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.

Helpful Tip for Making Roman-Style Pizza Dough

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.

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Roman-Style Pizza Dough

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.

Prep Time:20 mins

Cook Time:10 mins

Resting Time:1 hr 50 mins

Total Time:2 hrs 20 mins

Servings 2 pizzas (serving 2 people each)

Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com

Ingredients

US Customary / Metric

• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 2 ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Instructions

Make the pizza dough

• Combine ¾ cup warm water (100°-115°F / 38-46°C), sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until spongy, 4-5 minutes. Mix in 1 ½ tbsp of the olive oil and the salt. Stir in 2 ¼ cups of the flour. Turn out onto a work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour when the dough is sticking, about 6 minutes total. Grease a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add dough, cover bowl with plastic; let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position one rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third; place a pizza stone on the top rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Preheat for 45 to 60 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half. At this point, you can wrap the dough balls individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or store in a plastic storage bag in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.

Roll out the Roman pizza dough

• Sprinkle a clean, working surface and one of the balls of pizza dough with flour. Roll out the dough in a very thin, large rectangle with rounded corners (it doesn’t have to be perfect; in fact, it’s more authentic if it isn’t!). The thinner you manage to roll the crust, the crunchier it will be. I like to go as thin as 1/4-in (0.6 cm), but you can go thicker if that’s what you prefer.
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the pizza dough. Fold the dough in half and transfer to the parchment paper (the paper will make it easier to transfer the pizza to the oven, as the thinness of the crust would make it virtually impossible to slide the pizza off onto the stone). Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Garnish the Roman-style pizza crust as desired. Transfer the pizza (with the parchment paper) to the pizza stone in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
• Recipe Credit: Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine.

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Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Arugula Roman-Style Pizza

A simple, delicious way to garnish and serve an authentic Roman-style pizza at home.

Prep Time:10 mins

Cook Time:25 mins

Total Time:35 mins

Servings 2 servings

Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com

Ingredients

US Customary / Metric

• 1 ball homemade Roman-style pizza dough (half a batch)
• ¾ lb cherry tomatoes
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Fleur de sel, or flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 small ball Mozzarella di Bufala (about 5 oz / 140 g), sliced thinly
• 2 large handfuls arugula
• Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

To roast the cherry tomatoes

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a pizza stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Preheat for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the stone to absorb as much heat as possible.
• Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Scatter the cherry tomatoes over. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Set the baking sheet over the pizza stone and roast the tomatoes until their skins split and becomes blackened in spots, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Leave the oven on.

Roll out the Roman pizza dough

• Sprinkle a clean, working surface and one of the balls of pizza dough with flour. Roll out the dough in a very thin, large rectangle with rounded corners.
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the pizza crust. Fold the crust in half and transfer to the parchment paper (the paper will make it easier to transfer the pizza to the oven, as the thinness of the crust would make it virtually impossible to slide the pizza off onto the stone). Cover the crust with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Garnish and bake the pizza

• Generously brush the pizza crust with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, then distribute the slices of buffalo mozzarella over the crust. Nestle the roasted tomatoes in between the mozzarella slices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using a pizza peel or a large cutting board, carefully transfer the pizza (with the parchment paper) onto the preheated pizza stone in the oven. Bake until the crust is browned and crisp and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• SERVING: Pull the pizza out of the oven. Sprinkle with the arugula and some fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

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Roman-Style Zucchini Pizza

A simple, but oh-so-delicious way to serve Roman-style pizza inspired by Campo de Fiori, in Rome.

Prep Time:20 mins

Cook Time:10 mins

Total Time:25 mins

Servings 2 servings

Author Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com

Ingredients

US Customary / Metric

• 1 ball homemade Roman-style pizza dough  (half a batch)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 small zucchini (about 7 oz / 200 g)
• Fleur de sel, or sea salt flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small ball Mozzarella di Bufala (about 5 oz / 140 g), sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients and preheat the pizza stone

• Pour the olive oil in a small bowl. Very finely mince or grate the garlic clove, then mix it into the oil. Set aside to infuse. (You can prepare the garlic oil ahead of time; refrigerate until needed.)
• Slice both zucchini in extra-thin slices (a mandoline slicer is the best tool to do this).
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a pizza stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Preheat for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the stone to absorb as much heat as possible.

Roll out the Roman pizza dough

• Sprinkle a clean, working surface and one of the balls of pizza dough with flour. Roll out the dough in a very thin, large rectangle with rounded corners.
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold the pizza crust. Fold the crust in half and transfer to the parchment paper (the paper will make it easier to transfer the pizza to the oven, as the thinness of the crust would make it virtually impossible to slide the pizza off onto the stone). Cover the crust with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Garnish and bake the zucchini pizza

• Generously brush the pizza crust with garlic-infused olive oil.
• Sprinkle with a third of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, then distribute the slices of buffalo mozzarella over the crust.
• Set the thin zucchini slices over the pizza in an overlapping pattern.
  
• Season the zucchini with a generous pinch of fleur de sel (make sure the salt is distributed evenly all over the pizza) and some black pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and drizzle with the remaining garlic-infused olive oil.
• Using a pizza peel or a large cutting board, carefully transfer the pizza (with the parchment paper) onto the preheated pizza stone in the oven. Bake until the crust is browned and crisp and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• SERVING: Pull the pizza out of the oven. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.

Did you make this?

Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

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