Italian
Silvia’s Masterclass
From
Silvia’s Masterclass
season
3
episode
7
PIZZA AL TRANCIO
With
Silvia Colloca
Milanese rectangular pizza with airy crumb, crushed tomato and mozzarella. Cut by the square.
Cook
20
MINS
SERVES
6
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 an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.
Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.
Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspiration Starts Here
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