This is a blog about all things pizza. It is about my personal experiences and adventures in learning about the craft. It is about the people *enthusiasts, aficionados, pizza makers (pizzaioli), and masters* who bring respect, passion, and art to the science of pizza making. It is about the stories, photographs, videos and other voices that reveal the aesthetics aspect of pizza making.
Flash back to May 2012 when I first heard of Gabriele Bonci, known as the "Michelangelo of Pizza" in Rome, while taking an artisan bread workshop at the Fattoria Dela Usignoli, in the outskirts of Florence. Tom Edwards, bread baker and pizza chef of Mozza Pi in Kentucky had just taken a 2 day course with Bonci at the Pizzarium School, shows up during the first day of the workshop, raving about his pizza making experience. As many times as I've been to Italy, I have eaten pizza only once at Baffetto Pizzeria and that was in Rome in 2011. This time, I was intrigued by Gabriele Bonci known for using organic, natural ingredients, including the stone-milled flour by Mulino Marino. Turns out our bread instructor would have us using flour (Tipo 0) from the same mill to make focaccias. What makes Mulino Marino special? It's a small family-run business that uses stone mill rather than machine to grind the wheat. This means less heat, which means the nutrients remain intact, unlike machine milled flours where additives are added. Think industrial. The flour made in Mulino Marino remain pure. Pureness means freshness (reason for shorter shelf life) and better flavor (reason for better taste!).
A last minute cancellation (which meant a small discount) at the Artisan Bread School to further hone my bread skills was a great excuse to travel to Tuscany, and to simply spend time with our friend and baking instructor, Carl Shavitz, whom I originally took the class from at The Hains House in Olympia, WA. Carl was on the mend from a car accident and was glad to see him doing so well.
After spending three days in class, it was rather difficult to not skip the rest of the workshop when Florence was 20 minutes away by train. I mainly focused on muscle memory in the kneading and folding process of artisan bread (no mixer) and reviewing the steps to making sourdough. Once it was time to make the bagels and grisinni, it was time to join my husband and explore the countryside of Tuscany.
SS222
Renting a scooter bike is a highlight for us while traveling in and about Florence. Especially when it's so easy to rack up traffic fines for driving a car in undesginated areas all around the city! Yes, we did. 2011 was our first year to rent a scooter bike trekking 300-some miles to Volterra one day and 350-some miles to Cortona the next! Never again. We decided to not go crazy last year. Our goal was to take a leisure ride along the curvy Chianti road (SS 222), passing along farmhouses, poppy fields, and vineyards. That year, we had every intention of stopping by Panzano, the sleepy town past Greve, Chianti which has become the mecca to all meat lovers. Closed for lunch during our first stop in 2011, we crossed our fingers that it would be open for us this time.
What a beautiful landscape. Panzano is a sleepy town with one main road. And there's only one reason why tourists and locals alike flock to this small Chianti region...
It's a slow and gentle ride...on SS222, but make a quick left turn before the bridge onto...
Luck would have it that I would be meeting two Renaissance food artists on this trip: Dario Cecchini, a Tuscan butcher who loves reciting monologues from Dante's "Divine Comedy" while working, and later in the week, Gabriele Bonci, a Roman bread baker /pizza chef reviving the use of grains and freshly milled flour in his pizzeria, who believes the pizza should be open to interpretation and toppings reflective of locale and season.
Upon entering the butcher shop, you couldn't help but be drawn to the golden frame painting, green borders of beautifully painted bovines on ceramic tiles on the walls, hanging antique metal chains dangling from the ceiling, or the music playing loudly in the background. The macelleria (butcher shop) made up of two rooms feels more like a shrine with belongings dear to someone's heart.
It's shrine-like....
like a museum ...
to celebrate love...
a collection of how to celebrate...
...what matters the most to us.
A place where head to tail is used...
Sampling of porchetta!
We were greeted by staff members who eagerly wanted us to try the cooked meats, cheeses and cut fruit on the display table. Eager to sit down, they happily escorted us to the backstage, through the butcher shop, walking up a flight of stairs and emerging in to a narrow indoor dining hall with its own grill area....
Walking out onto the terrace, we were seated in the last two empty seats. Lucky for us. The terrace is known as MacDario. It is his version of a classy burger joint that turns into a steak-only restaurant, Officina della Bistecca on the weekends.
Wasn't expecting a lovely lunch of...
Simple goodness....
among locals...
