Pizza al Taglio
The Roman’s crunchy, airy response to the soft, chewy pizza coming out of Naples is a style of pizza commonly referred to as Pizza al Taglio or “pizza by the cut”.
In this recipe we explore a few neat techniques that serious bakeries use to achieve light, easily digestible breads with maximum flavour. From the choice of flours used, to the soaking and prefermenting methods used to get the most out of them.
Ingredients 13
Preferment
44 g bread flour
22 g water
0.01 g fresh yeast
Soaker
75 g wholemeal emmer flour
75 g water
Final Dough Stage 1
300 g bread flour
265 g water
9 g salt
4 g fresh yeast
2 g malt powder, diastatic, optional
150 g soaker, prepared earlier
Final Dough Stage 2
66 g preferment, prepared earlier
10 g extra virgin olive oil
Topping Serving Suggestion
kipfler potatoes, roasted and smashed
chard, cooked
anchovies
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
semolina, for dusting
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Method 9
To Make The Preferment
Combine the , , and for the preferment and ferment until smelling sweet and slightly acidic. It takes between 10-16 hours to become ripe, depending on how warm the day is.
To Make The Soaker
Prepare the soaker at least 1 hour before the preferment is ripe. In a bowl, combine the with the and allow to soak, covered.
To Make The Final Dough
Start by combining the , , , , (if using), and the prepared soaker (Stage 1 ingredients) in a mixer on slow speed. Once combined, increase the speed and mix until almost fully developed.
Switch back to low speed and start adding the Stage 2 ingredients: first the until well incorporated, then pour in the and continue mixing to full development.
Ferment in an oiled tub for 2 1/2 hours, giving the dough a fold after the first hour.
Preheat oven to 260°C, or as high as it will go, on the fan bake setting. Carefully tip the dough onto a heavily floured bench dusted with semolina and gently stretch the corners out so it resembles a rectangle. Begin pressing the dough with flat fingers and even pressure all over until it has flattened and reached three-quarters of its ultimate size.
Flip the dough over the backs of your hands, allowing any excess semolina to fall off, and carefully lay onto a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into small squares.
Assembly
Prepare toppings of your choice. For this recipe, prepare some roasted and smashed kipfler potatoes and cooked chard, smash them together, and top with anchovies and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil.
Anthony Silvio's tips
The technique of soaking allows the bran in the wholemeal flour to soften and better absorb the hydration in the dough.
Diastatic malt powder is an optional ingredient, though if you are a serious sourdough baker, I would recommend looking into this! At such small amounts, it will take your fermentation to the next level.
Using any kind of wholemeal flour in a portion of your dough will help bring a nuanced, wheaty flavour profile to your bread that cannot be achieved by solely using white flours.
