sadly it cannot be reproduced at home without the proper oven, but it remains the holy grail style to reproduce for artisans at home. http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Saveur-100-2011-Pizza-Margherita
the highest rack setting is around 3 inches from the broiler.
Just made the Recipe and I am extremely impressed with the results. I used Joe's dough recipe, Carmelina San Marzano tomato puree, low moisture mozzarella, and basil from my garden. It took 9 minutes in my oven to get the crust browned and I didn't get the dark marbling on the bottom. My guess for the longer cook time and minimal marbling is that my oven only goes to 500F and I used a stone instead of steel. Still, the dough was nice and crispy even in the middle with a great flavor. It's the best pizza I've ever made!
You won't be disappointed. I got the first iteration. The 1/4in thick one. I love it. Still fine tuning my technique for pizza with it but it's total gamechanger. Also use it as a griddle right on top of my induction burner. Rad. Also plop it on my gas bbq for ultra crust on steaks and and burgers. Grill marks are the worst...
My pizza stone lives in the bottom of the oven until ready to use.
San Marzano tomatoes have kinda been debunked. I used the cento san marzano tomatoes once and the flavor was really flat. Muir Glen are a readily available supermarket brand that is pretty good.
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/231-canned-whole-tomatoes
You sure about the not being able to freeze dough? http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-whats-the-best-way-to-freeze-pizza-dough.html
That looks awesome, Jon.
Well my friends of overseas. Dough is good. One Main Mistake is to throw Mozzarella di buffala and Salami On top as an example before baking the pizza. The real pizzaiolo from the north to the south of italy will add those kind of toppings always in the end after baking prozess is completed, so for example the mozzarella will keep it s flavour without watering and the salami will remain it s shape flavour and grease without becoming oily. This is maybe the American way but not the Italian real deal. Same counts for herbs.... Best wishes and try it out.
Thank you mate,
I have been several times in the USA and in every state they say their pizza is the best.
Unfortunatly their pizza was awful because few elements.
First of all: they use too much yeast.
Second: too much yeast for too few hours of "rising"
Third: quantity of flour and water in dough are just wrong.
Fourth: toppings were too many, too much quantity of everything. Maybe they do that for hiding the poor dough flavour?
Fifth: cookin time is excessive.
All these points are important not because I am Italian and I decide that. These things are important because the flavour is important, digestibility is important.
I give you 2 options:
1) 150g flour, 95g water
2) 164g flour, 80g water
which dough will be "better"?
The answer is number one. That's because at the end you'll have 2 doughs of the same weight, but in the second case you are going to assume more flour, more carbs, and that will weigh more at the end of the meal.
Why most of the pizza shops prepare the number 2 dough? Because it's easier to work on that dough.
It is easier to "spread".
And we all know that not alway what is easy is the best.
I could now talk about the right amount of hours of rising or the proper kind of flour to use, but I am going to the cinema, so... next time if anyone is interested
bye
ps. pizza in your link is quite good, except for the oil and the sugar that are useless
I mean, he uses sugar for accelerate rising and then uses "ice-cold" wather lol
I have a decent amount of amateur experience making pizza dough and this recipe was excellent! The dough stretched very easily without breaking and I was able to get a very thin crust. Thanks!
I could not get marbelling on the bottom, despite a pizza stone heated to 550 for 45 minutes. Maybe my pizza stone is too wimpy. I want to play with this recipe and technique many times because even when you "fail" the results are great!
I also wasn't able to get the marbling with a pizza stone. I've been eyeballing a big half inch think pizza steel on amazon thinking that'll get the job done.
Damn right. Tell me the resting time please
totaly disagree. If u copy a recipe then do it right and call it the name it is. No comfortable short cuts, no my way. In ur private kitchen yes u can do that. But destroying the identity of dishes is a fail. I will never order a burger in Italy. Because they fail "your way" talking here about Neapolitan pizza and throwing mozzarella and herbs before baking on the dough is another big fail. So it s American style pizza and nothing else. Best wishes
exactly
Wow. We've never had this great a success with pizza at home - super thin crust. Made dough with 00, high protein flour from our local italian market, baking at 535-550 range in my gas oven on a pizza stone. I didn't get the marbling on the bottom until the second pizza. Hubert's advice on adding salami sometime into cooking was very helpful - would have been too "wet" otherwise. Thank you all. Wondering how this dough would work for Calzone?
