Pinsa Romana: The Roman Pizza

Roman Style Pizza: origins and evolution

The classic recipe of Roman Pizza over the centuries has undergone several reinterpretations, up to the present day.
Pizza Romana was invented in old Roman’s Bakeries, when some bakers, to test the temperature of their ovens, used to make a plain flatbread before starting the daily production of the bread.  The modern recipes of pinsa and Roman pizza “alla pala" are originated from this ancient flatbread made in the old bakeries of Rome.
Today thanks to the research around new professional flours for pizza and the cold water processing technique, it is possible to create the Pinsa Romana whit a special highly hydrated dough, that it is both lighter and tastier than the ancient Roman Pizza recipes. 

The term Pinsa derives precisely from the Latin Pinsere: stretch-crush.

With  the offer of new flours and cereals, from wheat to kamut, but also barley, spelled and millet, and the addition of wild aromatic herbs, pinsa changed many time its recipe during the history until was perfected in modern times with the use of wheat, soy and rice flours. Compared with the classic pizza dough, the pinsa needs a different amount of water, and a lower percentage of yeast. The result is a more digestible and less caloric preparation.

The main features of the Roman Pinsa are:

1. The oval shape
2. Friability (crisp on the edges and soft on the inside)
3. Digestibility (thanks to different leavening-ripening techniques)
4. The use of a Special Blend of flours: wheat, rice, soy and sourdough
5. Fragrance (due to the ripening hours and the use of sourdough).

The modern Pinsa Romana is a special product and even if it’s inspired to the ancient Roman Recipe, it’s lighter, healthier and much more easy to digest.

The recipe of the Roman pinsa: it all starts with the choice of the Mix of Flours.
As already indicated, over the centuries the pinsa has been the subject of a series of reinterpretations;  however, this has always been done with great respect for the original recipe.

The secret lays in the flour: we use Molino Iaquone because was the first great Italian industrial mill to research and create a special mix of professional flours for pinsa, the authentic Roman Pizza.
High quality mix of flours for Pinsa Romana must contain:
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩: Type 0 soft wheat.
𝙎𝙤𝙮 Helps to fix the dough by giving it friability
𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙚: In cooking, it retains water and gives lightness.
𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝: It gives a high digestibility to the product, contributing to the leavening and maturation process of the dough.

Peculiarities of the Roman Pinsa Dough The easy digestibility of the pinsa, but also its friability and fragrance (try to bite it and you will notice how to an external crisp corresponds a surprising internal softness), depend from the long leavening (minimum 48 hours), the high hydration of the dough (minimum 80% water), the mix of flours, the presence of mother yeast, the absence of animal fat and the limited amount of EVO oil. In addition, the dough is worked in a completely different way from pizza, giving rise to a unique product. The softness inside the crust is mainly the result of rice flour.

Pinsa Versatility Products. You will only have to preheat the oven (in static mode at 250 °) and proceed with the seasoning of the pinsa, based exclusively on extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt and rosemary. You will only have to preheat the oven (in static mode at 250 °) and proceed with the seasoning of the pinsa, based exclusively on extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt and rosemary. Obviously nothing prevents you from bringing a richer pinsa to the table, perhaps by proposing a gluten-free pinsa, or by adding cherry tomatoes and slices of buffalo mozzarella at the end of cooking. Furthermore, you can opt for the classic Marghertita with mozzarella and tomato sauce, broccoli and sausage, tuna, onions and beans, there are hundreds of recipies and creative ways to dress a pinsa crust.

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