Artisanal Thumbs up!
Meeting Dario the artist in his workshop was exciting for me especially after reading "Heat" by Bill Buford, a food writer/editor turned apprentice who chronicles his culinary life at Mario Batali's Babbo and writes a wonderful narrative account of his apprenticeship with Dario! If possible, read the book before paying homage to the Dante-loving butcher.
After Florence, we drove down to Cortona. Upon our arrival, we walked to stretch legs toward the town center and found ourselves in the middle of a fairy tale. Luck would have it that we would be in the middle a festival commemorating Santa Margherita. We watched the townspeople walk, procession style, along the town square, dressed up in beautifully sewn custom period wardrobes that would be typically worn during the Medieval times. I don't know how much better to describe their wardrobes than to post a couple of the pictures I took that afternoon. This particular gentleman caught my attention with his exquisite features. Later, the same gentleman would be serving us our dinner at the nearby trattoria. A less serious look with as much grace.
Our last night in Italy would be flying out of Rome. Since we weren't remotely close to the Molino Marino, we thought there would be a strong possibility that we could stop by Pizzarium. It used to be collecting postcards and groovy T-shirts when traveling to faraway places in your twenties. These days, it's acquiring that bottle of balsamic vinegar or local honey to take home with you. Something small to cherish and remind you of your windwhirl trip. Tonight, it would be picking up a couple bags of Mulino Marino flour! What better way to relax in your last night in Rome. Hurry.
After having a wonderful meal near the Piazza..ahhh, those fried artichokes first come to mind, we hurriedly took the Metro to Pizzarium. Arriving exactly 10 minutes before the doors closed, I picked out the prized bags of Mulino Marino 0 flour, and a copy of Bonci's pizza book. Neither of us had any appetite to order any of the beautiful Pizza Taglio behind the glass counter, but I certainly had the excitement to take photos of the small, yet wonderful place.
We made it!!!
I snapped this photo without even realizing the maestro was in the kitchen....!
A bread baker first....
Stone-milled flour....
...Pizza della Romana...
....a new fan of Pizza Taglio!
Stay tune for my next blog: My Weekend Pizza Marathon with Gabriele Bonci in NYC!
Neapolitan pizza is the latest rage in the pizza food industry. Pizzerias specializing in this culinary delight of Naples are springing up in major cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, to name a few, throughout the country. As a member of Pizza Making Forum, I read of members wishing they could quit their day job and work their dream job of being a full-time pizzaiolo, and others who already have pizza skills or bread baking experience and want to venture out in the Neapolitan pizza business.
While I had neither aspirations early in January, I'm all about learning a new craft, finding the best resources, cost effective training, and getting the best hands-on experience. Reading my earlier blogs, you'll know how Scott's Pizza Tour exposed me to the flavors of Neapolitan pizza. It was also Scott who convinced me to take Roberto Caporuscio's training in the city by living and breathing pizza for 10 straight days. As an avid learner of any form of creativity and "who knows, a pizzeria could be in the future," I easily convinced myself to take the plunge and involve myself with "getting certified".
Clearly, it's good to have choices in making any decision. This post will be useful to others who are thinking about what it takes to be a certified Neapolitan pizzaiolo (pizza maker).
This blog is dedicated to my personal experiences with anything related to pizza. And you will see that it's specific to Neapolitan pizza making. The attraction is because it's the closest process to artisan bread baking, i.e. fermentation. Also, it's the only pizza making tradition that requires adherence to a specific guideline set forth by the Italian governing body. Here are several acronyms I came across that I needed to google for clarification. So the Italian governing body that provides these guidelines is Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) which is housed in Naples. VPN Americas is the official American Delegation of The AVPN, is headquartered in Marina del Ray, CA and is currently responsible for the US and Canada market. Then there is APN Americas. Yet, I am not clear as to who or what empowered APN to certify individuals.
For clarity, there is a distinction between the two certifications. AVPN certification is given to the pizzeria who show that they adhere to the AVPN rules. This means the pizzeria has met the basic requirements of using a wood fire oven, proper ingredients, equipment and proper technique for preparation of dough and pizza. In addition to the application form, a video showing the process of making the dough/pizza is required. AVPN Certification is given to the individual pizza maker. To date, food trucks with a pizza wood fire oven business are not certifiable. Maybe that will change.
