Pizza Rossa (Marinara Pizza)

This is the pizza I grew up with. Not the kind you twirl in the air or fuss over for hours, this is Nonna Caterina’s pizza, made in a tray, risen just enough, and finished with nothing more than good sauce, olive oil, and oregano. Simple, rustic, and honestly? The best pizza you will ever make at home.

The secret, if there even is one, is the sauce. My Pasta Queen Marinara is made the way it has always been made in my family: pure, authentic, and with absolutely no shortcuts. It is exactly what this pizza deserves. Spread it on generously. Do not be shy.

The dough comes together quickly, rises in about an hour, and asks very little of you. This is not a complicated pizza. It was never meant to be. Nonna Caterina didn’t have time to fuss, she had a family to feed. And now, so do you.

Pizza Rossa (Marinara Pizza)

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Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 4 cups ‘00’ flour
  • 1 packet active dry yeast (7g / 2¼ teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1½ cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon seasalt

To Finish:

Method

  • In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast, and sugar. Add the water slowly, a little at a time. When you've added about half, add the salt, this timing matters. Continue adding the remaining water, mixing as you go, until a rough dough forms. It will be sticky. This is correct. Then set it aside to rest for 15 minutes. It will smooth itself out. Trust it.
  • Transfer the dough to a work surface. Lightly oil your hands and perform 2 sets of folds, then coat the dough lightly in olive oil on all sides.
  • Place the dough onto a parchment-lined, lightly oiled sheet pan and let it rise in a turned-off oven for about 1 hour, until puffy and relaxed.
  • Preheat oven to 425˚F.
  • Using your fingertips and a little oil, gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. If it springs back, and it might, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again
  • Spread half the marinara generously over the dough. Do not be shy with it, this sauce was made for this pizza. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 425°F on the lowest rack for 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven, add the remaining marinara and pinch more sea salt and scatter dried oregano over the top. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the bottom is golden and the edges are deeply golden brown. Check underneath, pale means more time. Golden means perfect. You will know.

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I AM Nadia Caterina Munno

…but the Gorgeous Ones call me The Pasta Queen

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