Rome, sold by weight · 1950s
Roman al taglio
Pizza in teglia
Sold by the cut, weighed on a scale
Scale this formulaVery wet dough, very long cold ferment, baked in an oiled steel tray and cut with scissors. The crumb is the point: big irregular holes, a crisp fried bottom from the oil in the pan, and a top that stays light under whatever you put on it.
Method
- Mix flour and 90% of the water to a shaggy mass. Rest 30 minutes.
- Add the salt and the last water, then the oil, working it in with wet hands rather than kneading.
- Four sets of stretch and folds in the bowl, 30 minutes apart. The dough goes from soup to something that holds a shape.
- Cover and refrigerate one to three days.
- Tip out onto a floured board without deflating it, fold into a rough rectangle, and let it come to room temperature for two hours.
- Oil the tray heavily. Press the dough from the centre out with flat fingers, working in stages so it does not tear, and let it relax if it fights you.
- Proof in the pan until puffed, dimple it, then dress and bake.
Fermentation
| Stage | Time | Temperature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk with folds | 3 h | 21°C / 70°F | |
| Cold ferment | 48 h | 4°C / 39°F | 24 to 72 hours all work. |
| Pan proof | 3 h | 22°C / 72°F | Until it fills the corners and jiggles. |
Times are a guide. How to read the dough instead of the clock →
The bake
Oven280°C536°F
Time12-18 minutes
Surface. Oiled steel or aluminium tray, on a stone or the oven floor
Bake the base with sauce only until set and coloured underneath, then add cheese and finish. Delicate toppings go on after the oven. Lift a corner with a spatula to check the bottom is properly browned, not just dry.
On top
- Sauce
- Passata with salt and oil, or nothing at all for a bianca.
- Cheese
- Added late so it melts without turning to leather.
- Toppings
- Potato and rosemary, mortadella and pistachio, zucchini and stracchino. Rome treats this as a sandwich in disguise.
You got it right when An open, glossy crumb and a bottom that rattles on the board.