Valdostana pizza: the recipe

Pizza and Italian regions

Declined in numerous variations, known and really appreciated in every corner of the earth, pizza certainly needs no introduction, being one of the dishes most closely linked to the Italian gastronomic tradition.

From the dough to the filling, each region of our country has different ways of preparing pizza, substantially linked to the variety of typical local ingredients: today we are dealing with Valdostana, a pizza dominated by the presence of fontina, a seasoned cheese from mountain pasture traditionally produced in the Aosta Valley, which represents one of the Italian excellences in the dairy field.

The ingredients of the Aosta Valley pizza

The Valdostana is a pizza filled with a few genuine and tasty ingredients: in addition to the classic tomato sauce, it includes the addition of cooked ham and, above all, fontina, which represents its added value, because it gives the pizza a very special flavor.

Daughter of the high mountains, fontina is a seasoned but surprisingly delicate and sweet cheese, which combines perfectly with pasta and rice first courses, with meat dishes (the famous Valdostana cutlet) and has a melting consistency that makes it ideal on pizza.

A variant of the classic "stretched" and open pizza is the one that sees the Aosta Valley made in the form of focaccia, with a soft filling inside. You can decide to prepare this excellent pizza in both versions as you like: even if the final appearance will change, the ingredients and the procedure will be substantially identical.

How to prepare valdostana pizza

For the basic dough of the Valdostana pizza you need:

250 g of "00" flour

250 g of Manitoba flour

300 ml of warm water

20 ml of extra virgin olive oil

10 g of fresh brewer's yeast

a teaspoon of fine salt

a teaspoon of sugar

Knead all the ingredients by hand on a wooden pastry board until they form a compact and elastic ball, which you will leave to rise in a dry and warm place until doubled in volume (it will take at least an hour).

Halfway through the rising time, if you want to obtain a well hydrated and even more consistent dough, you can perform some reinforcement folds: the "Slap and Fold" procedure (or "beat and fold" the dough on itself, as you would with a handkerchief), will serve to string the gluten and make the dough more compact, also facilitating the continuation of the leavening process.

Then take the leavened dough and divide it in half to give shape to two round pizzas (or a closed pizza); garnish the pizzas with tomato sauce and put the first pizza in the oven for about 10 minutes; then take it out of the oven, add the cooked ham, fontina cheese, mozzarella (to taste) and put it back in the oven for another 3 minutes to complete cooking.

Repeat the preparation process with the second pizza as well, finish with a light sprinkling of oregano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on both pizzas and serve immediately.

Use the domestic Spice ovens for perfect cooking of your favorite pizza

Pizza, even the Aosta Valley one, needs to be cooked quickly and at a very high temperature: for the home preparation of pizza, the ideal tool is the electric oven which, thanks to the advanced technology of its components, allows you to use a similar cooking system to that of a professional pizzeria oven.

In addition to having guaranteed functionality, the Spice electric oven, in the two versions Caliente and Diavola, has a compact design and bright colors that make this modern device a real piece of furniture, to be kept on the kitchen worktop with the utmost utility and small footprint.

And if you prefer to cook in the garden, you can use the Diavola gas oven, with its elegant aesthetics and Made in Italy design. Also available with a Casapulla biscuit base, it is a very versatile outdoor gas oven: not only does it cook pizza to perfection, but it is perfect for many other preparations, even those usually made on the classic barbecue.

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