Here's a step-by-step guide to making a delicious Margherita pizza in your Igneus wood-fired pizza oven:
Ingredients (for 2 pizzas):
For The Dough:
- 500g all purpose flour or 00 pizza flour
- 325ml water (lukewarm)
- 10g salt
- 2g of instant yeast or 7g of fresh yeast
- 15ml olive oil (optional, for added elasticity)
For The Toppings:
- 250g San Marzano tomatoes (or other high quality canned tomatoes)
- 200g fresh mozzarella (preferably bull mozzarella)
- Fresh proscuitto (can leave if preferred)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Instructions for Cooking:
Prepare the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water
- Gradually mix in the flour and salt, kneading for about 10 minutes until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough
- If using olive oil, add it halfway through kneading
- Form the dough into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and allow it to rise for 1.5 - 2 hours in a warm spot or until it doubles in size.
- Once risen, divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each into a ball. Let the dough balls rest for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven
- Fire up your Igneus oven using dried silver birch wood
- Maintain a consistent flame, aiming for a cooking surface temperature of 400 degrees. Use the thermometer to check you have achieved the desired cooking temperature. This usually takes 20-30 minutes to achieve the optimum temperature.
Prepare the toppings
- Blend or crush the canned tomatoes into a smooth sauce
- Add a pinch of salt for seasoning (avoid adding too many herbs or spices to maintain the purity of the flavour)
- Slice the fresh mozzarella into thin rounds and set aside
Assemble the Pizza
1. On a floured surface, stretch one dough ball into a thin, round base (around 10 - 12 inches in diameter). Be careful to keep the edges slightly thicker to achieve a nice crust.
2. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce evenly on the base leaving about an inch of space around the edges.
3. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top of the sauce
4. Add a few fresh basil leaves for flavour and that beautiful aroma (your mouth must be watering by now)
5. Drizzle a little extra good quality extra virgin olive oil over the pizza
Bake the pizza
1. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone using a well floured pizza peel
2. Rotate the pizza every 20-30 seconds to ensure that it cooks evenly
3. The pizza should cook in around 60-90 seconds resulting in a crisped, charred crust and bubbling cheese
Serve and enjoy your stunning Margherita Pizza
1. Remove the pizza from the oven, drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil if desired and serve on a beautiful acacia wood board and enjoy!
