The secrets for preparing roman-style pizza

The Roman-style pizza is different from the classic Neapolitan pizza in terms of characteristics of the dough, preparation, rolling and baking. This pizza variant is very popular not only in Lazio, but now also in all other regions of Italy, so much so that many pizzerias offer it on their menus. It can also be prepared at home and is certainly the perfect choice for dinners with friends, as it can be topped with various ingredients.

The Roman-style pizza is also known as “pizza alla pala” (pizza on the peel). It has an elongated shape (the term “alla pala”, in fact, comes from the fact that it is placed on a long peel to be slid into the oven). The main characteristic of the dough is its high hydration and low yeast content, resulting in a very digestible and tasty pizza.

The peculiarity of this pizza is its crunchiness and the absence of the crust (typical of the Neapolitan variant).

The dough

The dough of the Roman-style pizza, as already mentioned, is mainly characterised by its high hydration, between 70 and 85%. The hydration is the weight ratio between water and flour. For example, an 80% hydration involves adding water equal to 80% of the flour weight, and this proportion will always be respected.

A well hydrated dough develops a great alveolation during baking (inside the pizza there will be many holes, called air pockets).

The water for kneading Roman-style pizza must be cold, as it gets more easily absorbed than warm or room temperature water.

The ripening process of the dough is very long. It strictly takes place in the fridge for at least 18/24 hours, which can be extended to more than 48 hours.

The rolling and seasoning

After removing the dough from the fridge, it is advisable to leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling it out. A very hydrated dough may be difficult to roll out, so it is necessary to sprinkle both the work surface and the hands with flour so that the risen dough ball can absorb it.

The rolling process is very important to obtain a pizza base with an even thickness (without thinner or thicker parts).

The rolling is made by moving the air that has been created inside the dough without letting it escape. To do so, the dough must be gently handled without being excessively crushed.

Once the pizza almost has the right  shape, it must be lifted to remove the excess flour and placed on a freshly floured work surface.

At this point, the pizza can be topped.

Once the topping is complete, the pizza must be transferred onto a long aluminium or wooden peel.

When the entire pizza is placed on the peel, the dough can be further expanded until it covers all the side edges of the peel and gets the desired shape, i.e. a rounded rectangle.

The baking

When putting it into the oven, the pizza is gradually slid from the pizza peel to the baking surface of the oven.

It is possible to bake Roman-style pizzas on refractory stone. Since the dough is very moist, the baking time is slightly longer. In both wood-fired and electric ovens, it takes between 4 and 5 minutes to bake it to perfection. The ideal baking temperature for Roman-style pizzas is between 350 and 370 °C. Cooking at a too high temperature (more than 400 °C) could leave the central part of the dough still undercooked when the outside is already crispy.

We thank the great chef Jacopo Martellini (of whom the city of Spoleto is proud!) for the advice he so kindly gave us when writing this article.