Digging into a slice of gourmet pizza in Italy is on every foodie’s bucket list. Nothing quite beats the real thing. But when you can’t make it to the Bel Paese to sink your teeth into a pizza margherita, the next best thing is learning the secret to enjoying gourmet pizza at home with an Italian pizza dough recipe crafted by a Gambero Rosso award-winning Master pizza chef.
One Master pizza chef, in particular, has you covered: Mirko Petracci. The son of a pizza maker, who quite literally grew up with his hands in the pizza dough, has cultivated his passion over the years through learning from the greats, like Bonci, and continuing to experiment. Experimentation that in 2018, brought Mirko to finally trademarking his signature Italian pizza dough: Gran’Aria®. A dough that has the right amount of crunch and is easily digestible.
With his Italian pizza dough recipe, you too can start experimenting with the basics to build the perfect homemade pizza to transport yourself to sitting in the piazza, soaking up the atmosphere & enjoying everything that Italy has to offer.
Ingredients you’ll need to make gourmet pizza from Italy at home
Ingredients for 4:
- 630 gr (22.2 oz) of Flour, either Type 0 or Type 1 (Tipo 0 o Tipo 1)
- 500 gr (17.5 oz) of Water
- 15 gr (0.5oz) Ounces of Salt
- 15 gr (0.5 oz) of Olive Oil
- 2 gr of Fresh yeast (not powder yeast)
Pro-tip: If you can’t find fresh yeast at your local supermarket, try your local bakery. They may be able to sell you some commercial grade fresh yeast.
Step 1 to making a gourmet Italian Pizza Dough recipe
Prepare the poolish (Your mixture of flour, water and yeast)
In a tall and narrow container mix the following:
- 500 gr (17.5oz) of water
- 500 gr (17.5oz) of Flour
- 2 gr (⅖ of a teaspoon) of fresh yeast
After the poolish is well mixed, let it rest at room temperature for 14-18 hours
Step 2
Put the poolish in a container where it is easy to use your hands
- Gradually add 130gr (4.5oz) of Flour until the dough is homogeneous
- Add the salt and mix
- Add the Olive oil and mix
Place the dough in the container that you previously greased with some olive oil on (to prevent sticking) and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Take the dough and fold it on its own a few times as you would if you were making dough for bread and then wait one hour.
Brake off the dough into the pieces you want to use, cutting it neatly.
Let the dough balls sit for 3-4 hours.
Step 4: prepare the pizza pans
Put some oil on the pan you would like to use and then place the dough balls on it before proceeding with the actual making of your pizza.
Step 5: COOK YOUR ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH
Cook the pizza for 6/7 min at around 250/260 ℃ (500℉)
Take out the pizza and put your condiment on it
Cook for another 6-8min
And the most important step of all…
Eat and Enjoy!
