Vico Equense, Campania
Pizza al metro
Our pizza oven ran out of gas, so we cooked it inside on a baking steel and it was crispy as can be.
Makes
4
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Ingredients
Roman style pizza dough, risen: 1 pound (about 2 balls)
Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
Crushed San Marzano tomatoes: 1 cup, with a pinch of salt
Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded: 8 ounces
Small pepperoni slices: about 24
Whole-milk ricotta: 1 cup
Hot honey: 2 tablespoons
Fresh basil leaves: about 12
Flour for the counter: 2 tablespoons
Method
Put a baking steel on a rack in the top third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500°F for 45 minutes.
Oil a long metal tray. On a floured counter, gently stretch the dough into a long oval, then lay it on the tray.
Spread the tomatoes over the dough, leaving a thin edge.
Cover with the mozzarella and dot with the pepperoni.
Slide the tray onto the hot steel. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese has spots of gold. A grown-up handles the hot tray.
Spoon the ricotta into a piping bag or a zip bag with a corner cut off.
Pull the pizza out and set it on a board. Pipe dollops of ricotta down the length.
Drizzle the hot honey over the ricotta and tuck in the basil leaves.
Cut into long pieces with a rocker knife or pizza wheel and serve right away.
