13x World Pizza Champion shares his secrets to making a perfect pizza

The Cortopassi

Dino Cortopassi was the owner of Stanislaus, a tomato processor in California, and a longtime friend. Also an Italian-American, we were proud that we were from the same town in Italy, Lucca, and the fact that he was a farmer like my grandfather. His company's tomato products are some of the finest available to the American foodservice industry, and I have used them in all mv restaurants since I started in 1991. Sadly, he passed away in 2022 at age 84. This pizza is Tony’s tribute to him.

PREFERENCES

• Whole milk mozzarella: Grande
• Ground tomatoes: Stanislaus 7/11 or Cento
• Super heavy pizza sauce: Saporito or Super Dolce (or Contadina tomato paste)
• Whole peeled tomatoes: Valoroso, Alta Cucina or Bianco di Napoli (or another quality brand using whole San Marzano tomatoes)
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Corto
• Salt: fine sea salt

TONY'S PIZZA SAUCE

Makes 150 grams (generous ½ cup)

Ingredients—

• 84 grams ground tomatoes
• 28 grams super heavy pizza sauce
• 2 whole peeled tomatoes sliced in half
• Generous pinch of salt
• Pinch oregano
• Pinch onion powder

Method—

1. Put the ground tomatoes, super heavy tomato sauce, salt, oregano and onion powder in a bowl, and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. The sauce can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

THE CORTOPASSI PIZZA

Makes one 10-inch pizza

Ingredients—

• One 336 gram ball Base Dough by Tony Gemignani 
• Three 14-gram slices (preferably done to order at the deli counter) whole milk mozzarella
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 150 grams Tony's Pizza Sauce 
• 2 whole peeled tomatoes sliced in half
• 4 full basil leaves
• 56 grams fresh basil, chiffonade
• One (114 gram) burrata
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, optional

Method—

1.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours before baking and keep covered or in the container at room temperature (65°F to 68°F). The dough should come to room temperature before stretching and shaping, but should not be too warm. (Avoid setting the dough on any warm surfaces like the stovetop, which could parcook the dough.)
2.  Position oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven with baking steels or stones on each. Preheat to 550°F (or as hot as possible for your home oven) for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can use one steel or stone, set on an oven rack positioned in the center of the oven.
3.  Dust a smooth work surface with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, then dust the dough and a peel. Place the dough on the work surface and bush and stretch it out to a 10-inch round (watch Thiago demonstrate on page 82), and side onto the peel.
4.  Brush the dough with olive oil. Arrange the mozzarella slices all around, leaving a 1½-inch border from the dough’s inner edge. Using a ladle or spoon, add the sauce on top of the cheese.

*Before you start cooking, put your oven on broil or convection bake. Slide the pizza onto the top steel and bake until you get micro-blistering with a mixed golden brown and/or charred crust, 3 to 4 minutes. Lift the pizza with the peel. rotate it 180 degrees and transfer to the bottom steel. Bake until the bottom crust is a rich golden brown and the cheese is bubbling with some browning in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. *Baking time will vary depending on the max temperature of the oven.

*Alternatively, if baking on one steel or stone, bake for 8 to 11 minutes, rotating the pizza 180 degrees once during the baking.

• 5. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Place the four tomato halves and 4 basil leaves on the pizza. Add the chiffonade of basil in the middle and place the burrata over it. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano, if using. 

*For best results, the pizza should be cut with shears. Cutting with a rolling cutter or a rocker knife will crush and decompress the cornicione (the puffy crust edge). Using the tips of the shears, poke a hole and then snip the top of the crust. Make a second cut from the side and then continue to cut to the center of the pizza. Repeat the snipping and cutting to make slices.