Classic Neapolitan Pizza

There is nothing more rewarding than baking your own pizza in a wood-fired oven, especially if you are making a classic Neapolitan pizza. Those lovely charred ‘tiger’ spots dotted all over a perfectly puffed up pizza crust are pure food heaven. Simplicity is all about the quality of ingredients, so make sure you use some quality extra virgin olive oil, freshly picked basil leaves, authentic San Marzano tinned plum tomatoes and fresh fior di latte cheese.

Preparation time

30 mins + 24hr proving

Cooking time

2 mins

Serves

6 people

Ingredients

6 x 250g pizza dough ball, already proven or 6 x 250g ready made pizza dough balls
400g Italian tinned plum tomatoes
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
½ handful of fresh basil
6 tbsp of fresh parmesan cheese
300g fresh buffalo mozzarella or fior de latte cheese, cut into small cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
4 basil leaves for each pizza

Method

Pre-heat your oven at 400°C.
To make the sauce, just blitz the tinned tomatoes with a pinch of salt, sugar and the basil, keeping a bit of texture.
Lightly dust a clean surface with some flour or semolina flour and place your dough ball in the centre. Leaving one inch on either side of the diameter of the dough ball, press the dough with all fingers to flatten, turn to the other side and repeat the process. Turn back to the original side and repeat the process one more time.
Use your right hand to hold the flatten dough one inch in to keep the edge puffy and place your left hand’s thumb and index fingers on the top side of the dough and the rest of fingers below and pull the dough to stretch. Flip the dough over to your forearm with your palm open and flip back to the bench. Repeat the process a few times to stretch the dough evenly.
Start by spooning a thin layer of tomato sauce, leaving 2.5cm around the edge for the crust to rise. Sprinkle over a pinch of grated parmesan, then add the mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and four basil leaves. Be careful not to spill the sauce on the pizza peel as this may stop the pizza from sliding from the peel into the oven.
Transfer your pizza base onto a pizza peel which is also lightly dusted with semolina flour and stretch the edges of the pizza base, so it’s fully laid out.
Using your pizza peel, slide your pizza into your Fuego oven. Using a turning pizza peel pick the pizza from the side, bring to the front of the oven and turn it round. Do not turn your pizza inside the oven, as it will pick too much ash. Keep your eyes on the pizza, as failing to turn regularly will result in very charred black edges. Once you have a puffed crust which is darkly charred in spots, remove from the oven with your turning peel and slide into a serving platter. Watch out, the pizza will be extremely hot once removed from the oven; you may need to leave it a minute to cool.

Classic Neapolitan Pizza

Perfectionists in the Art of Wood-Fired Cooking.