Everyone in town knows of Bella Chonki’s love for this pizza, as there is always a freshly baked one right in front of their shining throne. While the recipe is a well-kept secret and likely the reason why our possum is so eager to steal a bite, the villagers have attempted to recreate the recipe anyway, if nothing else than to claim that they have had a bite themselves. Only Bella and our stealing possum and raccoon know if the taste is accurate.
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For the dough (6 pizzas worth):
- 850 g of strong flour
- 12g of instant yeast
- 550 g of water (105° - 115°F/41°C - 46°C)
- 17 g of salt
Toppings for Classical quarter:
- Sauce: Whole canned tomatoes crushed using your hands (the higher quality the better)
- Cheese: Buffalo mozzarella (after it has baked)
- Fresh basil (for after it has baked)
Toppings for Salami quarter:
- Sauce: Whole canned tomatoes crushed using your hands (the higher quality the better)
- Cheese: Mozzarella
- Salami of your choice (Bella likes Pepperoni)
Toppings for Vegetable quarter:
- Sauce: Whole canned tomatoes crushed using your hands (the higher quality the better)
- Cheese: Mozzarella
- Sliced green bell peppers
- Sliced black olives (the higher quality the better)
Toppings for Tomato quarter:
- Cheese: Mix of mozzarella and scamorza
- Freshly sliced tomatoes (the higher quality the better)
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For the dough, you want to mix the flour with the yeast and stir until thoroughly mixed through in a mixing bowl. Next, you’ll want to add the salt and water, but make sure it’s within the acceptable temperature range so you don’t kill the yeast. Start kneading the dough in your preferred method for 5 - 10 minutes until it’s settled into a nice consistency, after which you put it into an oiled bowl and put plastic over it.
If you want to do the faster bulk fermentation method you leave it out for 2 hours before continuing to work with it, while if you want to try the cold ferment, you let the dough rest for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Once that time is done, divide the dough into 6 equally sized pieces, shaping each into balls in your hands by using the rolling and pinging technique. By the end, they should end up round and taut, after which they are put onto a lightly floured baking sheet and covered to proof for an hour (or 1½ - 2 hours if you are taking them out of the refrigerator).
Make sure before you continue that you have started preheating your oven to 450 - 500°F or 250°C - 260°C. Also if you have a pizza stone, this is the perfect time to use it. Once it’s time to roll, flour both your surface and the dough and start patting out the dough as wide as possible using your fingers. Remember to leave a small rim so you end up with a crust and continue to slowly stretch it using your knuckles until it is nice and thin and once done, place it on top of a well-floured pizza paddle.
Now we move onto the toppings. For all but the Tomato quarter, you want to spread a thin layer of your crushed tomatoes onto the dough. Don’t go too thick or it’ll end up soggy. Next, you want to sprinkle on your cheese (except for your Classical quarter) as well as put any of the other toppings that require baking (e.g. the salami, the bell peppers, and the olives).
Finally, it’s time to bake. Put the pizza into the oven for 5 minutes and then check. Add some olive oil if needed to add some nice additional colour and taste, and then put it back in for an additional couple of minutes. Make sure to check regularly. Once you are happy with the colour, take it out and add the last ingredients in the form of buffalo mozzarella and basil to the Classic section and you are officially done.
Give it a second so you don’t burn yourself and there you have it, Bella Chonki’s favourite recipe, or at least as close as we will get to it without stealing it ourselves.
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