Party Bubbles

This morning we bumped into a yeast with a chubby little belly and a pizza-delivery cap.

We go, “Girl, what have you been eating, you’re about to pop?”. And she goes, “Sugar, what else? I gobble it up and then I go around doing tiny gassy toots packed with CO₂”. We go, “How classy”. And she goes, “Classy my sparkles, this is compadre style, because thanks to my gases your bread turns fluffy and your pizza comes out with a crust that’ll blow your mind”. We ask, “Aren’t you a bit embarrassed?”. And she goes, “You know what’s actually embarrassing? Bad bread”.

Magikito moral: some gases are pure drama… and others are pure progress. If something inside you is “puffing up” today, maybe it’s trying to grow.

Today we’re cooking the ultimate proof that a tiny little shroom can give you a huuuge kind of happiness: a homemade Neapolitan Margherita pizza. Dough that puffs up around the edges, a nicely leopard-spotted crust (if it happens) and you going, “wait, did I make this?”.

Ingredients:

• 500 g strong bread flour (or 00 if you feel like going full Italian-mode)
• 325 g slightly warm water (not lake-cold, not dragon-breath hot)
• 2 g dry yeast (or 6 g fresh), a tiny bit but brave
• 10-12 g salt
• For the topping: 250-300 g crushed tomatoes, salt, a pinch of oregano, 200 g mozzarella (drained so it doesn’t flood the party), basil leaves and a little glug of olive oil

Preparation:

Mix the water with the yeast and add the flour. Stir until there’s no loose flour left, cover with a damp cloth and let it chill for 15 minutes. It’s like telling the dough, “easy, get ready for what’s coming”.

Add the salt and knead until the dough feels smoother and more elastic.

Let it rise in a covered bowl until it almost doubles in size. If you can, give it a slow ferment in the fridge for about 12-24 hours, that’s where the serious pizzeria flavors start showing up.

Divide the big dough blob into 2-3 little balls, let them rest a bit more, then stretch with your hands without murdering the edge bubbles (no rolling pin, hands only!).

Crank the oven to max with a tray or stone inside, super hot. Then build the pizza with tomato plus salt, mozzarella and a generous thread of oil. Bake it for about 6-10 minutes depending on your oven beast. When it comes out, finish it with fresh basil.

Forest tip: yeast doesn’t rush, but it always gets there. So you don’t need to sprint either. Let the dough rest (and your head too) and you’ll see how that crust claps for you.