My Baking Background:
Baking has always been one of my many favorite activities. Like most young teenagers, I was drawn to baking anything sweet like cookies, cakes, quick breads, muffins, tea cakes, and cupcakes. In my forties, it's been all about artisan bread baking. I took an artisan bread course and learned about fermentation and how to cultivate a starter. Learning to use natural leaven with sourdough breads, focaccia and seeded breads expanded my bread making skills and whetted my appetite to try recipes from Jeffrey Hammelman, my bread hero. My bread background is what attracted me to learning Neapolitan pizzas which involves the fermentation to achieve flavor and texture. I was attracted to the idea of making pizza dough with my bare hands, as opposed to a mixer or rolling pin.
Focaccia using natural leaven
Rosemary and Sea Salt
My Pizza Making Experience:
Back in November, 2012, I signed up to be a member of the Pizza Making Forum; a great exposure to vast opinions, countless recipes, pizza experiences, and a great way to connect with pizza fanatics all over the globe who are pizza makers at home, professionals and the wannabees. To date, there are over 20,000 members. It was through this forum that I was able to find Giulio Adriani, a restaurant owner/pizza chef of Forcella and teach me the fundamentals of Neapolitan pizza. After attending the Pizza Expo and learning more about pizza science from another pizza chef, Tony Gemignani, I continued my training with Roberto Caporuscio, pizza chef of Keste / Don Antonio.
Making pizzas at Forcella with Giulio Adriani
While I would love to continue to pursue more pizza training in Naples, I've reached a point where I need to practice the art and science of pizza making on my own.
After this Training Experience, Would I do Anything Different?
Prior to my first hands-on lesson of Neapolitan pizza making with Giulio Adriani, I spent quality time watching videos on You Tube. In fact, I highly recommend "Pizza Training with the Masters, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. It is a professionally made video of Roberto Caporuscio and Peppe Starita discussing dough management including making mozzarella. Watching these informational videos prepared me for the hands-on training with Giulio Adriani in January 2013. By the time I started my training with Roberto in May 2013, I honestly felt like I was paying an exorbitant amount of cash just so I could help make dough for his customers because he was understaffed, and simply to use and experience his professional kitchen. Unless your goal is to open a Neapolitan pizzeria, taking a 10-day pizza training course with Roberto Caporuscio and getting certified is a complete overkill. Even for the experienced baker, five days is sufficient.
Based on my personal experience, Roberto seems to explain himself better in front of the camera rather than in person. It's really tough to get any personal attention from the pizza master, when he is distracted with his cell phone, Skype, computer, or staff. Save the other five days and invest in the equipment or supplies! A fork mixer is not cheap, so invest wisely! And IF you must train with Roberto, make sure his daughter, Georgia, who helps him teach the dough and oven management is around. She travels to Italy often, and it would to your advantage in making sure she's doing the training. Her English explanations are easier to understand regarding the "Starita technique" of gently opening the dough.
For the novice, enthusiasts, pizza makers who already make other styles, do yourself a favor and be a member of Pizza Making Forum, read the Serious Eats: Slice Pizza Blog which offers information about ANY pizza you can imagine, watch the FREE and amazing videos on You Tube, and contact Giulio Adriani for additional training or consultation. If you want to be certified, VPN Americas is a more reasonable investment. Three days. Their website has a syllabus which explains in detail the what the student is expected to learn.
VPN Americas
So, Is One Training Better than Another?
Here's a post I found on the Forno Bravo website who shares their personal experience learning to make Neapolitan pizza in Naples. By the way, Forno Bravo is website that includes a forum where folks can seek out information on pizza related issues. They have forum where folks share their experience in building their own pizza oven.
My name is Michael Fairholme and I work with James at Forno Bravo. In January and February of this year I spent 4 weeks with a Master Pizziolo in Napoli to perfect my techniques and I think I can answer most of your questions.
First, I've only found one trainer in Napoli that takes foreign students, all other pizza training courses are designed and run for the local talent and you must speak Italian. My trainer was Enzo Coccia and his business is called Pizza Consulting and it's run from La Notizia, his pizzeria in a suburb of Napoli. The course in 3 weeks long and will cost about 1500,00 euros. He sometimes allows students to extend for a week if other students have started their training somewhere in the middle or end of yours. The classes are only taught in Italian but he has a young lady that will act as an interpreter for 60,00 euros per day. Enzo suggests you have her for the first four days of your training, because after that a 'pizza' vocabulary develops and you'll can get most of what he's trying to teach by sign language and a lot of shouting.
