The Roman Way

Since we returned from Italy, all I've been researching is how to make a Roman pizza, that crackery, crispy crust, light on the tomato sauce, REAL CHEESE, a sprinkle of oregano or basil and a hot hot oven.  I realized from my research I need a pizza stone, and chose the Emile Henry pizza stone; into the oven, can be used on the grill and it's dishwasher safe---for the laziest woman in North San Diego county, this is a winner. 

The flour and rising also contribute to what makes a Roman (good) pizza, and so I decided to start my research with a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour and less yeast than I'd been using and an overnight rise in the fridge.  This makes a lovely dough that is simple to work with.

So I've got it rolled out, then realized I have no pizza peel--this made for an interesting transfer to the red hot pizza stone---read that as @#$%^& how do I move this darn thing onto the hot stone............

Toppings:  marinara, whole milk mozzarella for melting, Pecorino Romano for salt and a sprinkle of dried oregano.  No video of me transferring this thing into the oven............it would have made the highlight reel on worlds' funniest home videos!

Looking good---couldn't stop myself from taking this photo.  We are at T-minus 2 minutes and counting till I can take it out. 

We decided it was good; not thin enough, and I need to rework how I get them onto the stone.  I'll have a definitive recipe when I've tried a few other doughs and combinations, until then, Dr. C. and I are going to wear our "fat pants"!  Wishing you a buona notte from San Diego.