You pull a round from a fierce oven: blistered rim, a thin film of crushed tomato, torn mozzarella, basil, a thread of oil. The centre is soft; the edge shatters. You eat it folded, in the hand, while it still burns a little.
Naples. Tomato, mozzarella and basil as the colours of the flag — a story the city likes and historians pick at. The combination is older than the anecdote. What is not in dispute is the place: this is Neapolitan pizza, a civic identity.
A home oven will not be a wood oven. Stretch by hand, leave a rim, bake on a stone at the hottest the kitchen will go. It will still be pizza.
Method
- 01
Mix the flour, water, yeast, and salt in a bowl until a shaggy dough forms, then knead until it is smooth and elastic, a good eight to ten minutes. Cover and let it rise for two hours, until it has doubled and feels alive. Divide into four balls, cover them, and rest another hour. Don't skip the second rest; it is what lets you stretch without a fight.
- 02
Take a ball and stretch it by hand, using your knuckles and the weight of the dough, never a rolling pin — a pin crushes the gas and you will have a cracker. Leave a rim around the edge, a good half-inch, so it can puff in the oven. The center should be thin enough to see light through. If it springs back, let it rest five minutes and try again.
- 03
Spread a thin film of the crushed tomatoes over the center, stopping at the rim — you should still see dough through the sauce. Scatter torn mozzarella, a few basil leaves, and a thread of oil. Resist the urge to pile; a home oven is not a wood oven, and too much topping makes a soggy middle. Less is how Naples does it, and Naples is right.
- 04
Have a baking stone in the oven at the hottest it will go — 500°F or more if you can get it. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake six to eight minutes, until the rim blisters and the cheese is bubbling. The center should be soft, the edge shattering; eat it folded, in the hand, while it still burns a little.
