Pizza
The Director's Cut
My favorite pizza. A white pie with fresh mozzarella, topped after the bake with prosciutto, lemony arugula, shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze.
Dough: Vito's Neapolitan or Leo's Neapolitan
🎬 Pairs well with The Mummy (1999) – My favorite pizza, my favorite movie.
Prep the cheese
Fresh mozzarella holds a lot of water. Tear it into chunks about an hour ahead and let it drain in a strainer (or on paper towels) in the fridge. Pat dry before using.
Build
- Stretch the dough ball to about 12 inches, keeping a puffy rim.
- Top: brush or drizzle the base with olive oil, then scatter the mozzarella. No sauce on this one.
Bake: outdoor oven
- Preheat to 800–900°F on the stone, checked with an infrared thermometer.
- Bake 60–90 seconds, turning the pizza every 15–20 seconds so the side by the flame doesn’t burn.
- Done when the rim is puffed with leopard spots and the cheese has melted.
Bake: home oven
A home oven can’t get close to outdoor-oven heat, so the crust will be paler and a bit crisper. It’s still a good pizza.
- Preheat at the oven’s max (500–550°F) for 45–60 minutes with a baking steel or stone on the top rack, about 6 inches below the broiler.
- Bake 6–8 minutes, until the bottom is browned.
- Switch to broil for the last 1–2 minutes to color the rim and top. Watch it closely; it goes fast.
Finish
Work quickly so the pizza is still hot.
- Prosciutto first, right away. Drape the prosciutto over the hot pizza so it softens and warms without cooking.
- Dress the arugula at the last minute so it doesn’t wilt: toss the arugula with a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and black pepper. Pile it on top of the prosciutto.
- Shave parmesan over the top.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Best part.