Pizza Romana

(Unedited)

Note: I am still working on this. Do NOT attempt this recipe until I give the go-ahead. We have had many failures trying to make Roman pizza, and we're not there yet. This is mainly here for me to keep track of what I want to try next.

Our favorite Italian pizza is the crunchy pan pizza found in Rome (pizza in teglia alla romana). Our favoriate pizzeria is Casa Manco at the Mercato di Testaccio, box 22. The co-owner who works the counter is very friendly. Our second and third favorites are Forno Roscioli (particularly for the spicy red pizza, pizza rossa con peperoncino) and Pizzeria Bonci (a famous, though slightly over-rated, place).

Below is the Casa Manco recipe. One thing I cannot find easily in the USA is the brand of flour they use, Antico Molino Rosso. So I've been forced to substitute other brands. However, the proportions are the same, assuming this really is their recipe.

In terms of toppings, please consult those from the Pizza Napoletana recipe. The only difference here is that we put mozzarella and ricotta on the pizza toward the end of the cooking process.

Dough (for 2 pizzas)

250 g tipo 0 soft wheat flour, such as King Arthur (Organic) All-Purpose

150 g tipo 1 soft semi whole wheat flour, such as Molino Signetti tipo 1 or other farina semintegrale

100 g spelt flour (farina di farro)

325 g cool water (for a 65% hydration)

2 g active dry yeast, such as Caputo Lievito

8 g salt

10 g extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings

Start with those from the Pizza Napoletana recipe

1. In a spacious bowl, mix the three flours.

2. In a separte bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.

3. Gradually pour the water+yeast into the flours while mixing with your fingers or with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. I want to try this in a stand mixer next time.

4. Again, do this in the stand mixer. Add the salt and olive oil and mix them in well. Work the dough for 10-15 minutes on the counter, getting it as smooth as possible. Note that it is a very wet dough, so this is challenging. It is fine to also do this mixing in the bowl. The olive oil will help keep the dough from drying out.

5. Let the dough rest on the counter covered with a bowel for 30 minutes.

6. Place the dough back into the bigger bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let dough rise in the refrigerator for four days. The original recipe calls for 72-100 hours at 4C. This step is supposedly crucial to develop the flavor.

7. Divide the dough into two pieces, gently form them into round shapes (do not handle them any more than necessary), and let them rise for four hours in an OFF oven with the light on.

8. Before the last hour of rising, preheat the the oven to broil with a pizza steel or stone on the bottom rack. This will heat the steel/stone from above.

9. Extend each dough using your fingers in a pan (or cast iron pan) that coated with a thin layer of olive oil is lightly floured with semola. The dough should end up about 1 cm in thickness. So this calls for a pan that is N x M cm (need to figure this out still!). Pizza rossa is thinner, so I need to discuss how thick that should be and how long to cook it.

10. If you are making a pizza with sauce or other liquid, go ahead and spread it on the dough now, but don't add any cheeses at this point. Roman pizzerie generally cook the crust, then show the uncooked toppings on the pizza in the glass window, then cook whatever piece you choose further in order to melt/cook those toppings. I'm not exactly sure how they split the time for this, requires more experimentation and research.

11. Change the oven from broil to bake at 500F (original recipe: 250-300C, which is 482-572F). This will change the heat to come from more from the bottom which will cause the bottom of the pizza to get crisper first.

12. Cook the pizza in pan for 20(?) minutes. Toward the end (need to figure this out!), add any cheeses, basil, etc. and cook until cheese is melted. I have no idea yet how to best do this to get it truly crispy throughout.