Donna Margherita launches first-ever Type 1 flour pizza
loveFOOD headed down to Donna Margherita in Battersea to try out a very special new recipe.
Many of us may be unaware (I was myself until a week ago) that pizza is made with a Type 00 flour (the numbers refer to the way it's been milled).
Recent studies by Dr. Franco Berrino, epidemiologist at the National Tumours Institute of Milan, found that Type 00 flour leads to higher deposits of fat in the human body.
Discovering this, Gabriele Vitale, owner of Italian restaurant Donna Margherita in Battersea, London, decided to take matters into his own hands.
He looked into changing the way his pizzas were made after discovering the downsides of Type 00 flour.
Gabriele, with 20 years’ experience under his belt in the industry collaborated with expert chef Lorenzo Vittiglio, who has 15 years’ experience, to get the perfect recipe.
By using a sourdough recipe Donna Margherita has been refining for 10 years, combined with fermented organic honey, organic yoghurt and Type 1 flour, the duo have created something very special.
The new Type 1 flour pizza is rich in protein, aids easier digestion and has a natural taste of wheat – but that’s not the only special thing about this recipe.
It pairs the Type 1 flour base with Himalayan pink salt, which contains 84 minerals which help to detoxify the body.
The addition of the salt is said to aid improved brain functioning, increase hydration and have anti-aging effects.
On top of that, Donna Margherita flies in many of their ingredients (a lot are organic) from Naples, and they handcraft the pizzas using Raffaele Esposito of Campania’s cucina method circa 1889 [where he created a patriotic pizza to resemble the Italian flag in green (basil), white (mozzarella, and red (tomatoes) and named it Pizza Margherita to flatter Queen Margherita of Savoy].
Gabriele Vitale says: “I wanted to create a pizza which we are able to enjoy, full of flavour yet still remaining healthy for our bodies”
We put it to the test
I was able to try both Donna Margherita’s sourdough bread and their new Type 1 pizza recipe.
The sourdough bread used for the bruschetta (and dipping in their delicious aubergines!) is prepped for 48 hours, which gives it a denser texture and a little added crunch.
Whereas in comparison, the sourdough pizza is prepped twice, but for 24 hours, which means the dough is a lot lighter – and absolutely wonderful!
I had a half and half margherita and spicy diavolo pizza, which didn’t disappoint.
The dough was light and airy, and was quite possibly one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had.
What flour do you use for your pizza? Let us know in the Comments below.
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