Pizza alla Marinara: the pride of Neapolitan sailors

Traditional pizza comes from the southern city of Naples, and one of its oldest versions, whose origins are to be traced back to the first half of the 1700s is Pizza alla Marinara. This pizza took its name from the seafarers who ate this particular pizza prepared by their wives when they returned home from their fishing expeditions in the Bay of Naples. The seafarer’s wife, la marinara, traditionally topped the pizza with tomato, oregano, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

Its preparation, described below, is very simple.

Pizza alla Marinara step by step:

Ingredients	Quantity
Instant-rising pizza blend	750 g
Water	450 ml
Marinara sauce	700 g
Garlic	4 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil	60 ml
Salt	To taste (>15 g)
Pepper	To taste

Preparation method

Before starting, our recommendation for quick pizza preparation is to use a pizza blend of organic soft wheat flour mixed with instant yeast, which will allow you to reduce preparation times because the pizza rises as it cooks. 

• Step 1 – Preheating the oven to 250°C (480 F)
  • First of all, remember to turn on the oven because the flour with added yeast begins to rise as soon as it is mixed with the water and therefore it will be important to bake it as soon as it is ready.
• Step 2 – Preparing the dough
  • Pour the pizza bland, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of EVO oil, 15g of salt and 450 ml of water in a bowl or in a mixer
  • Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes in the planetary mixer or, if kneaded by hand in a bowl, for about 5 minutes.
  • If the dough is still too dry, add very little water at a time but it shouldn’t happen. The dough must be smooth and homogeneous.
  • Let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Keep kneading the dough until it becomes smooth.
• Step 3 – Seasoning the dough
  • Spread the dough in an oiled pan (a very large one or, if you don’t have it, 2 smaller ones) and flatten it with the help of your fingertips  so that you fill the entire pan . The dough will seem not enough and in any case too thin … it is normal, as it will grow during cooking.
  • Once the dough has been rolled out, pour over 700g of Marinara sauce and spread it evenly, add a pinch of salt, sprinkle with a drizzle of oil.
  • Peel the garlic and cut it in half. Remove the core and cut into thin slices. Sprinkle the slices that you cut evenly on the pizza
• Step 4 – Baking your pizza
  • Put the pan in the oven and bake for for 15/20 minutes in a static oven. As always, cooking times vary from oven to oven. The dough should swell and brown slightly at the edges.
  • Remove from the oven, let stand 2 – 3 minutes and serve.

At the end of cooking, you are ready to taste a piece of Neapolitan pizza history: buon appetito!

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