Niecco’s Sourdough Pizza Crust and Focaccia

Today was one of those days I will always remember.  Nearly right up there with getting married, the birth of The Baby and anything else I can remember.  I got to see my pizza dough being prepared and baked in a wood fired oven by a real pizza master - Niecco Capone of Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana.

When Nico said he would bake off some of my pizza when my wife and I ate there this past Saturday I was shocked and so excited I couldn’t sleep for 2 days.  The oven is not the best of the best Niecco told me saying the flagship Pomo’s in Scottsdale has the primo of the primo ovens he has ever baked in.  I can’t imagine a better oven than this one so now I have to go up there and check it out

The 6 whole grains.

When I read that Pomo only bakes sourdough crust, very unusual, 3 mm thick max, thin and crispy in the style of Naples with a thin tangy sauce, not too much cheese (buffalo Mozzarella) and had opened a place in Gilbert, AZ ……..we had to go.  They make pizza just the way I had it in Naples and my very favorite by a wide margin.  Plus, Terry (the restaurant manager), Niecco and everyone else we came into contact with while there were gracious, smiling, enjoying their work and their customers.

25% extraction left and 75% extraction whole 6 grains right. 

Now that the baking is done I have to say it turned out even better than I could have hoped and I had high expectations.  It was one of the nest baking experiences ever.  Watching Niedco stretch my dough so easily over the edge of granite counter and stretch it out perfectly was awe inspiring – I couldn’t even take a picture of him doing it – it was just unbelievable how easy he made it all look – No Muss No Fuss Pizza Crust.

10 g of 6 week retarded rye sour starter left.

The oven was at 950 F this morning and the kitchen had finished up the stuff they make in the oven early in the day before the restaurant opens…. like peppers and onions etc.  I knew the dough I brought had to be as good as I can make so I wouldn’t look like a total doofus – but I didn‘t have time to sprout any grains having only 1 1/2 days to make the dough from Saturday night.

The levain 2 hours after the 4th feeding of all the 25% extraction hard bits- 14 hours total.

I also wanted to make a dough that they weren’t used to to make it a bit interesting for them, plus being different was needed because there is no way I’m going to make a better dough than their standard SD one.   Niecco told me that the dough we had on Saturday night was a young dough so it wasn’t as sour as it is now on Monday when the flavor has fully developed.  Now I understand why it was so sweet and not as sour as I expected.

Levain left hits the autolyse.

My girls like the SD crust we make at home the best when it has no more than 20% whole grains and the Focaccia Romana version with garlic olive oil, fresh rosemary and sun dried tomatoes in the dough is still their favorite.  Lucy then came up thigh a suitable flout blend that would be tasty, Italian and also have some low gluten locally grown soft white wheat in it.  There is nothing worse than pizza dough that isn’t extensible enough and a pain to stretch thin because it is too elastic ……or even worse tears.

Re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes, garlic infused olive oil and fresh rosemary added to  half the dough.

Lucy came up with the whole grain Italian Farro blend of einkorn, emmer and spelt to go along with he local Pima Indian grown Pima Club and Sonoran White from Ramona Farms.  The 6th whole grains was the hard red winter wheat and we ignored the 6 g of whole rye in the rye sour starter which would have made it 7 whole grains.

After 1st set of 4 slap abd folds.

We sifted out the 255 hard bits from the whole grains after grinding and decided to do something new for this special pizza  dough and reserved them for later rather than immediately feeding it to the rye starter to make the levain.

Both crusts right before the 21 hour retard in the fridge.

Instead of our usual 3 stage levain build of 4 hours each, we added a 4th stage which was the entire 25% extracted hard bits we had reserved - with no additional water,  Once the levain doubled after the 3rd build we added the hard bits and let it double again – it only took 2 hours and ensured the levain would be in top form.\

Last night's AZ sunset on fire like Nico's pizza oven!

We decided on the 4th build because we didn’t have time for a 24 hour cold retard of the levain as per our usual process to bring out the sour.  We used half LaFama AP and half Winco High Gluten for the white flours with the 75% extraction 6 grain in the dough.  We were going for a mix of low and high protein to fit the pizza profile for dough.

 Niecco with the plain cheese white pizza right before it hits the heat.

We autolysed the dough flour and water for 1 hour with the Pink Himalayan sea salt sprinkled on top.  Once the levain hit the mix, we do 3 sets of 30 slap and folds on 30 minutes intervals and the split the dough in half to have a white dough and then added the garlic oil, squeezed dry re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes and the fresh rosemary for the Focaccia Romana half.

Here is the plain pizza coming out of the oven after about a minute,

We did 3 more sets of 4 slap and folds on 30 minute intervals for each half, then placed them in a and oiled bowl covered in plastic for a 21 hour cold retard in the fridge.  We took the dough out of the fridge and folded it from the compass points 3 hours before heading over to Pomo’s which is only 10 minutes away from home.

Niecco stretched his now namesake crust by pulling it down 90 degrees over the edge of that granite - Amazing!

I supplied the sauce and cheese blend because I wanted to see how the oven as the only change affected the looks and taste.  The Focaccia Romana pizza had my thin pepperoni on it as the only addition to the sauce and cheese white crust pizza. 

Niecco putting the focaccia pepperoni pizza in the oven.

Niecco boxed up the white version when it came out of the oven saying he didn’t want to cur it so that I could reheat it in the oven for dinner tonight with the wife so we didn’t get a taste but I wanted him to taste the Focaccia Romana one with pepperoni anyway.

Master of the 30 second into the bake spin to even out the bake.

Both pizzas baked in about a minute but I didn’t think to time them.  I’ve never been able to get the spring, lift and bottom of the crust baked properly before at home but both of these really puffed themselves up well and browned beautifully. 

Niceco's pepperoni after the best minute of baking ever!

i When I tasted the FR pizza it was immediately the best pizza crust I had ever had and unlike anything I could ever make at home.  We have made a version of this many times but it isn’t the same at home.  There is a reason why traditional artisan bread can only be baked in a wood fired oven.  Niecco said it was a nice crust  which put a big smile on my face since he has tasted thousands of different crusts made by others as well as his own.

The bottom is perfectly baked and crispy.

But there is a better part, we got to talking about SD bread and he showed me a picture of his latest Forkish loaf made at home - really great spring and bloom with it coming out a near circle in cross section with a nice open crumb – very good indeed and he is just starting to bake bread with F,W,S&Y as his guide!

Super airy crust and very crisp. No folding possible or necessary - Yea!

I brought Nico a just refresh stash of my No Muss No Fuss Rye Sour Starter and quarters of my last 3 sprouted bakes plus a quarter of the Sprouted Westphalian Pumpernickel to taste – all frozen.

This oven makes any pizza want to jump right in there.

I said it was a shame that his beautiful oven never got below 750 F or anywhere near 500 F so we could bake some SD bread together in it and he said there is only 2 maybe 3 times a year when  they are closed long enough for the oven to get to 500 F and they are coming up – Thanksgiving,  Christmas & New Years – On My!

Can't wait to eat the plain pizza for dinner - Even reheated i know it will be terrific.

The best goes out to all the great folks at Pomo’s especially Niecco and Terry ……even though pizza at home is now forever ruined and 2nd rate.   Focaccia Romana is now officially renamed Niecco’s Sourdough Pizza Crust and Focaccia.

Don't forget to have a salad and some fine Gorgonzola with that fine pizza!