The best time of year is any time...Napoli is beautiful and if you get out and explore it is a great place to visit. Bare in mind Enzo closes the month of August.
How you register is through his website: pizzaconsulting.it
He is a bit slow to respond and it will be done through Nika his interpreter.
I found a very nice, clean hotel about a 25 minute walk from the pizzeria that cost 30,00 per night (bathroom down the hall), Enzo has a friend that can supply a room in his house for about the same money but it's miles away and you will not be able to see any of the City living so far out of town. There are two other 2 star hotels a bus ride away that charge 50-60,00euros per night - I can give you more specifics later.
Now, what will you actually learn? This my second visit to Enzo, the first was April of 2006 and I only stayed for 6 days. My purpose then was to gain enough knowledge to help a client open a Vera Pizza Napoletana restaurant in Athens, Greece. I had recruited a young man with good wood-burning oven experience, I just wanted to bend his skills toward what my client wanted...true, thin crusted pizza Napoletana. In the end, my first few days gave me enough information to get open and make a very good pizza, but when time allowed, I went back for the full three weeks to perfect my technique. I'm glad I had a chance to go twice with a break in between, because we had moved off center a bit and the second three weeks brought me back on course. You will definitely learn how to make Vera Pizza Napoletana. The initial focus is learning about the dough...the most important part. Everyday you will make dough, at first it's a 2kg batch made by hand, then you move up to the automatic mixer making 10kg batches. Then you'll learn how to form the "pignotte" , the pizza ball which will later be formed into the pizza round. Next you'll learn how to form the pizza round, probably the most tricky part - everyone struggles with this. Then you'll learn pizza peel techniques, control, placing the pie, pulling, placing in a take-away box, placing on a plate. Then you learn how to fire the oven and get it to temperature and then manage the fire. Next you learn how to make sauce and cut cheese. Now you learn to make pizza Margherita and pizza Bianca. And that's about it, anything else you learn will be from watching Enzo and his staff during evening service and any other visits you can make to VPN pizzerie around Napoli and there are several hundred to choose from.
Now for the drawbacks. First, the class is only four hours long, 3 1/2 really because he never arrives on time, we take a 20 minute coffee break to give the dough a chance to rise, and he always stops at least 20 minutes early so you can clean the pizzeria for evening service. You need to learn a lot in this small amount of time and there just isn't enough time to practice each of these very important skills, especially if there are 3 or 4 people in the class...you get even less one-on-one. The place is so small there can only be one student in the pizzeria during evening service, so even being able to watch people doing what you so desperately want to learn is tough. For at least 5 days of the 3 weeks course, you'll come back to the pizzeria to chop and dice ingredients for that nights service. After a while you get the feeling that you're just free labour as they tell you to sweep the floor, or go get wood from the storage unit. But it does give you a good understanding of how you'll organize your own place so I shouldn't grumble. You don't actually get to make a pizza until the last day of the last week and then it will be a Margherita, a Marinara and a Pizza Bianca. As a result, from lack of any practice time, you struggle with your turning technique, your rounds are more oval and thinner than they should be...in general, you just don't get enough oven time to prepare you for your own place. Considering I paid 1500,00 plus 240,00 for the interpreter, airfare was 975,00, hotel, food and tickets for the bus and taxis was an additional 60,00 per day ( and that was done on the cheap) which adds 1260,00 to the total, I had 4000,00 euros/$5400.00 invested before I considered my loss of income for 5 weeks; that's a lot of money for a 52.5 hour training course.
The positives: I really feel like I understand the dough and have a good knowledge of the water to flour ratios, I understand and respect the traditions behind Pizza Napoletana, I know what is required to make this style of pizza, and I understand the rules and have experienced how the quality of ingredients makes this pizza so special. If you get it right this pizza is magic!
So, 1000 words later, I love this pizza and I'm sure I know how to do it, but only because I had an oven and mixer in Athens to return to so I could continue to practice, practice, practice. As for being able to come back and run a pizzeria, I only gained that by visiting 35+ pizzeria in Napoli, Roma, Firenze and Milano, watching how they did it, took notes on how they laid out there make table and positioned their ovens. I watched as staff handled a 30 pie rush, worked as a team (or didn't, which was often the case) and took notes on where to put the fridge units. Combine all this with my time at La Notizia and now I feel I can open a pizzeria...or yours if you want some help!
