"Montanara-Style" Pizza with 00 Flour

Hi TFLers! It's that time of the year again for my mandatory year-end post. I don't wanna end my streak. :)

This was the pizza that I made earlier this year. I finally got my hands on some real 00 flour used for making Neapolitan Pizza so I was excited to try it. I don't have a wood-fired oven for La Vera Pizza Napoletana so  obviously, the next best thing to make is the "other" Neapolitan Pizza which is Pizza Montara. This was very similar to the first one I made here.
 

This was made in the middle of a meltdown from work so I did not bother using my sourdough which was unfed for 8 months in the fridge. My starter needing days of "recovery and strengthening" feeds for which I do not have the time, I just bought a packet of instant yeast which was the only time I used instant yeast in decade since establishing my starter. (Oh, the things that we do to keep our work and keep ourselves sane. :P)



The taste was similar to my previous post minus the tang and some complexity but the texture was really much better. The 00 flour really made a difference, the pizza was puffy, stretchy, and tender with the slightest bit of chew. This was my ideal texture that has eluded me for years. It was really close to the local Neapolitan-style pizza that I can find. Now, I really need to track down 00 flour for my pizzas, I still haven't tried it in pasta though.

I know it's not the most beautiful (rusty baker here) but it sure was tasty. The mozzarella that I bought this time was super melty that made it messy to eat. We had it with some local honey that made it even better.


This is the first time that I had a cornicione this puffy and open.

Today, I made some pasta. I find making homemade pasta so therapeutic. I still used my rolling pin but I feel I need to use a pasta machine soon because the quantities I make are getting larger.

Tortelli Zucca e Salsiccia. Morsels of fresh pasta stuffed with roasted squash, sausage, and cheese; served in brown butter and sage sauce. It was heavenly!

I know it is not a traditional pasta dish but it was inspired by a traditional Italian combo. The only thing that I could have done to make it better was to make the pasta thinner but my back hurts earlier so I don't have the patience to roll it thinner. Still we were satisfied and happy, people who like that bite in their pasta would love this.

I hope you enjoyed this post. And I hope that my annual visits in this site will be a bit more regular. Wishing everyone a healthier and happier 2026! Thank you and God bless!