How To Make An Italian Pizza Video With Mauro And Peter

In a new series of cooking video which I have the fortune of having Chef Peter and Mauro from Giorgio Ferrari to host, I wanted to start on something that is a favorite of everyone.

By everyone, I mean it is something that locals and westerners adore, a comfort food that is universally enjoyed, and yet, very hard to get right. I am referring to the perennial pizza. So for this very first video, it is on how to make an authentic Italian pizza.

Peter has been to Italy to learn the finest of Italian cuisine and pizza making is one of those fundamental things of Italian cooking that any decent Italian chef should master before calling himself one.

In the video below, Mauro will talk through along with Peter who will demonstrate how to make fresh pizza dough and fresh tomato sauce. This is also the pilot episode of the Mauro and Peter Show, which will focus on cooking great classic recipes amongst other things.

Any pizza loving Italian will tell you, the most important things to a good pizza is simply a well made dough and a fresh and well made tomato sauce for the base. Anything else is just toppings.

To make the dough, it is just a combination of flour, water, yeast, olive oil and salt. In the video, Peter will demonstrate how to create a great dough using these ingredients and the important thing to take note is to use ice water and to add in slowly to integrate all the ingredients.

Mauro and Peter making the dough

After the dough is made, it is very important to let it rest for at least half an hour. Ideally the dough should be set overnight as that will allow the yeast to fully set into the dough mixture.

The best sauce is to use peeled tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and salt/pepper seasoning and blend all the ingredients until it is a smooth paste.

Once the dough is set, it is cut into 200gms dough balls for it be rolled out flat like a pancake. Then, just add the tomato paste and fresh mozzarella cheese that is finely grated.

For home purposes, the pizza should be cooked at a temp of 250 deg C for about 15 to 20 minutes, or as Mauro puts it, until it is visibly cooked and there is a crispy crust.

That is the basic pizza, from there, you can garnish it with some basil and it is already brilliant. For other toppings, you can add mushrooms, ham, spinach and lots of other toppings of your choice before you bake it. 

It is really up to you, but the key thing is getting the basics right and you will have great tasting pizza everytime at home!

Ciao! And enjoy making pizzas!

List of ingredients for the pizza dough:

1250gms of flour
250gms of salt
300gms of yeast
625gms of iced water

List of ingredients for the freshly made tomato sauce:

2 whole peeled tomatoes for the sauce
oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning

The Mauro And Peter Show Episode 01
Making An Italian Pizza

Hosted by Mauro and Chef Peter Neo
Music by Ian Low
A Silverchef Production