PIZZA AL TRANCIO

With

Silvia Colloca

Milanese rectangular pizza with airy crumb, crushed tomato and mozzarella. Cut by the square.

Cook

MINS

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About this recipe

Silvia Colloca's Milanese rectangular pizza, the dough proved twice for an airy crumb, topped with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, garlic and mozzarella. Cut into squares with scissors, sold by weight in Milan bakeries. Olive oil drizzled at the table.

Pizza al trancio (literally pizza by the slice) is the Milanese-Lombard rectangular pizza variant, distinct from both the Neapolitan round (sold whole, eaten with a knife and fork) and the Roman pizza al taglio (sold by weight in long strips). The Milanese version has a thicker, more brioche-like base and is traditionally sold in small bakeries called panetterias, cut into squares with scissors and wrapped in paper for takeaway.

The double-prove is the technique that gives the dough its signature airy crumb. The first prove (around an hour in a warm spot) develops the basic gluten structure and the yeast activity; the second prove (in the baking tray itself, also around an hour) gives the dough time to relax into the tray and develop the air pockets that make the finished crust light. Rushing either prove gives a denser, breadier final result.

San Marzano DOP tomatoes (the long, plum-shaped variety grown in the volcanic soil of the Campania region, the only tomatoes legally approved for proper Neapolitan pizza) are the right tomato. The flesh is dense, the seeds few, the acidity balanced. Crush them by hand into a rough sauce; cook briefly with garlic and olive oil; spread over the dough. Fior di latte mozzarella torn into pieces; bake at the highest heat your oven will manage. Olive oil over the top, basil leaves, cut into squares at the table.

Ingredients

For the dough:

500 g strong bread flour
3.5 g (½ sachet) dry yeast
350 ml lukewarm water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing and folding

For the topping:

2 x 400 g tins whole peeled tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
salt and olive oil
dried oregano
300 g mozzarella or fior di latte, torn or grated
4–6 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
a handful of jarred mushrooms, drained
90g of D’Orsogna prosciutto, torn (1x pack)
1 pork sausage (about 100 g), removed from casing and crumbled
4–6 salami
fresh basil (optional)

Method

Make the dough in a large bowl, combine the flour and yeast. Add the water gradually, mixing with a spoon or your hand until a shaggy dough forms. Add the salt and olive oil, then knead just enough to bring the dough together. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes in your oiled bowl.
Perform a set of stretches and folds, then remove the dough from the bowl. Shape it into a rough rectangle, folding each side inward toward the center. Reshape the dough into a ball and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
When ready to bake, oil a 30 x 40 cm baking tray and gently stretch the dough to fill it. If it resists, let it rest for 10 minutes before trying again.
Preheat your oven to 240–250°C or as hot as it goes.
Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough and visually divide the pizza into three sections:
Pizza Rossa: sauce only, topped with dried oregano.
Salsiccia: sauce with crumbled raw sausage over the top.
Prosciutto e rucola: sauce and sliced tomatoes (cheese, prosciutto and rucola will go on later). Add the prosciutto and rocket last.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and quickly add mozzarella to 2/3 of the tray (not the oregano one) and the salami to the Salsiccia section.
Return to the oven and bake for another 5–7 minutes, until the crust is golden and puffed and the cheese is melted.
As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, top the sausage section with slices of salami so they warm gently without cooking, and the the section with sliced tomatoes, top with prosciutto and rucola (you can drizzle a little balsamic glaze on this side too)
Then slice and serve. Three toppings, one tray — an ode to Roman snacking at its most satisfying.

Silvia Colloca

Silvia Colloca is a Roman-born cook, opera singer and cookbook author who has spent the last decade documenting the regional cooking of Italy from her home in Sydney. She fronts Silvia’s Masterclass, working through the country one mother-recipe at a time. Her style is patient: fresh pasta by hand, long-rise focaccia, sauces built slow.