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Pizza al molde
Pizza al molde: thick, soft Buenos Aires pan pizza baked in a round tin under a heavy blanket of mozzarella
Order "una grande de muzza" at a Corrientes Avenue pizzería and this is what lands on the metal stand: a tall, airy base baked in a round black tin, a thin layer of tomato sauce and so much mozzarella it spills over the edge and fries against the metal. Porteños eat it standing at the counter or at a Formica table, often with a wedge of fainá on top and a cold soda beside it, and at home it is Friday-night food the whole family agrees on. The crumb should be soft and bready like focaccia, the base crisp from the oiled tin. Most home cooks go wrong by loading the cheese on raw dough: by the time the base has baked the mozzarella has split into grease. Here the base is part-baked with its sauce first, the way pizzerías keep pre-pizzas ready, and the cheese only goes in for the last minutes. The mozzarella is usually made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian one if that matters to you. Chef's tip: let the dough rise a second time inside the oiled tin; that last proof is what gives the high, open edge.
- Total time
- 145 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
For the sauce
For the topping
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup warm water and 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil and stir into a shaggy dough.
Step 2: Knead on a lightly floured worktop for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and springs back slowly when pressed.
10 minStep 3: Put the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
60 minStep 4: Pour 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil into a 30–32 cm round metal pizza tin or a cast-iron pan and spread it over the base and sides.
Step 5: Tip the dough into the tin and press it out with oiled fingertips towards the edges. If it shrinks back, wait 5 minutes and press again until it fills the tin.
Step 6: Cover the tin and leave the dough to rise again until puffy and about 2 cm high.
30 minStep 7: Meanwhile stir 1 cup tomato passata with 1 clove garlic, ¾ tsp dried oregano and ½ tsp salt. Heat the oven to 475°F (425°F fan) with a shelf in the lower third.
Step 8: Spread the sauce over the risen dough with the back of a spoon, leaving a thin 1 cm border; press gently so you don't knock out the air.
Step 9: Bake the sauced base on the low shelf until the edge is pale gold and the underside sounds hollow when you lift it with a spatula.
12 minStep 10: Scatter 14 oz low-moisture mozzarella right up to the edges, add the olives if using, and bake again until the cheese is melted, bubbling and freckled with brown spots at the rim.
10 minStep 11: Sprinkle with ¾ tsp dried oregano, rest the pizza in the tin for 3 minutes so the cheese settles, then slide it onto a board and cut into 8 wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pizza al molde take?
- About 145 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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