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Pizza al Taglio with Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella

By Andrew Janjigian

Published on January 27, 2022

Time

1¼ hours, plus 18 hours resting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Pizza al Taglio with Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella

Ingredients

Dough

2 ⅔ cups (14 ⅔ ounces/416 grams) bread flour 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 ½ cups (12 ounces/340 grams) water, room temperature2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ¼ teaspoons table salt Vegetable oil spray

Sauce

1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can can whole peeled tomatoes, drained1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Topping

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided4 ounces (113 grams) (4 cups) baby arugula 8 ounces (227 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)1 ½ ounces (43 grams) Parmesan cheese, shredded (½ cup)

Before You Begin

The dough for this pizza requires a 16- to 24-hour rest in the refrigerator. You'll get the crispest texture by using high-protein King Arthur bread flour, but other bread flours will also work. For the best results, weigh your flour and water. The bread flour should weigh 14⅔ ounces, regardless of which brand of flour is used. Anchovies give the sauce depth, so don't omit them; they won't make the sauce taste fishy. Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Parmesan.

Instructions

  1. For the dough: Whisk flour and yeast together in medium bowl. Add room-temperature water and oil and stir with wooden spoon until shaggy mass forms and no dry flour remains. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle salt over dough and mix until fully incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Using your wet hands, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 4 more times (total of 6 turns). Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Repeat folding technique, turning bowl each time, until dough tightens slightly, 3 to 6 turns total. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Spray bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan liberally with oil spray. Transfer dough to prepared pan and spray top of dough lightly with oil spray. Gently press dough into 10 by 7-inch oval of even thickness. Cover pan tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 16 hours or up to 24 hours.
  4. For the sauce: While dough rests, process all ingredients in blender until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer sauce to bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed (sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days).
  5. For the topping: Brush top of dough with 2 tablespoons oil. Spray rimmed baking sheet (including rim) with oil spray. Invert prepared sheet on top of pan and flip, allowing dough to fall onto sheet (you may need to lift pan and nudge dough at 1 end to release). Using your fingertips, gently dimple dough into even thickness and stretch toward edges of sheet to form 15 by 11-inch oval. Spray top of dough lightly with oil spray, cover loosely with plastic, and let rest until slightly puffy, 1 to 1¼ hours.
  6. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Just before baking, use your fingertips to gently dimple dough into even thickness, pressing into corners of sheet. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ½ cup sauce in even layer over surface of dough. (Remaining sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
  7. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over top of sauce and use back of spoon to spread evenly over surface. Transfer sheet to oven and bake until bottom of crust is evenly browned and top is lightly browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Run knife around rim of sheet to loosen pizza. Transfer pizza to cutting board and cut into 8 rectangles. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in bowl. Top pizza with arugula, followed by mozzarella and Parmesan, and serve.

Pizza al Taglio with Arugula and Fresh Mozzarella

Save

Time

1¼ hours, plus 18 hours resting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Dough

2 ⅔ cups (14 ⅔ ounces/416 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ½ cups (12 ounces/340 grams) water, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ teaspoons table salt
Vegetable oil spray

Sauce

1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Topping

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces (113 grams) (4 cups) baby arugula
8 ounces (227 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
1 ½ ounces (43 grams) Parmesan cheese, shredded (½ cup)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

2 ⅔ cups (14 ⅔ ounces/416 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ½ cups (12 ounces/340 grams) water, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ teaspoons table salt
Vegetable oil spray

Sauce

1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Topping

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces (113 grams) (4 cups) baby arugula
8 ounces (227 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
1 ½ ounces (43 grams) Parmesan cheese, shredded (½ cup)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

2 ⅔ cups (14 ⅔ ounces/416 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ½ cups (12 ounces/340 grams) water, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ teaspoons table salt
Vegetable oil spray

Sauce

1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Topping

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces (113 grams) (4 cups) baby arugula
8 ounces (227 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
1 ½ ounces (43 grams) Parmesan cheese, shredded (½ cup)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Our Pizza al Taglio recipe uses a dough containing lots of water and olive oil to create a tender and airy crust with a crisp, light underside. Because the dough is so wet, we folded it by hand (rather than employ a stand mixer) to develop gluten. We placed the dough in a baking pan to proof overnight in the refrigerator to develop flavor and allow the dough to relax for easy stretching to its final dimensions. We then coated the top of the dough with olive oil and turned it out onto a baking sheet. We stretched it to the edges of the sheet and allowed it to proof for an hour until it was bubbly and risen. Finally, we topped the pizza and baked it on the lowest rack of a 450-degree oven until the bottom was evenly browned and crisp before adding the toppings.

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Before You Begin

The dough for this pizza requires a 16- to 24-hour rest in the refrigerator. You'll get the crispest texture by using high-protein King Arthur bread flour, but other bread flours will also work. For the best results, weigh your flour and water. The bread flour should weigh 14⅔ ounces, regardless of which brand of flour is used. Anchovies give the sauce depth, so don't omit them; they won't make the sauce taste fishy. Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Parmesan.

Instructions

  1. For the dough: Whisk flour and yeast together in medium bowl. Add room-temperature water and oil and stir with wooden spoon until shaggy mass forms and no dry flour remains. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle salt over dough and mix until fully incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Using your wet hands, fold dough over itself by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl and fold dough 4 more times (total of 6 turns). Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Repeat folding technique, turning bowl each time, until dough tightens slightly, 3 to 6 turns total. Cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Spray bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan liberally with oil spray. Transfer dough to prepared pan and spray top of dough lightly with oil spray. Gently press dough into 10 by 7-inch oval of even thickness. Cover pan tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 16 hours or up to 24 hours.
  4. For the sauce: While dough rests, process all ingredients in blender until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer sauce to bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed (sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days).
  5. For the topping: Brush top of dough with 2 tablespoons oil. Spray rimmed baking sheet (including rim) with oil spray. Invert prepared sheet on top of pan and flip, allowing dough to fall onto sheet (you may need to lift pan and nudge dough at 1 end to release). Using your fingertips, gently dimple dough into even thickness and stretch toward edges of sheet to form 15 by 11-inch oval. Spray top of dough lightly with oil spray, cover loosely with plastic, and let rest until slightly puffy, 1 to 1¼ hours.
  6. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Just before baking, use your fingertips to gently dimple dough into even thickness, pressing into corners of sheet. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ½ cup sauce in even layer over surface of dough. (Remaining sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
  7. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over top of sauce and use back of spoon to spread evenly over surface. Transfer sheet to oven and bake until bottom of crust is evenly browned and top is lightly browned in spots, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Run knife around rim of sheet to loosen pizza. Transfer pizza to cutting board and cut into 8 rectangles. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in bowl. Top pizza with arugula, followed by mozzarella and Parmesan, and serve.

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