National Pizza Day: The Recipe for the Typical Turin Pizza

Pan pizza, or tegamino pizza, is a typical specialty of the city of Turin. This is the Piemontese variant of the traditional Neapolitan pizza, prepared with a thick, soft and digestible dough which, like the classic one, requires a double rest: the first "in mass", once water, oil, brewer's yeast and flour have been mixed together. And the second after having divided the mixture, doubled in volume, into many blocks of the same weight.

However, unlike the Neapolitan, which is cooked directly into the boiling refractory stone, the pan pizza, as the name itself suggests, is rolled out inside a special 20 cm diameter iron or aluminum mould, well greased with oil, and then put in the oven at maximum temperature: for a result that is crunchy at the base and soft inside, which will win everyone over from the first taste. Smaller than the common round pizza, just like the latter it can be filled in the most varied ways: here we have opted for the timeless margherita flavor, but according to your preferences you can combine tomato, mozzarella and grilled vegetables, provola and courgettes, scamorza and speck, mushrooms and ham, four cheeses…

Excellent for an informal dinner in the company of friends or for a family evening in front of the TV, pan pizza can be cut into wedges and brought to the table even at aperitif time, perhaps paired with a mug of ice-cold beer and a parcel of mixed fried foods. If you don't have the appropriate pan at home, you can also place the pasta in a non-stick pan with a thick bottom, or you can try your hand at a super quick version and cook everything directly on the gas stove.

This preparation, which became famous in the early 1950s, has rather uncertain origins. According to some, it was conceived by a Piedmontese pizza chef eager to produce a higher number of pizzas, reducing their size; according to others, however, it was influenced by the Ligurian and Tuscan bakers, managers of numerous historic pizzerias in Turin: so much so that, in support of this theory, even today pan pizza is often offered in local restaurants together with a portion of chickpea farinata.

Find out how to prepare pan pizza by following the step-by-step procedure and advice. This way, you'll have a perfect pizza to celebrate National Pizza Day with your friends and family!

How to Prepare Pan Pizza

Collect the sifted flour in a bowl, add the brewer's yeast, dissolved in warm water, and finish with the extra virgin olive oil and salt.

Mix the ingredients until you obtain an elastic and homogeneous mixture.

Form a ball, place it in the lightly oiled bowl and let it rise at room temperature, covered with a sheet of cling film, for about 2 hours.

Once the time has passed, turn the dough onto a floured work surface and, with the helf of a tarot, divide it into four equal parts.

Turn each portion into loaves, sprinkle them with a little flour and let them rise for another hour, covered with a damp cloth.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Pour the tomato puree into a bowl, add a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, and mix carefully; then cut the mozzarella into small pieces, well drained of the whey.

Once the leavning time has passed, roll out each loaf of dough with your hands inside of a well-oiled 20 cm diameter aluminum mould; then let it rest for about 20 minutes.

At this point, fill the base with tomato sauce and chopped mozzarella, and drizzle with a drizzle of oil. Place the pizza in a preheated oven at 250°C, in static mode, and cook on the lowest shelf for about 15 minutes.

Then transfer the pan pizza under the grill and let it brown for about 5 minutes. Once finished, remove from the oven and add a few leaves of fresh basil. Bring to the table and serve. Enjoy!

Advice and Storage

For optimal results, it is important to adequately grease the mold with a good extra virgin olive oil, avoiding covering it with a sheet of baking paper: otherwise the bottom would be soft and not at all crunchy. In any case, our suggestion is to choose an iron or aluminum pan, excellent heat conductors that will allow you to give the dough the right crunchiness.

The pan pizza can be kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, for a maximum of 1-2 days: when serving, we suggest you put it in the oven for a few moments, to make it hot and fragrant again.