Neapolitan Pizza, Simple and Satisfying

Prep: 20 minutes plus proving Bake 20 minutes

I love Neapolitan style pizza and simple pizzas and artisan pizzas. Pizza is just great. Super great. For a new episode of This Day in History, we were looking at pizza which lead to this recipe. I had a lot of fun and have already added it into my normal rotation as it’s fast and easy to repeat. This servers one and requires a pizza stone.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup bread flour + extra

• 1/2 tsp instant yeast

• ~4 oz warm water depending on dough consistency

• Pinch of salt

Sauce

• 2 medium tomatoes

• 2 tbls olive oil

• 1 tbls minced garlic (or to taste)

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of pepper

• Oregano to taste

• Italian herbs to taste if you’re feeling fancy

Toppings

• Fresh mozzarella

• Fresh Basil

• Olive oil

Prep

1. Start the dough since it needs to prove

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and instant yeast

3. Add the water in small amounts while stirring/mixing until you get a dough that is just slightly sticky and holding it’s shape. If you go too far, you can add more flour slowly

4. Roll into a ball and let prove at room temp for at least 30 minutes but up to a few hours

5. Start the sauce when you are getting ready to make the pizza

6. Preheat the oven to 500 F (260 C)

7. Put your pizza stone into the oven to heat while it preheats

8. In a small or medium sauce pan, warm to medium heat

9. Chop your tomatoes and remove any harder rinds

10. Add the olive oil to the pan with the minced garlic and warm it, it’s important to not roast it, just warm

11. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and stir frequently. You want the tomatoes to soften and break down to make the sauce.

12. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer to help thicken the sauce

13. Take your dough and roll out to a quarter inch thick and round pizza

14. Remove the pizza stone from the oven and place on a heat safe location

15. I have found it works best to add the pizza crust to the stone first, then add the sauce and toppings

16. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the crust is starting to brown and the cheese is melting

17. Serve while warm

Afterthoughts

This is such a magnificent pizza. It is simple, fast (minus proving) and still has so much taste. The fresh ingredients make for a colorful burst in your mouth. A pizza stone is the best way to handle not having a wood burning oven, but still gives a crispy crust. When it’s done, you can add some olive oil on top and it’s all so good. I highly recommend this pizza, and it is easy to make a few personal pizzas for friends and family.