What about an original Italian Pizza directly at your home for dinner?
I’d like to start today a new section: Grandma’s secrets and tips.
Everyone knows the important role that my Granny run in my life and my wish to pass down her tips during our cooking classes too…so why don’t write her secrets?
In addiction to this, my mum made me a beautiful gift; an italian book with all the important tips we must know when cooking.
I know we live in a fast world and traditions and customs are disappearing, but I always meet people (in cooking classes and in private dinners as well) who want to know more about italian food and the way to prepare it and they’re always interested in authentic experiences.
That’s why I wish to share with you these secrets and tips, not only because we face “kitchen” and food everyday, but to share and pass down some authentic folk wisdom.
TIPS for PIZZA, BREAD, FOCACCIA
- More time you let that Pizza dough rises, better is. Anyway, to check if it’s at the right point: put a small ball of dough in a glass with cold water, if it resurfaces, the dough is ready to be stretched, stuffed and baked.
- You should pull the Pizza dough on the pastry board and not directly over the baking tray. Because of a gluten reaction, in fact it tends to shrink during the cooking.
- Pizza dough inevitably shrinks a bit when transferred on the baking tray; but if you grease the baking tray with butter instead oil, you’ll avoid that it shrinks already before the cooking.
- While kneading the dough of a pizza (or Focaccia), don’t use just the water. If you want it more digestible, add an infusion made with rosemary or oregano.
- You’re going to read a very precious secret from my Granny. I can assure you that if you follow it you’ll obtain the most delicious bread, focaccia and pizza as well. When my Grandma moved into a new home she hadn’t a wood-fired oven, but just an electric one; she strove a lot and made many tests to have the same amazing pizza she made with the wood-fired oven. At the end she arrived in what is a very good solution that’ll give you a real success and an authentic flavor to your pizza &Co: buy a rectangular piece of marble (the black one is the best); it has to be 2cm high at least and big enough to stay in the baking tray of your oven. Heat the electric oven to maximum waiting that the marble be very hot; you can cook your pizza or bread directly over this surface and you‘ll obtain a flavor very very similar to the real Italian pizza made by a wood-fired oven.
- Are you interested in “The Perfect Pizza” Recipe? Want to know all the right steps to obtain it? CLICK HERE and you’ll read a very very interesting post.
Is there some new trick that you know for making pizza?
Please leave a comment, I’ll answer you asap!
I’ve always wanted to know how Italian pizza is usually made, so it’s great to know a few of these tips. There have been a few times when I ruined my pizza dough, and I’ve been struggling to find a better way to improve the way it tastes before taking it out of the oven. I wouldn’t have thought to let my dough rise longer to make it taste better. Your tip to put a small ball of dough in a glass with cold water to see if it resurfaces is really clever. I wouldn’t have thought to do this myself, so I’ll try this tip to know the perfect time for my dough to be baked.
Buongiorno Judy! I’m very glad when I can help someone in cooking, that’s my job! Let me know if you succeed with your dough and don’t hesitate to ask me other questions about italian cooking or mistakes that you’d like to avoid…I’ll answer you asap. Hope we’ll keep in touch
I love it when a pizza place uses black marble to cook their pizza, so thanks for pointing out that you can use one in an electric oven! My family’s favorite dish is pizza, and we always love to go out to eat at locations that make quality pizzas with delicious focaccia. Whether it be a wood-fired oven or an electric oven, good pizzas are always well worth eating.
Caro Larry, I’m so happy to meet e pizza “lover” like you! Do you also make and cook pizza? What’s your fav taste? Please, try to use black marble and let me know how did it taste. I’m sure it’ll be amazing. Looking forward to hearing from you, Buona giornata e grazie!
thank you for these tips! My 15-year-old is currently taking a really advanced cooking class and they are working on pizza dough this week. He is looking for any tips that will help him perfect the art.
Grazie Adrienne! So happy if I can help your son. Also my daughter Ginevra is 15 years old and she’s trying to be skilled in desserts. Did you already read the following post? https://www.cookingclassesintuscany.net/italian-pizza-cooking-class-and-recipe-in-tuscany-all-the-right-steps-and-tips-to-have-a-perfect-one/
It could be interesting.
Looking forward to know about your boy “pizza” progress. I’m here at your disposal for any question. Ciaooo!!
Your advice on using a piece of marble to cook your pizza on sounds awesome. I wish that I could make authentic Italian pizza from my home, but unfortunately, I am not a very good cook. I still want pizza though! I will have to look around my area for the best pizza places.
This is really cool information about cooking pizzas. I would love to learn how to use an actual wood burning pizza oven. That seems like it would really enhance my pizza making skills. I wonder if it is hard to get a wood burning oven.
Cara Penelope,
you have to put the wood in the center of the oven and set it on fire. Wait (min 45 minutes) for the oven dome (the ceiling of the oven) to become completely white and then move the wood on one side of the oven and cook the pizza in the middle (which will remain hot underneath and on the side because of the flame). Pizza cooking time is about 10 minutes. Hope this helps!
loving the tips here! I will definitely be trying them next time we make pizzas.
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Let me know how the natural black stone works in comparison with your “pizza stones”, grazie!
Doesnt get hot enough in an electric oven. Looks nice though lol.
Do you a recipe anywahere on your blog for traditional pizza sauce? Had a quick look but couldnt see anything obvious.
really love your site……so nice of you to share this
Thanks for your words Jason, grazie mille! Here are some useful details about pizza on my blog:
https://www.cookingclassesintuscany.net/italian-pizza-cooking-class-and-recipe-in-tuscany-all-the-right-steps-and-tips-to-have-a-perfect-one/
My fav traditional sauce? Onion, peppers, and Sausage: Cut peppers in small stripes and onion in rings. Stew them in a pan with extra virgin oil, add salt and set apart in a bowl. Take off the skin from a sausage and cut it in 3 or 4 pieces. Set it a part in a bowl. Once prepared these bases (as you see the peppers and onions are not raw, but stewed), you can season your pizza. Hope this helps…let me know or send me pictures to publish on the blog if you like! Ps: About oven I tried with mine, a regualr one) but it got hot. You need to wait more time, maybe… looking forward to hearing from you, a presto!
I loved your tip of adding oregano and rosemary to pizza dough to make it better. My wife is wanting to improve her cooking skills and she was wondering how she could make a tasty pizza. I’ll be sure to tell her that she should try adding oregano and rosemary to pizza dough before putting it in the oven.
Try to use the infusion: it works! And if you like a tasty pizza…well put creamy Gorgonzola on it…yummy!
Awesome article! It is in detail and well formatted that i enjoyed reading. which inturn helped me to get new information from your blog.
Grazie mille! That’s why I’m writing a blog, for my customers and readers. Keep in touch!