Canotto, the pizza on steroids
The Canotto pizza: is characterized by its delicious, almost inflated-looking airy crust. In the last few years, Canotto pizza has become very popular. Pizza restaurants are including it in their menus and home bakers are also trying their hand at baking it. Canotto means “inflatable boat” in Italian, and because the Canotto pizza reminds us of a rubber boat, with its highly inflated edges, this pizza is named after it. The Canotto is certainly smaller than the so-called ‘cartwheel’ pizza. The center of the Canotto is thin and the crust, which can be more than 3.5cm high, is alveolate and puffy.Â
Canotto is traditionally baked in a high-heat oven (typically between 430°C to 480°C, or 800°F to 900°F) to bake the pizza quickly, often within 90 seconds. This rapid cooking method contributes to the distinctive charred crust, light and airy texture, and well-melted toppings that characterize Canotto and Neapolitan pizzas.
The origin of the Canotto Pizza
While young pizza bakers in the Caserta area of Italy are credited with its inception, the origins of this pizza variant could be traced back much further. Back in the days, in the prosperous areas of Naples, especially Vomero, the dough was stretched out less, just like the canotto pizza. At the same time, the pizzaiolo in the poorer areas of Italy wanted to give the people the impression that they were getting more to eat for the same price and tended to stretch the dough more, until the pizza became thinner and larger, just like the Neapolitan pizza.
What makes it a Canotto?
High hydration level
When making dough, the finished product highly depends on the amount of water we put in the dough. The more water you add, the more aerated the final product will be, and vice versa. If you compared the texture of a ciabatta to that of a bagel, you would see that the ciabatta would have a better oven spring and a more pronounced open crumb compared to the bagel. The difference in texture is mostly caused by a difference in the ratio of water used in the two products. So the real secret of the pizza canotto is having a higher percentage of water than what is used in a classic Neapolitan pizza dough. The right hydration level for this type of pizza ranges from 65-75%.
More flour
As mentioned before the canotto needs more water than the Neapolitan pizza. A strong flour can absorb more water, has more protein and will be able to support a higher rise. That is why it is important to understand which flour to use. Check out the article on flour to learn more about how to determine if your flour is strong enough for pizza making.
Methods
The ‘canotto’ pizza can be made in two ways: the direct method, which is great for beginners, and the indirect method, which is a bit more advanced.
With the direct method, you mix all the ingredients, let the dough chill in the fridge after kneading, and then you can easily make a tasty and airy ‘canotto’ pizza. The dough resting in the fridge adds flavor and texture to the crust, which is kind of a shortcut compared to the indirect method.
For more experienced pizza-makers, there’s the indirect method. This involves using something called a poolish. It’s a bit trickier, but it results in the ultimate airy ‘canotto’ pizza with special flavors from the poolish.
Tools
To create your own Canotto Pizza, make sure you have the following tools ready.
- Tools poolish
- Kitchen scale
- Cup or container
- Spoon
- Cling film
- Fridge
Tools final dough
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- dough machine (optional)
- Spoon/spatula
- Dough container
- Fridge
- Pizza peel
- Oven
- Scissors
Ready to learn how to make a canotto pizza?
Click here if you want make pizza dough.
By Safia Abali
Tools
Ingredients