A slice of Italia

How to make a perfect Neapolitan pizza

According to the international regulations of the True Neapolitan Pizza Association, Neapolitan pizza dough is made from only water, sea salt, yeast and flour.

It is leavened for many hours and then rolled out using a motion from the centre outwards by hand – never with a rolling pin or a mechanical press.

The oil must be extra virgin olive oil, the tomatoes must be of the San Marzano variety and the cheese must be buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte, made from cows’ milk.

The cooking should be done only in a wood-fired oven that has reached a temperature between 430C and 480C. At these temperatures, the pizza need be baked for only 60-90 seconds.

For pizza Margherita, a garnish of basil completes the red, green and white of the Italian flag. Louis Emanuel