While this is one account of someone's experience, there is no "perfect" training or class.
Learning in Italy would be a dream, however, the translation, even with a translator, may be a challenge. (More on this experience with another blog post learning from Gabriele Bonci via a translator in Eataly!). But the idea of learning to make pizza from THE place, the opportunity to taste pizzas all around the city and watch the pizzaiolos do their magic would be an amazing experience.
Roberto Caporuscio who intially trained with Enzo Coccia, is now under the tutelage of Antonio Starita, better known for handling the dough more gentler than Enzo Coccia. Yet, there is no mistake that Neapolitan pizza chefs like Enzo Algarme of Pupatella in Arlington, VA; Brad Otton of Setto Bello in NV; and Jonathan Goldsmith of Spacca Napoli, in Chicago, IL trained under Enzo Coccia. Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso in Dallas, TX and Anthony Carron of 800 Degrees, in Los Angeles both received their technical training from VPN Americas in Marina del Rey, CA. As you can imagine, there is no one path to acquiring the skills and technique needed to adhere to the AVPN and being a success story in the Neapolitan pizza business. Interesting to note that both Enzo Algarme of Pupatella and Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso started out as a food truck / oven trailer business. Evidently, their small business led them to a brick and mortar location(s) with much success!
I say it's all about getting the basic fundamentals of Neapolitan pizza making under your belt, learning not from one but as many as possible, practicing the craft, remaining passionate, and being able to create a Neapolitan pizza that will provide someone their best experience!!
What's next? Practice, practice and more practice for me! Thanks to neighbors, friends, and work colleagues, they brought their appetites and enthusiasm to indulge my passion for making the "perfect" Neapolitan pizza! Looking forward to spring time when I can fire up the wood fire oven for another pizza party. For the time being, my beloved Le Panyol oven (on a stand) is for sale so that I can get a mobile wood fire oven and bring Neapolitan wood fire pizzas to the Charlottesville community.
Potatoes with rosemary, swiss and gruyere cheese
Fennel Sausage with basil and fresh mozzarella
Shiitake and cremini mushrooms with truffle cheese
Trying my hand with Pizza della Romana
So You Wanna be a Pizzaiolo (pizza maker)? Here are names and schools that I found during my search on the internet.
USA:
VPN Americas ( Peppe Miele and Jose Barrios, Marina del Ray, California)
3-day course ($1650)
5-day course ($2650)
VPN certification
International School of Pizza (Tony Gemignani, San Francisco, California)
4-day course; VPN certification
1-day course for Home Chef
Pizza Academy (Forcella, Brooklyn, New York, Giulio Adriani) - OPENING SOON
5-day course; VPN certification
1-day course for Non-Professional
Pizza Training (Don Antonio, New York, Roberto Capuroscio)
10-day course ($4500)
APN certification
Wood Fire Oven Baker (Ellie Olsen, Colorado)
Supplier of Neapolitan ovens, mixers, pizza prep tables, etc.
Test Kitchen Available Artisan Pizza Solutions (Michael Fairholme, California)
In-house pizza training
Although I did not reach my goals in the KickStarter project, I learned that there are quite a few local folks in Charlottesville who want to see a wood fire oven serving Neapolitan pizzas on Saturdays at the Farmer's Market! A great lesson, indeed. It was very inspiring to hear a woman yearn for an authentic Neapolitan pizza after experiencing it while living in Northern VA (Pupatella). Another tasted a Pizza Margherita in Naples and hoped that he could taste it again, closer to home. An American couple currently living in Brazil reached out to me, hoping to taste the culinary delight of Naples upon their relocation to Central Virginia next year. Then, there are folks (total strangers) who wanted to support the project for the sake of supporting a great idea! There were out-of-towner foodie supporters who reached out for my success just because. Big hearts, if I may say so.
Dolphins in Lahaina
This summer was spent with family in Paradise. I didn't make any pizza during the summer months, but enjoyed several slices at Flatbread's in Paia. A sister company to the Flatbread's in Portland, ME, they offer thin crust pizza baked in a wood fire oven, specializing in local Maui farm ingredients. Fresh and ono! (delicious in Hawaiian). However, a day in Maui didn't pass by without thinking what's the next step for me. Will I continue to make pizza as a passionate hobby? Should I wait to open a pizzeria once we eventually move to Maui? Or maybe, start small by offering Neapolitan pizzas in a mobile wood fire oven in Charlottesville, as originally planned?
