Home Italy Revisited Bookshelf Plays About Mary Melfi Contact Us
in
X Italian Breads and Pizzas
Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes
Originated from: Mondragone, Caserta, Campania
Occasion: Any time
Contributed by: Pauline Fresco (Mrs. Angela Giulione's recipe, her mother-in-law)

Printer Friendly Version

Ingredients

For the Pizza dough

5 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 cups tepid water
1 packet of traditional Fleischmann's dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons or 8g)

For topping
about 1 tablespoon olive oil
about 3 tomatoes, sliced
about 1 cup mozzarella, thinly sliced
about 2 teaspoons oregano
about 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
about 1 teaspoon salt
about 1/2 cup olives, sliced (optional)



Directions

To make the dough

o Place the yeast in 1 1/2 cup of tepid water, stir, and then let it rest for about 15 minutes. If the mixture bubbles up, then the yeast is proofed and ready to be used to make the dough.

o Place the 5 cups of flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the bowl. Add the proofed yeast and a cup of so of water. Mix well. Add the remaining water and work into a pizza dough.

o Place the pizza dough on a lightly wooden board and knead for about half an hour, "punching" the dough as much as possible until the dough is shiny and malleable. Alternatively, a Kitchen Aid can be used.

o Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large container and cover. To avoid drafts the dough can be placed in a conventional oven that is NOT turned on. Let the dough rest for three to four hours or until it doubles in size.

o After the pizza dough has doubled in size, knead the dough once again.

o Place the kneaded dough in a bowl, cover and let it rest for about 2 hours.

o After the dough has rested and increased substantially in volume, remove from bowl.

o Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

o Stretch out the dough in a large aluminum baking sheet greased with Crisco (lard).

o Garnish with slices of fresh tomatoes. Add mozzarella pieces. Season.

o Bake the pizza in a 400 F degree oven for about about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden.

o Serve warm or at room temperature.






Notes

Mrs. Angela Giulione, Pauline Fresco's mother-in-law, recalls that when she was growing up in the 1930s in her hometown of Mondragone, Caserta, Campania, there was no such thing as a set recipe for a pizza topping. Home cooks used whatever they had on hand. So toppings varied from week to week, day to day. In the wintertime one might use canned tomatoes, in the summertime when fresh produce was available, one used fresh tomatoes and so on. Mrs. Angela Giulione also notes that when she was growing up in the 1930s the home cooks in her area always said a prayer when they made dough (The same "recipe" was used to make bread or pizza). In fact, Mrs. Giulione indicated that home cooks said two prayers, one for the first kneading, and another for the second kneading. The prayer for the first kneading went as follows: "Crese pane al forno come a chresciuto Gesu per il mondo." In English it can be literally translated as "Grow bread in the oven like Jesus grew in the world." The prayer for the second kneading went as follows: "Chrese pane e masse come a chrescute Gesu con il facio." The second prayer can be translated in English as, "Grow bread while you are being kneaded like Jesus grew in his swaddling cloth." Mrs. Giulione to this day says the prayers when making the dough.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

Back to main list