How to make pizza: recipes and life hacks from chefs

February 9 is International Pizza Day, the history of which goes back more than a hundred years.

The FoodOboz editorial team tells the story of the most popular dish in the world, as well as shares recipes for the perfect dough and various life hacks used by famous chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and others.

Naples is considered to be the birthplace of the dish: it was here that the first Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba pizzeria was opened back in 1830. By the way, this place is still open: everyone can book a table here.

In Naples, the attitude to pizza is so serious that they even created a special organization called Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which aims to preserve and spread the traditions of cooking real Neapolitan pizza. The association assigns the status of Vera Pizza to establishments that prepare Neapolitan pizza only according to approved standards:

• Only flour, natural yeast, salt and water are used for the dough. Eggs, sugar, oil, and other additives cannot be added to the dough.
• Only Italian flour can be used for the dougр, made from soft wheat varieties, which uses wheat kernels, high in protein and starch (grinding 00) and with a flour strength of W 320-360. It sounds confusing, we agree, but pizza makers know what they are talking about. This type of flour is most suitable for long maturation of the dough. The fermentation process, in turn, makes the dough lighter and healthier.
• The dough is prepared only by hand. Kneading the dough, rolling it out and shaping it into the required round shape of pizzaiolo can only be done by hand, no dough rolling machines or rolling pins are allowed. The process is complicated, yes. But it is necessary not to disturb the structure of the dough, but to shift carbon dioxide from the center of the pizza to the edge: this way, the sides of the pizza will be soft and airy during baking.
• The dough should be kept for at least 24 hours. During this time, carbon dioxide released during fermentation loosens the dough, and proteins and starch are broken down by enzymes. Thanks to these complex chemical processes, the dough becomes lighter, less caloric and better absorbed by the body.
• Pizza can only be made with certain products. Pizza tomatoes should only be of the San Marzano variety: they resemble cream in appearance and are characterized by easy peeling without blanching. Mozzarella di Buffala, which is made from buffalo milk, is used as a cheese. The pizza can be drizzled with extra virgin olive oil only, and decorated with fresh green basil.
• Real Neapolitan pizza can only be cooked in a wood-fired oven over a live fire. The temperature in the oven reaches 450-485 degrees Celsius, so the pizza is cooked in 60-90 seconds. In a wood-fired oven, pizza is baked through two different processes: the pizza base is baked by heating the stone, and the toppings are baked using the heat from the fire.

As you can imagine, it's impossible to make a real Neapolitan pizza at home - unless you live in a private house with a stone oven. However, we don't claim to be authentic, so we're going to tell you how to make pizza without a live fire. The main thing is to make the right dough.

Pizza dough from Gordon Ramsay

• all-purpose flour - 975 g
• warm water - 500 ml
• salt - 25 g
• fresh yeast - 2 g
• Extra Virgin olive oil - 50 ml

1. Mix flour, water, olive oil and yeast. After mixing well, add salt. Gordon Ramsay says that if you add salt too early, you risk killing the yeast, and the dough simply won't rise.
2. Put the dough on a floured table and knead until smooth and homogeneous.
3. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave at room temperature for 8 hours: the dough will double in size during this time.
4. Divide the dough into two parts, form each piece into a ball, which roll out on a floured table about 4 mm thick.
5. Put the filling and bake in a preheated oven.

Jamie Oliver's yeast-free dough

• flour - 1 cup
• warm water - 0.5 cups
• salt - a pinch
• baking powder - 1 tsp.
• olive oil - 2 tbsp.

1. Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough. You can do it with your hands in a bowl, or you can knead it with a food processor or blender bowl.
2. When all the ingredients have come together in a dense mass, put it on a floured table and knead a smooth dough.
3. Roll out the dough, put the filling and bake in a preheated oven.

Dry yeast dough by Lidia Bastianich

Italian Lidia Bastianich is one of the few women to have been awarded a Michelin star. Together with her son Joe, she owns thirty restaurants around the world (very successful ones, by the way!). Two of them, Babbo and Del Posto in New York, are Michelin-starred. She shared a basic pizza dough recipe on her website.

• high-grade flour - 3-3.5 cups
• warm water - 1.5 cups
• dry yeast - 1 tsp.
• sugar - 1 tsp
• salt - 1 tsp.
• Extra Virgen olive oil - 1 tbsp + for greasing

1. Mix the yeast with sugar, olive oil and warm water. Leave for 3 minutes until bubbles form.
2. Pour three cups of flour into a food processor or blender with a bowl, add salt. Stir, pour in the yeast mixture and knead on medium speed for about a minute until a sticky ball of dough forms. If necessary, add a little more water or flour.
3. Let the dough stand in the bowl for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle the dough with flour and knead until it comes off easily.
4. Grease your hands with vegetable oil, transfer the dough to a floured table and knead until smooth and homogeneous.
5. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is fine).
6. Before you start cooking, take the dough out of the fridge and keep it at room temperature for a couple of hours.