Paulie Gee's
I learn about pizza owners like Paulie Giannone in Brooklyn who was passionate about pizza making while holding a computer job for 20+ years. He built a wood fire oven in his backyard, and started feeding his friends with his own creation of NY pizzas. Like him, I enjoy cooking and feeding people! Nothing wrong with that. After much encouragement and passion for doing something different, he opened Paulie Gee's, a now-famous pizzeria in Greenpoint offering one of the best NY style pizza in New York! I'm not saying that I am ready to quit my job giving anesthesia. I am still passionate about passing gas, but I am just as passionate feeding people with my pizza!
I have met (and read about) talented cooks and bakers who have this wonderful story of growing up with their nonna (grandmother) in the countryside baking cookies, or memories of a wonderful kitchen filled with cinnamon scent in the air. Unfortunately, I don't have a nostalgic story to share. I grew up with an unlimited supply of chicken and pork adobo (flavored with garlic, soy sauce and vinegar) and deep-fried lumpia (egg rolls). In high school, I had my share of responsibility of cooking family dinners with frozen foods and canned goods. So we all have to start somewhere.
Thanks to my college friends of varying heritage and ethnicity, I learned to appreciate and savor the flavors of Indian, Italian, Swiss and, of course, good old American home cooking by my step-grandparents who were of German descent. There were family dinners with my college girlfriends and their families that helped expand my curious palate. Thanks to the Bhaduri, Boolukos, Savet, and Johnson families who took me under their wings during holiday dinners when I had no place else to go. Early on, I appreciated how food truly does nurture the soul. Who knows, I must love feeding others now since I truly appreciated and valued a good meal when it was offered to me. That's my psychological take on my craziness to start a wood fire oven business and feed the masses.
Spring Chickens
I met up with an old friend last week who reminded me that we're not spring chickens any longer. I must agree with Lynn. While we are both turning fifty next year and sometimes feel it, we sure don't act like it! Yet, I'm not sure how much longer my stamina will last once I reach that arbitrary number of middle age. Then again, that's why you hire spring chickens to help haul dough trays and heavy equipment! So the fact that Paulie Gionnone grabbed life by the balls and followed his dream, and being reminded that I'm not getting any younger, what am I waiting for?
bufala! PIZZA NAPOLETANAKickStarter launches today! Check out my video that summarizes my passionate vision and goals in sharing the authentic taste of Neapolitan pizza. The project description of my campaign explains in detail: what makes Neapolitan special, the professional training I received, the funding needed to succeed in order to bring the authenticity of Neapolitan pizza to you! Also, check out the great Rewards for supporters!
We have 30 days to reach our goal. Thank you in advance for your support!!
Outside of Naples, I can't think of a better place to learn about Neapolitan pizza than in NYC, the birthplace of pizza in America.
The same week I signed up for Scott's Pizza Tour in NYC in January 2013, I also contacted Giulio Adriani, recommended by a member of the Pizza Making Forum (PMF), as another great resource in making Neapolitan pizzas. Giulio is the chief pizzaiolo and owner of Forcella, who happens to be one of the Senior Pizza Makers in the AVPN. AVPN is an organization created to protect the professionalism of the pizza makers in Italy and worldwide that choose to make the True Neapolitan Pizza according to the tradition and to ensure the quality of the production process and products used.
I really didn't know much about Giulio as an instructor, other than the fact that he has taught classes as far places as Brazil and that members of the PMF raved about the incredible pizzas at Forcella. Amazing what you can find in the Internet. I contacted Giulio though his Forcella website and got an immediate response. Evidently, he is open to sharing his knowledge so I set up a one-on-one training with him.
It turned out that Giulio was stuck in Naples on the day we were suppose to meet. But we were able to reschedule our meeting at the Brooklyn restaurant on a Saturday morning well before the pizzeria doors opened to the public. Our lesson began with an inquiry of my current experience. I explained my success with Ken Forkish's pizza recipes, one with a poolish overnight dough with a 75% hydration, and an overnight dough with 70% and my latest experimentation with a 68% hydration recipe that I found on the PMF.
