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There’s nothing that can turn any ordinary gathering into a party quite like pizza. Whether it’s an office event or just a movie night with the family, pizza has a special ability to bring people together and make the moment feel special. From its birth in Naples, Italy as a simple combination of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil on a thin oven-baked crust to its modern-day iterations that come in a multitude of flavours, it’s one of the most popular fast foods and is ordered hundreds of thousands of times a day by people globally. But with the world becoming more health conscious, more and more people are opting to make food at home to ensure its quality. But thanks to the wonders of modern technology that doesn’t have to mean you have to give up on your favourite pizza.
When it comes to baking pizzas at home, it’s important to have the right tools for the job and the Glen Digital Oven Toaster Griller (OTG) 5035 has everything you need to recreate a restaurant-quality Neapolitan Pizza with ease. With 14 pre-set menus including one dedicated to pizza, Glen’s Digital OTG 5035 is built for efficiency and can help you master the art of pizza making. With a 35-litre capacity and 1600W power, Glen Digital Oven Toaster Griller (OTG) 5035 is big and powerful enough to prepare enough pizza for the whole family and with a temperature range of 40°C to 230°C it’s versatile and can get the perfect toasty crust and melted cheese all with an easy to read, user-friendly digital display.
7 Tips To Make A Neapolitan Pizza At Home In An OTG
1. Quality Ingredients:
Making the best pizzas starts with the best ingredients. If you’re going to be making pizza dough from scratch, it's important to have special “00” flour which is very finely milled and helps make a soft, thin and pliable crust. Traditionally, Neapolitan Pizza sauce is made with fresh San Marzano tomatoes, but there are also canned versions available for convenience to replicate that authentic flavour. And to finish it off, get some fresh mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil for the taste of Italy
2. Perfecting The Dough:
Pizza dough is an art in itself and a traditional one combines combine flour, water, salt, and yeast which is kneaded together and allowed to rise overnight before being rolled out very thin on a floured surface. Since there need to be some adjustments when making it at home you can add more water for a fluffier dough, more oil to help it cook faster and a small amount of sugar which will help char the crust better.
3. High Heat Cooking:
Neapolitan pizzas are traditionally cooked in a wood-fired oven at very high temperatures. So when you’re making it at home with the Glen Digital OTG 5035, then set it to the pizza setting and for the best results preheat a pizza stone for at least 30 minutes to get a charred crispy base with just the right amount of chew in the crust.
4. Cooking Time:
In a wood oven, Neapolitan Pizzas tend to cook very quickly, but at home, a slightly different approach is needed to get the crust just right. You can use the broiler setting on the Glen Digital OTG 5035 to speed up the cooking process and get it to the desired heat quickly. If you’re using a pizza stone or pizza steel, it will usually take between 8-12 minutes to get the desired rise and colour on the crust.
5. Don’t Overdo The Toppings:
Stick to simple toppings. Neapolitan pizza is known for its minimalistic approach, typically featuring fresh tangy tomato sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Simplicity is the beauty of a true Neapolitan, so avoid overloading your pizza with toppings to let the flavours of the dough shine through.
6. Sauce Smarter:
Though it’s tempting to load up on that beautiful rich sauce, try to use a light hand. Too much sauce may leach into your crust and make it soggy as it bakes, preventing the light, fluffy texture you’re looking for. Also since the sauce has such a strong flavour, it could overpower the mild mozzarella and fresh basil if not used wisely.
7. Finish With A Flourish:
Always add the finishing touches like basil leaves and olive oil after the pizza comes out of the oven. A drizzle of earthy extra-virgin olive oil and a handful of fresh basil spread across the pizza will enhance the taste of every bite.
Now you have everything you need to make the perfect Neapolitan Pizza in the comfort of your own home with the Glen Digital Oven Toaster Griller 5053 so your next pizza party or movie night will be a guaranteed success.
