In Italian diavola means devil, and in this case, devil means one thing: spicy. This pizza diavola is a labor of love, but it’s mostly hands off, using a few fresh ingredients, and definitely worth the wait! The simple Neapolitan-style dough is cooked at a very high temperature, resulting in a crispy thin interior with a soft pillowy crust. Hand-crushed whole canned tomatoes become the sauce, and the whole thing is topped off with fresh mozzarella, spicy salami, salty grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh basil leaves.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 day 8 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | four 8- to 9-inch pizzas |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 day 8 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | four 8- to 9-inch pizzas |
Ingredients
- 4 cups tipo 00 flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 dried Calabrian chiles, broken in half
- One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces spicy salami slices, quartered if large
- 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 4 ounces), plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- For the Neapolitan-style dough: Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and incorporate with your hands until well combined. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 3 to 5 hours.
- Turn out the dough and divide into 4 equal pieces. Gently knead each piece into a ball and place each dough ball into a container with a tightly fitting lid that also allows space for the dough to rise more. Refrigerate the dough until doubled in size, at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
- When ready to use the dough, turn it out onto a clean work surface and re-form each piece into a ball. Place into separate bowls and let come to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
- For the pepperoncini oil: Add the olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes and Calabrian chiles to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Continue to cook until the chile flakes begin to turn a deeper red, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from the heat. Immediately transfer the oil to a glass jar and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- For the pizza sauce: Add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar and salt to a large bowl and use your hands to crush the tomatoes until small chunks remain and the mixture resembles a sauce.
- To assemble the pizzas: Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 550 degrees F. Let the pizza stone heat in the oven for 1 hour.
- For the toppings: Lightly dust a pizza peel or a board with flour. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, form the dough into an 8- to 9-inch round. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the pepperoncini oil. Spread 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce on top, leaving a 1-inch border. Place 1 ounce of the spicy salami on top, then 3 ounces of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and another 1 tablespoon of the pepperoncini oil.
- Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot pizza stone and bake until the dough is puffed around the edges and deep golden brown in spots and the cheese is melted and turning brown in places, 11 to 15 minutes. Use the pizza peel to remove it from the oven and transfer to a serving board. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes, then garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients.
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store leftover pepperoncini oil in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 327 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 26 mg |
| Sodium | 347 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 18 servings |
| Calories | 327 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 26 mg |
| Sodium | 347 mg |