Forcella in Brooklyn
May I digress for a moment? I'm all about learning hands on. I consider myself a visual learner, and most especially with dough. I attempted baking bread twice on my own with little success, and found trial and error to be quite costly with good ingredients. I felt as though bread books were written in Greek. I could not translate the words as to how the dough was suppose to look or feel. I had early success in baking bread, not by reading more cook books but by attending a hands-on workshop, Artisan Bread School with Carl Shavitz. I find watching a master baker knead the dough at my side and then doing so myself certainly accelerated my learning. After a week with Carl, I was easily able to translate the recipe instructions and bake breads from my favorite bakers with success! Taking his course gave me a fuller understanding of bread dough and fermentation. By the same token, I knew that meeting another master baker would do wonders for my grasp of learning the art and science of Neapolitan pizza making. In the interest of the cooks and bakers new to pizza making or "noobs", as my 10-year old would say, I hope that this post will offer insightful information for those interested in this culinary tradition and delight of Naples.
Giulio Adriani
Giulio is very much an open book with his pizza making and a great ambassador to the craft. Giulio showed up at the Brooklyn pizzeria a few minutes after I did, looking more like a stylish model with a scarf around his neck, than a pizza maker. As a good instructor should do, Giulio was interested to find out the baseline with what he had to work with. I explained to him that I had been experimenting with pizza recipes since October up until the previous week, and ready to learn a new kind of pizza.
After changing into an oversized Caputo (flour brand) shirt and apron and feeling official, we headed to the downstairs kitchen where dough is made daily. Starting with the basics, I would learn to make dough, by hand. There were several stainless steel benches in the middle of the room, next to the walk-in refrigerator, a mammoth mixer, and heavy stacks of Caputo 50 pound bags of flour on the floor. The recipe for making Neapolitan pizza is no secret. The recipe is clearly explained in the AVPN documentation. Giulio explained the percentages of ingredients and what worked for him, with strong consideration of the ambient temperature and humidity in the room, and how it affects fermentation, which in turn will result in the outcome: the flavor and texture that is found in a Neapolitan pizza.
Giulio began to weigh each ingredient using a digital scale. Unlike cooking, baking breads and cakes including pizza requires exactness of measurement. This is probably one aspect I love about making pizza, measuring for accuracy. However, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity, the pizza maker can make minor adjustments to the amount of yeast and/or salt. Next to Giulio, I did the same measurements and followed along. Giulio showed me his staging process technique (the order in which ingredients are mixed). We mixed everything in a stainless steel bowl, and when the dough looked "shaggy", we transferred the mass onto the countertop. Then came the hard part. Kneading the dough, punching the dough, alternating side to side, until the dough mass became soft and supple. Instructions were easy to follow; the idea of simulating the fork mixer with both hands, punching the sides of the dough from opposite direction was a challenge. I realized it would be a matter of time to building Popoye forearm muscles to make this an easier step.
Once we kneaded the dough to the right consistency, he showed me how to portion the dough balls. The guideline to make dough balls is measuring approximately 250 grams. After weighing several dough balls, he showed me how to form round balls. Using one hand, rotating the ball clockwise rounds the dough into a sphere. Using both hands, two balls can be formed at the same time which is common for pizza makers to handle. In fact, the pizza makers who make dough all day can eye-ball the dough without even using a scale.
Giulio showed me a trick of cutting the dough into log shape and pinching an amount approximating the correct portion and molding a sphere with both hands, very similar to how mozzarella is shaped into balls. It's folding the dough out and bringing it to the edges and pinching the ends so that it stays closed and round. Capische?
Like a mozzerella ball
I look over to Pequeno, one of Giulio's hard-working staff, glancing my way, smiling and probably thinking why this crazy lady is spending a beautiful January morning cooped up in the kitchen making dough balls. Needless to say, kneading dough is one of my favorite aspects of pizza making. I actually find it very relaxing and a pleasant way to decompress. The nerdy part of me enjoys the exactness of measuring ingredients with a digital scale. The creative side of me loves the tactile experience of squeezing dough between my fingers.
We repeated the entire process: measuring ingredients, mixing ingredients, kneading dough and portioning into dough balls prior to the second fermentation process. We returned upstairs to the front of the restaurant where the pizza oven is. A nice break for my sore forearms! One of my favorite aspects of pizza making, is being close to the fire. I love the heat that comes from the pizza oven! Working in my day job (the operating room) where the temperature is around 63 degrees, I welcome being near the hot dome.
