This recipe will teach how to make Roman-style pizza from scratch. Inspired by the memorable pizza sold at Rome’s Forno Campo de Fiori.
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I’ve recently noticed that when I think back on my recent trip to Rome, of all the amazing food I enjoyed, it’s pizza I remember best. Well, maybe it shouldn’t come as such a surprise given the city’s pizza-making notoriety, but I didn’t expect it to be the dish that would stick to my mind. During our stay in Italy’s capital, E and I had pizza at many different trattorie, but the one pizza I remember best and still long for, months after, was the one served by weight at a take-out counter. Forno Campo de Fiori was always packed: keeping my place in line without being passed by locals used to the place’s chaotic ordering and check-outing process was always a bit of a sport, but the prize was absolutely worth the struggle.
Forno’s pizza is cooked as 6-foot long pies and is served with different toppings, but the combinations are always very simple. Usually, two or three carefully chosen ingredients garnish the pizza’s crunchy dough, but the place is also famous for its minimalist pizza bianca, topped only with olive oil and coarse sea salt, which should become the poster-child for the merits of culinary simplicity.
Forno Campo de’ Fiori’s Pizza Bianca:
We loved Forno’s so much that we went back to taste many varieties but our favorite was the zucchini pizza – the soft, nutty taste of thinly sliced zucchini combined with the milkiness of fresh mozzarella, contrasting with the crust’s saltiness was an absolute chef d’oeuvre and we went crazy for it. Seriously, I could have eaten that pizza every day for a week. Of course, the fact that we enjoyed our €2 slices sitting on the rim of Campo de Fiori’s fountain under the warm fall sun, while we watched busy and elegant Romans walk by didn’t hurt to imprint the souvenir upon my memory either.
Campo de Fiori’s Zucchini Pizza:
Picture-Perfect Campo de Fiori, Rome:
Back home, I started to experiment making Roman pizza, wanting to come as close to Forno’s as I could. Much of the success depended on the crust’s crispiness, which was difficult to achieve in a regular home oven. Also, as I usually made the pizza dough in my bread machine, my efforts produced a crust which rose too much during the baking process, even when rolled paper-thin.
Then the “new” Bon Appetit came along, with its first Italy-focused issue. I bought it out of curiosity, and found a recipe for Roman pizza that felt very close to the goal I was trying to reach. I couldn’t resist trialing the recipe just a couple of days after. I kneaded the dough by hand and noticed right away that it stretched very easily and held its shape even after being rolled extremely thin. I felt hopeful and garnished the pizza with a classic tomato, mozzarella di bufala, and fresh basil combination. The result was flabbergasting in its deliciousness: I couldn’t have come closer to the goal I was trying to reach. We wolfed down the first pie and I promised to quickly make the zucchini variety – which I did a couple of days later with equal success.
I now believe I have found the perfect Roman-style pizza dough. If you like thin, crispy pizza, I believe you’ll fall in love with it too. Don’t be put off by the idea of making your own dough by hand, it’s a lot quicker than you think – believe me, I don’t have a lot of patience for dough but this one was easy. Once you have made the dough, the key to the perfect pizza is keeping the toppings simple and using the very best ingredients. Now is the time to use your best olive oil, to splurge on mozzarella di bufala and to sprinkle liberally with precious fleur de sel. Your taste buds will thank you.
Rolling the dough extra-thin and the use of a pizza stone to bake the pizza are essential to get a crispy Roman-style crust. This recipe is for the crust only; choose the topping you want to try (see recipes below) and read recipes carefully to multi-task while the pizza dough is resting.
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
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Author: Marie Asselin
You say set the oven temperature to 500 F, and use parchment paper underneath the dough while baking. But most parchment paper burns at 450 degrees. Please explain.
Hey Johnny, I think because the parchment paper is set on the pizza stone and most of it rests under the pizza, it’s sort of “protected” from burning. I’ve been using parchment paper forever and while the edges of the parchment around the pizza do brown a bit, it doesn’t burn. It’s so handy to slide the pizza in and out of the oven!
Just found this as I was craving Roman-style pizza..I stop by Forno Campo Di Fiori every time I’m in Rome…usually multiple times! Thanks!
We spent a month in Rome this spring and enjoyed many, many pizzas. Your website saved me hours of research. We enjoyed both your pizzas and they were as good as in Rome. I use a bread machine to make a double portion of dough, divide it into four parts, and freeze them. Thawed dough is relaxed and a lot easier to roll and stretch. I have a steel, 16 inch perforated pizza form and it works well. I have not found a large enough pizza stone to suit me. I am thinking of cutting down a large floor tile to fit my stove. I have photos to share, but don’t know how to send them to you. I am looking for more toppings.
I agree, the parchment makes this whole process doable. I used commercially prepared dough and still had great results. I also used the Cuisinart processor to cut the zucchini evenly and thinly. The pizza was wonderful and I have referred to your blog. Also, my second pizza was a base of homemade pesto, mozzarella, coppociola, fresh herbs and parmesan regianno. Superb. You can even make it ahead of your guests’ arrival and reheat it for 5 minutes at 400.
Tried the zucchini pizza today.. My LORD! It`s the mother of all pizzas! Thank you <3
this blog rules
The best pizza a ever tasted . Forno in Rome
Hi, this recipe looks and sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. Can someone tell me how long this dough can keep in the fridge and freezer? make ahead would be ideal! Thanks :)
You can keep the dough wrapped in plastic wrap and a freezer-safe resealable bag for 24 hours in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
I made this dough yesterday using bread flour. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and most of the day today. Brought it to room temp. Rolled. Topped. Baked. I love this dough. I also love the parchment idea. It worked terrific. Normally I get mad because the pizza sticks to the peel and then my toppings are a mess when it finally hits the stone.
I just made this for lunch. The best thin, crispy pizza dough I’ve made so far! Very easy and I think any toppings would work well with the crispy base. I used homemade pesto and leftover roast duck. Odd combo, but tasted great with the wonderful pizza base!