PIZZA DOUGH
MAKES6BASES
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.11 / 2 tsp(2.5g)driedyeast
62 / 3 cups(1kg)tipo‘00’flour(^1) / 4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
Combineyeastand600mllukewarmwater
inabowl,coverandstandfor10minutesor
until frothy. Combine flour and^1 / 3 cup (27g)
salt flakes in a stand mixer fitted with the
doughhookattachment.Addyeastmixture
andoil,andkneadfor10minutesoruntil
smoothandelastic.Transfertoagreased
bowl,coverandstandinawarmplace for
2 hours or until doubled in size.
Dividedoughintosix280gballs,placeon
atray,coverandchillfor24hours(dough
canbefrozenforupto6months).Standat
room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
BUTTERMILK RICOTTA
MAKES 400G
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.
8cups(2L)milk
2 cups (500ml) buttermilk
(^1) / 4 cup (60ml) pure (thin) cream
Combine all ingredients in a medium
saucepan over medium-high heat and bring
to a simmer. Remove from heat and stand for
25 minutes. Strain ricotta through a sieve
linedwithmuslinoracleanChuxclothinto
abowlandsprinklewith2tspsalt.Discard
whey.Coverricottaandtopwithaweight
(a food can, for example). Chill overnight.
TOMATO PASSATA
MAKES 2 CUPS (500ML)
800g canned chopped tomatoes
(^1) / 4 cup (55g) caster sugar
(^1) / 4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
Placetomatoes,sugar,oiland^1 / 2 tsp salt
flakesinasaucepanovermediumheat.Bring
toasimmerandcook,stirringoccasionally,
for 40 minutes or until reduced.
ASKLUKEPOWELLforadviceonmakingpizzaandhisreplyispithy:“Lessismore–
pizzaisn’tadumpinggroundforingredients.”Itfollowsthatthisneatlydescribesthe
tight, extremely tasty list of pizzas he serves at Bella Brutta, the Newtown pizzeria he
opened late last year with his partner, Tania Houghton, and Elvis Abrahanowicz and
JoeValoreofPorteño,innearbySurryHills.
Theyrangefromthefairlytraditional–asimplemarinara,anchoviesoptional–to
originalcreationssuchastheclam,pecorinoandfermentedchilli(it’sastar).Acouple
aretoppedwithcharcuteriefromPowell’sLP’sQualityMeatsrestaurantinneighbouring
Chippendale.Butonethingtheyallhaveincommonisthecharry,blisteredcrusts.
TheformerheadchefatoneofSydney’sfanciestfine-diners,Tetsuya’s,andnewly
mintedpizza-slingerputmuchresearchintoperfectinghisdough,thenhadtostartall
over again when his Ferrari-red woodfired oven from Modena was installed. “Tania and
Ifinallyfoundatechniqueaftergoingfullmadscientists,”hesays.Anyvariablechanges
theresult,andthatgoesfortheflour,too.PowellwantedtouseAustralian,butfound
the dough is best made with Italy’stipo‘00’. “They know things,” he says of the Italians.
Andhisadviceforthehomecook?Crankuptheovenashotasyoucan–thelonger
thedoughtakestocook,themoreitdriesout.Ifthepizzaisbiscuity,hesays,add
more water to the dough to compensate for the longer cooking time. “And get some
cracking ripe produce, good olive oil and
it will be delicious.”
@bellabruttapizza
Luke Powell takes
a break from manning
theoveninhis
Newtown pizza joint,
Bella Brutta.
EXTERIOR & PROCESS PHOTOGRAPHY
AMY HEYCOCK
@luke_powell
96 delicious.com.au
GUEST CHEF.