Loving the warmth
Giulio explains oven management and offered expert advice which I absorbed like a sponge. The pizza books I have on hand give instructions on how to bake using a home oven, but not a wood-fire oven. A piece of advice he gave me was a eureka moment for me, yet it just made perfect sense. After cooking a pizza on one side, you turn it 180 degrees to the other side, and in doing so, you want to return the pizza back to the same place on the hearth you removed it from. Returning the pizza to the same "cool" spot will finish cooking the bottom of the pie. But if you put the in a new spot, the half-cooked pie will burn on the bottom before the top is cooked. Capische?
Giulio explained his methodical ways of removing dough balls from the tray. It is through this meticulous care of lifting dough balls out of the tray that there are minimal-to-no changes to the shape of the fermented dough.
Lift dough
Most folks are familiar with pizza makers using their knuckles to stretch out the dough, or both arms to toss the pizza into midair. However, with Neapolitan pizza, the key technique, while maintaining the round shape of the fermented dough, is to push the air away from the center of the base, towards the edge. This method provides the billowy texture and the "cornicione" (rim), the hallmark appearance of the Neapolitan pizza.
Gently "push" air towards the rim
The other key technique, known as the "Neapolitan Slap", helps stretch the dough to an appropriate thickness. The slap is really a misnomer. It's a rhythmic motion between both hands, moving the dough between hands while gently stretching and turning the dough base ninety degrees. I found this to be the most challenging part for me. Eventually I would get the hang of it and did well until I started thinking about what I was doing!
Gently pull dough with left hand...
Fold dough over the right wrist...
An important aspect of pizza making is the transfer of dough to the peel and from the peel to the oven floor (hearth). The dough is stretched about eighty percent on the counter, dressed with toppings, and then gently pulled onto the peel. While on the peel, the dough is stretched some more, pulling from the base and keeping away from the rim.
Final stretch on the peel
I continued to practice stretching the dough and then dressing it with "mock mozzerella", which is cut-up pizza crusts. Doing so simulates the weight of the cheese, thereby preventing the expansion of the Neapolitan crust (namely, a naan).
In the last forty-five minutes of my training, I had several exercises to accomplish. An exercise of stretching and dressing two pizza doughs at once and then cooking them at the same time. That was definitely easier than three pizzas at once. Needless to say, it was quite fun! I also got to make a Pizza Montanara which Giulio first introduced to the city. It is a pizze fritte, where the dough is lightly flash fried, dressed and then quickly finished in the wood-fire oven.
The next evening, I took my family to the Forcella pizzeria in Bowery. I got to stretch the dough, dress, and cook the pizzas!! I had nervous energy and excitement to have the opportunity to cook dinner for the family. Thank you, Giulio, for the great idea! I passed the test - the kids loved the pizzas!
"Remember to be gentle, Sharlene"
Kids are hungry tonight!
All in all, I had the best learning experience with Giulio. He is very patient and skilled as an instructor. He is very talented at explaining the methods and techniques in words that I understand. Also, he clearly explains the rationale for a technique or method that he is doing. Just what the adult learner like myself needs.
Pizza Night at Forcella
In the slow, cold months of January, you can go to Forcella for dinner and "make your own pizza". With Giulio's help, he will help you open the dough, and you get to choose your toppings. He was available one evening in the Park Avenue pizzeria, and another night in Brooklyn. Talk about a private lesson! I suppose depending on how serious you are with pizza, it is an opportunity to meet with Giulio and pick his brain about pizza making.
"Check the bottom of the pizza..."
NOTE: My one-on-one training with Guilio took place in January 2013. Due to a hectic travel schedule and late winter weather conditions, I wasn't able to try my newly learned techniques and recipe until April when firing up the wood-fire oven outside was tolerable. Needless to say, I was very happy with the results!
Pizza making at home
Charlottesville, VA is ready for this!
New adventures are underway in Forcella! In collaboration with the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani President Sergio Miccu, and the sponsor of Caputo Flour, the new Pizza Academy will open to pizza professionals as well as home baker chefs. All types of authentic pizza will be taught including the pizza al metro, according to Giulio.
Pizza al Metro
I met up with Giulio in March at the Pizza Expo and then again in May, and he generously gave his time to help me with the video portion of my Kickstart Campaign. More details on another blog post about my new project! It wasn't until after I took the training class that I realized how passionate he is with the craft. He's been in the pizza business for thirty years, making pizzas in Naples well before he came to NYC. After successfully opening three pizzerias in New York as he continues to teach and consult, he is continuing to conquer his dream of introducing authentic Neapolitan pizza to the palates of uncharted places.
