Contemporary Neapolitan Pizza
What does contemporary pizza mean?
The starting point of contemporary pizza (modern pizza) was born from the desire to improve a popular and consumed product all over the world, pizza.
A true contemporary pizza (also known as pizza “canotto”) is characterized by its light, long-leavening dough, the high and alveolate cornice, and the use of organic tomatoes and stone-ground flour. Usually to make contemporary pizza is used preferment (poolish, biga), which allows for obtaining a fragrant and tasty pizza.
When contemporary pizza began
The origins of contemporary pizza can be traced back to Northern Italy, commonly considered the cradle of a revolution that has touched an indestructible element of our local culture: Italian pizza and its entire production process.
The inventor of contemporary pizza is considered Simone Padoan, who in the 2000s was the architect of a transformation of pizza in a modern way, pursuing a philosophy centered on a meticulous search for excellent raw materials and innovative production techniques.
Use of mother yeast, greater attention to the aesthetics of the pizza, honeycomb dough, higher cornices, and seasonal toppings to be updated at every change of menu, just like in a restaurant: this is where the evolution of pizza started, following a slow process and inexorable that has sunk its roots in tradition, only to break away from it with great leaps. In its ecumenical value, traditional pizza has survived time remaining true to itself but continues to adapt to the new needs of consumers increasingly looking for special toppings, new taste experiences, and gourmet toppings.
The dough of a real contemporary Neapolitan pizza
The preparation of the dough for a contemporary pizza starts with a careful choice of flour: white flour, wholemeal or semi-wholemeal flour, which accompanied by adequate maturation and fermentation allows to obtain a product much richer in flavor while preserving the aroma of wheat.
A contemporary pizza is generally made with a highly hydrated dough of flours with high percentages of proteins, which allow for greater absorption of liquids and water up to 80%.
In a traditional Neapolitan pizza, however, the hydration of the dough is usually around 60%, since leavening is faster and weaker less absorbent flours are used.
Stretching the pizza
Since we are talking of a highly hydrated dough is not only more difficult to make, but also not easy to handle. The dough will be very soft and delicate and often even more sticky. The stretching must therefore be done delicately, you cannot treat the dough as in traditional dough and it is FORBIDDEN to use a rolling pin.
Cooking contemporary Neapolitan pizza
Cooking times, for contemporary Neapolitan pizza, usually range from 60 to 90 seconds, whether you use a wood-burning oven, or a professional electric one, this is due to the high hydration of the dough. The temperature 430-480 C°.
