Angelina’s Pizza Casareccia (Homestyle Pizza)

A perfectly round, thin-crusted pizza of the kind you can eat in the best pizzerie is a hard thing to make at home. It takes practice and talent to be a first-rate pizzaiolo, or pizza-maker.

But there is a simpler version of pizza that is easy to make at home and, while rather different, is every bit as addictively delicious. Angelina used to make this pizza casareccia—which she called ‘a pizz—for us kids all the time. It was thick–more like a foccaccia perhaps than what you might usually think of as pizza.

Angelina’s pizza casareccia makes for a wonderful snack or even an informal primo or antipasto. No special skills required!

Ingredients

Makes one pizza, enough to serve 4-6 as a snack

For the yeast starter:

• 1 small envelope of yeast (usually 7g)
• 2 tsps sugar
• Warm water

For the dough:

• 500g (1 lb) flour, preferably of the 00 type
• A splash of olive oil (about 4 Tbs)
• 300ml (1-1/4 cups) tepid water, or as much as you need to form the dough
• A generous pinch of salt

For assembling and topping the pizza:

• Olive oil
• 250ml (1 cup) of canned tomatoes, crushed or whole and passed through a food mill
• A pinch of dried oregano

Optional extras:

• Anchovy fillets
• Olives
• Capers
• Mozzarella

Directions

Mix and knead the dough

Mix the yeast well into the warm water with sugar and letting it proof for 5 minutes or so.

Then put the flour in the bowl of a standing mixer, turn the mixer on to a moderately slow speed with the dough paddle attached.

Add the yeast mixture and then a drizzle of olive oil.

When those have been incorporated, start adding tepid water until a dough is formed. The dough you want will be quite elastic and soft but still manageable dough.

Now switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for a good 5 minutes or so.

Remove the dough from the bowl, plop it onto a floured pastry board or other surface. Knead it some more by hand, to make sure it has a springy consistency. If you stick your finger into it, the dough should spring back, leaving no trace of your finger.

Let the dough rise

Lightly flour or grease your dough ball and let it rest in a deep bowl, covered with a cloth towel, for about 2 hours or more if you like. The dough should double or even treble in volume.

Assemble the pizza

Oil a baking dish generously with olive oil.

Place the dough in the dish and spread it out with your fingers so it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cover again with a towel and allow the dough to rise once more for about an hour.

Now top the dough with the tomatoes. Spread them across the top gently with a spoon or spatula, leaving a rather thin coating.

You can add whatever extra toppings that you like: anchovies (as pictured), capers, olives, etc.

Finally, sprinkle the surface of the pizza with a bit of oregano and drizzle generously with olive oil.

Bake and serve

Bake in a hot (200C/400F) oven for about 30-45 minutes. The dough should puff up but don’t allow the top to brown too much.

Allow the pizza to cool before eating; slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes on Angelina’s pizza casareccia

The classic flour for making pizza in Italy is the finely milled ‘OO’ variety, but if you can’t find it, all purpose flour will do just fine. For a chewier (and very delicious) pizza, you can also use high-gluten flour.

The dough is usually ready to use after a 2 hour rise, but you can punch it down and let it rise a number of times if you like. The longer you let it rise, the tastier it will be.

In fact, one of our favorite pizzerie in Rome back in the day, Dar Poeta in Trastevere, was famous for letting their doughs rise for 24 hours. We loved that pizza, though when we went back last year—the place is still in business, though in a different location—we were disappointed. The pizza was good but not as magical as we had remembered it.

Kneading by hand

If you don’t have a standing mixer or just prefer it, you can knead your dough by hand as follows:

Pile the flour on a surface, making a well in the middle of it.

Add the yeast and oil into the well and begin to incorporate flour by cupping your hands and drawing some of the flour from the sides into the ‘fountain’ and mixing. Add more water, a bit at a time, and incorporate more flour, until you have formed a smooth ball of dough.

Knead by hand for a good 10-15 minutes.

Other tips and tricks

If using crushed tomatoes, drain them to remove the excess liquid. Obviously don’t do this if you’re using whole canned tomatoes that you will have passed through a food mill.

To make sure it is cooked through, you can slip a small knife into the pizza. If the knife comes out clean and the dough feels ‘dry’, then the pizza is done. If in doubt, you can try a piece—the texture should be a bit chewy but not at all ‘doughy’. If it is, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

Making pizza casareccia ahead

Angelina’s pizza is delicious at room temperature so you can make it ahead without worries. It is also fine reheated.

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Angelina’s Pizza Casareccia (Homestyle Pizza)

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Rise time2 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Antipasto, Snack

Cuisine: Campania

Keyword: baked

Servings: 6

Calories: 343.3kcal

Ingredients

For the yeast starter:

• 1 small envelope of yeast usually 7g
• 2 tsps sugar
• Warm water

For the dough:

• 500 g 1 lb flour
• A splash of olive oil about 4 Tbs
• 300 ml 1-1/4 cups tepid water, or as much as you need to form the dough
• A generous pinch of salt

For assembling and topping the pizza:

• Olive oil
• 250 ml 1 cup of canned tomatoes, crushed or whole and passed through a food mill
• A tiny pinch of dried oregano

Optional extras:

• Anchovy fillets
• Olives
• Capers
• Mozzarella

Instructions

Mix and knead the dough

• Mix the yeast well into the warm water with sugar and letting it proof for 5 minutes or so.
• Then put the flour in the bowl of a standing mixer, turn the mixer on to a moderately slow speed with the dough paddle attached.
• Add the yeast mixture and then a drizzle of olive oil.
• When those have been incorporated, start adding tepid water until a dough is formed. The dough you want will be quite elastic and soft but still manageable dough.
• Now switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for a good 5 minutes or so.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, plop it onto a floured pastry board or other surface. Knead it some more by hand, to make sure it has a springy consistency. If you stick your finger into it, the dough should spring back, leaving no trace of your finger.

Let the dough rise

• Lightly flour or grease your dough ball and let it rest in a deep bowl, covered with a cloth towel, for about 2 hours or more if you like. The dough should double or even treble in volume.

Assemble the pizza

• Oil a baking dish generously with olive oil.
• Place the dough in the dish and spread it out with your fingers so it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cover again with a towel and allow the dough to rise once more for about an hour.
• Now top the dough with the tomatoes. Spread them across the top gently with a spoon or spatula, leaving a rather thin coating.
• You can add whatever extra toppings that you like: anchovies (as pictured), capers, olives, etc.
• Finally, sprinkle the surface of the pizza with a bit of oregano and drizzle generously with olive oil.

Bake and serve

• Bake in a hot (200C/400F) oven for about 30-45 minutes. The dough should puff up but don’t allow the top to brown too much.
• Allow the pizza to cool before eating; slightly warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 343.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.1g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 3.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Sodium: 60.6mg | Potassium: 215.7mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 3.4g | Vitamin A: 91.6IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 28.6mg | Iron: 4.4mg

And you might also like...

Parmigiana bianca di zucchine Minestrone alla genovese Orecchiette con pomodorini e rucola (Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula) Spaghettini all’acqua di limone e provolone Ribollita (Tuscan Minestrone) Insalata di polpo (Octopus Salad) Pastiera Napoletana Pesche grigliate (Grilled Peaches) Filoscio napoletano (Neapolitan Mozzarella Omelette) Columbus Day Special: Chicken Scarpariello