Four-cheese pinsa

• 24 hours minutes to prepare •  15 minutes to cook  • Serves 4

Quattro formaggi II

Move over Pizza, there’s a new star in town. Pinsa Romana is a crisp, soft bread from Rome that is a taste and textural sensation.
In Rome alongside the ever-present pizza, lives a very delicious alternative – Pinsa Romana. A smaller oval shaped bread from Rome, topped with all manner of tasty ingredients.

Just like pizza, it’s the ultimate fast-food, but unlike pizza, it’s light and less likely to leave you feeling bloated. They say pinsa is easier to digest due to the combination of flours used for the dough. This also gives the bread its open texture – crisp on the outside, soft and chewy inside.
In Rome, there are endless flavour combinations to choose from. The dough is a labour of love, but once that’s mastered, the cooking is fast furious. And you don’t need any fancy equipment and you can achieve great results with a regular oven – great news!

Pinsa Romana is a traditional Italian flatbread originating from Rome. It is a type of pizza-like dough made with a blend of wheat, spelt, and rice flours, which gives it a distinct light and airy texture.
The dough is fermented for an extended period, resulting in a flavorful and easily digestible crust. Pinsa Romana is typically topped with a variety of fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, cheese, vegetables, and cured meats. This ancient Roman recipe has experienced a resurgence in popularity, offering a unique and delicious alternative to traditional pizza, with its crispy exterior and soft interior.

Today we prepare it with an irresistible combination of cheeses. Feel free to experiment more!

 

 

Here are ingredients for a 4-serving recipe (4 pizzas):

900 gwheat flour
100 g rice flour
50 g spelt flour
800 ml acqua fredda
5 g yeast
20 g salt
18 ml EVO oil
200 g mozzarella cheese
200 g gorgonzola cheese
200 g Provolone cheese
200 g Stracchino cheese
walnuts
salt and pepper

1. Combine the flours together until well mixed. Then, mix in the yeast and about 80% of the room temperature water until well combined. It’s quite a wet dough so will be sticky. I like to do this in a bowl to avoid mess and it where the dough will rest, so I makes sense. Rest for 15 minutes
2. Chop the dough with some kitchen scissors into chunks then add the oil, salt and remaining water. Adding the salt at this stage gives the yeast time to bloom a little. Cover loosely and rest for 15 minutes
3. Pull and stretch the dough for 2-3 minutes to knead then cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature then repeat the process of kneading. Cover again and place in the fridge for 24 hours. It will expand and double in size if not more
4. After 24 hours, remove the dough onto a floured surface and cut into 4 pieces. Roll into balls and tuck the dough under to form neat balls
5. Place these into separate bowls and cover. Leave for 1-2 hours for a final prove. Preheat oven to 250ºC
6. Take one ball and gently stretch into a small oval. Use your fingers to firmly press indents into the dough and then drizzle lightly with olive oil
7. Cube mozzarella, and Provolone cheeses
8. Generously dust the counter with semolina flour. Make the pinsas one at a time. Dip your hands in flour and lift a ball of dough. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction, lay it on the baking tray covered by baking paper
9. Top each pinsa with EVO oil and sprinkle Provolone cheese over
10. Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the baking tray to a lower self before the next round
11. Few minutes before pizzas are done, add mozzarella cheese on top, and let it melt
12. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer it to a wooden cutting board. Add few spoons of gorgonzola and stracchino cheese, freshly ground pepper, few walnuts and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.