Tomato and mozzarella pizzette (pizzette con pomodoro e mozzarella)

You can vary the toppings on your pizzette and serve them as an antipasto at dinner parties. There are five varieties in this chapter, but please experiment with your favourite pizza ingredients. Just remember the rule of keeping it simple and seasonal – and no more than three toppings on a single pizzetta.

Pizzette con pomodoro e mozzarella Credit: Paola Bacchia

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  6 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Basic dough

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 10 g instant dried yeast
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 250 ml tepid water
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 40 g butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
• Extra plain flour, for dusting
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Topping

• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• Dried oregano
• Aged or regular mozzarella or scarmoza, cut into small pieces
• Sea salt flakes

This recipe makes 30 x 8 cm pizzettes.

Resting time 1 hour

Instructions

1. Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl, then tip onto a clean work surface. Make a well in the centre and gradually add the olive oil and water. Work the flour into the liquid using a fork, starting from the centre and moving outwards, until you have a rough dough.

2. Add the salt and a few cubes of butter and work them into the dough by kneading. Keep adding cubes of butter until it is all incorporated and the dough is smooth. Place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a draught-free spot for at least 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and place a pizza stone on a high shelf.

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough, flipping it around and over every now and then until you get a roundish shape. Using an 8 cm (3¼ in) cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough. Using your finger, rub each circle with a little olive oil. Make a shallow and broad well in the centre of each circle. Place a heaped teaspoon

of chopped tomatoes in the well and top with a pinch of oregano.

5. Carefully transfer the pizzette to the pizza stone and bake for 6 minutes. Remove the stone from the oven and place on a heatproof surface. Scatter the cubed mozzarella on the pizzette, then slide the stone back into the oven and bake for a further 6 minutes or until the dough is golden and the cheese is melted.

6. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on each pizzetta, sprinkle over some sea salt flakes, to taste, and serve warm.

This recipe is from Italian Street Food. (Smith Street Books). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.