I ordered a pizza steel today to christen on Friday, our family pizza night. Fingers crossed.
Let me know how your results are with the steel. If it works I think I'll pick one up too
Now for the anti-pizza. We have come a long way from "dinner roll pizza"
Chris,
I've been making big batches of four ingredient bread weekly for two years and have never had an issue with salt inhibiting yeast growth.
I have the 1/4 inch Pizza Steel and it works very well in creating the caramelization or marbling on the bottom curst.
Hi guys,
I tried your recipe which i different from what I used to make pizza with, I used a pizza stone. I think I have to try and try to reach your quality. the hassle part was shaping the dough at the end, which I ended up with an oval shape not a circle,haha... anyway shape wise i wast satisfied but i have to admit that the taste and the texture was quite pleasing.
you buds make me crazy. this is the best pizza I ever made
uh, trust me. I'm italian
At least avoid to title "PRO" pizza...this is mediocre...
I've tried many recipes including the ones from Modernist Cuisine at Home, and this was the best pizza I've ever made - way better than any restaurant pizza I can find locally here in chain restaurant hell. Toasting the dusting flour makes a huge difference and the dough was very easy to work with. I just used King Arthur bread flour - no expensive 00 flour or vital wheat gluten required! I would have killed my air conditioner trying to get the room down to 65ºF (it's 97ºF here in south FL), so I only let the dough ferment for about 3.5 hours at 75ºF before moving it to the refrigerator overnight. I also couldn't find cake yeast, so I used 1 g of SAF Red instant yeast. I used the Modernist Cuisine baking steel in my 500ºF electric oven. Thank you Joe Heffernan and ChefSteps!
Canned tomatoes are already cooked...
I wasn't happy with the marbling I was getting on my Pizza stone in the oven and the house was getting really warm from all the preheating. I decided to put my stone on my gas grill which is able to get up to 700F in about 20 minutes. Now I can bake a pizza with beautiful marbling in 2 minutes!
Boom
This turned out great!! I've used the broiler technique before and that is a huge part of the puzzle. Something that is super underrated that shows up in the video but not the text is the blowing step. Make sure you blow under the pizza after it's topped sitting on the peel. This seems to get rid of excess flour and make\s sure the pizza isn't sticking to the peel. I had never seen that before this, but I think that was one of the biggest single improvements to my pizza game.
Now - Pizza porn
Do you have a recipe for the tomato sauce? That is also an essential component to a good pizza!
Oh man. Just made this...I hate to say it, but I think this may have dethroned Kenji's New York Style Pizza Dough as my go-to. So easy and great results. I was worried I had screwed up the stretching because the dough was seriously translucent, but damn if it didn't support an appropriate layer of SM and cheese. No drooping, good leopard-spotting on the bottom. Might crank the broiler a bit earlier next time, but major, major kudos for this!
I bought my steel directly from the manufacturer in Hanover, MA, cheaper by about $30. I love the steel, I think it helps make a better tasting crust and cooks faster. A peel is a necessity because the baking steel is so heavy, makes moving the oven rack harder and as you stated hot, hot temps makes burns to self painful. Baking Steel also has a few great recipes for pizza, try them.Irene
Follow up to this after many uses. You get good marbling (or I prefer the term leoparding!) with the pizza steel on the first pizza, but that first pizza "robs" the steel of much of its heat, giving that second pizza blonde on the bottom.
Yes. Totally agree
Can of whole San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt. Blitz up in a blender.
The chefsteps lasagne recipe has a good starting point
I’ve been considering this option as well. Have you been able to achieve sufficient charring in the gas grill?
Yup. No need to cook it in advance. This is simple and easy and always perfect.
Be careful, there have been lawsuits over misleadingly labeled domestic tomatoes that imply they are San Marzanos and have been found to be lower quality and taste worse.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/business/san-marzano-tomato-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Yk8.WITX.oJ3jbqQ7FH3c&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
