How to Make Che Fico’s Signature Pizza

At Che Fico in San Francisco, California, one of the hardest reservations to get right now (especially after being crowned one of Bon Appetit’s “Hot 10 Best New Restaurants”), pizza is the star. But those who’ve had it can attest to the fact that it’s far from your traditional Neapolitan pizza, even though Chef and Co-Owner David Nayfeld has a certification by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Rather, the pizza is simultaneously bubbly and stiff, serving as a canvas to contain its ingredients without being heavy.

 

We hosted Chef Nayfeld at our Test Kitchen so he could make his signature pizza in Breville’s The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo, which heats up to 750 degrees and cooks pies fast — in as little as 2 minutes.

 

Check out the video below to see how Nayfeld works his pizza magic in the oven and recipes inspired by Che Fico’s signature dough, mortadella and margherita pizzas.

 

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Every single day is about pushing to new heights. Only you can push yourself past the fictitious barriers in your mind. Pain and discomfort are temporary. They serve as a mechanism to protect you from pushing yourself too hard. It’s why the best athletes in the world can push through pain and discomfort. They are the only ones that can see the other side. On the other side there is progress and growth. Embrace everything in life that is painful and challenging. Use it a fuel to push past all barriers that your mind and other people will put ahead of you. The pizza at @chefico is an example of pushing past barriers. When it’s right it’s the best pizza I’ve eaten. When it’s not it’s not. The passion for what we do drives us to battle every day to make each one better than the last.

A post shared by David Nayfeld (@davidnayfeld) on Aug 20, 2018 at 10:03am PDT

 

Che Fico’s Signature Dough

Ingredients: 

• 30 ounces 00 flour (by weight)
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast (or 1 gram fresh yeast as Chef Nayfeld uses in the restaurant)
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt
• 17 ounces water
• Semolina flour for shaping dough

Instructions: 

1. Place flour, yeast, and salt into the bowl of a bench mixer. Stir to combine.
2. Add the water and knead using a dough hook on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5-6 minutes.
3. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled in volume, 45-60 minutes.
4. Divide dough into 5x 10 ounce pieces and shape into balls. Lightly dust baking trays with flour, and place dough balls on the trays, leaving 4 inches between them. Lightly oil the top of each ball and then thoroughly wrap the trays with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to four days.

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Currently one of my favorite things on the @chefico menu. House made mortadella pie. Ricotta from @double8dairy, avocado blossom honey, Sicilian pistachio, and black pepper. This pie was inspired by my travels in Naples and one visit to the legendary @francopepeingrani this is an homage to them as well as staying true to our San Francisco #CheFicoStylePizza always naturally leavened.

A post shared by David Nayfeld (@davidnayfeld) on Sep 17, 2018 at 3:19pm PDT

Che Fico’s Mortadella Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon pecorino cheese
• ¼ cup ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon high quality olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

To Finish:

• 3 slices mortadella
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon toasted pistachio, chopped
• 6 turns black pepper
• 4 tablespoons parmigiano-reggiano

Instructions:

1. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand, still wrapped, at room temperature 1 hour before use.
2. About 20 minutes before dough is done resting, select the “WOODFIRED” setting on the Breville Pizzaiolo to preheat the oven (takes about 20 minutes).
3. Sprinkle semolina flour on a clean work surface. Lightly coat both sides of dough ball by placing on top of flour.
4. Make a small well in the center of the dough with your fingers, leaving a generous amount of crust. Gently stretch the dough into a 10-inch circle, leaving a 1½-inch crust. Center should be very thin, but not transparent.
5. Lightly coat entire surface of the pizza peel with semolina flour, then transfer the formed dough onto the peel.
   
6. Using a brush, oil the entire surface of the base and crust with the olive oil
7. Scatter the ricotta, and sprinkle the pecorino to cover the center of the pizza. Season with salt.
8. Transfer pizza to oven and bake for 3 minutes. Crust should be charred all around.
9. After removing the pizza, cover the center with Mortadella, drizzle over the honey and scatter the pistachios. Crack black pepper over the top.
10. Using a brush, lightly oil the crust, and cover it with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
11. Slice and serve immediately.

Watch Chef Nayfeld make Che Fico’s signature-style pizza in Breville’s The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo here:

Che Fico’s Margherita Pizza

Ingredients: 

• 2 fluid ounces tomato sauce
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon high quality olive oil
• 2 ounces (by weight) fresh mozzarella, torn into rough chunks and drained
• Small bunch basil leaves

To Finish:

• 1 tablespoon high quality olive oil
• 4 tablespoon parmigiano-reggiano

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Saturday night @mdbrewer8 got to sit down in our restaurant and have dinner. This is the second time that we have done this over the 6 weeks that we have been open. The first time my entire team received an email about 3 pages long on areas that we could improve. This Saturday I left the table feeling overwhelmingly proud of what we have accomplished so far. My biggest source of pride came from the fact that I had not cooked one single thing and I could not find any criticism with anything we ate. That’s not to say that nobody else can. It’s to say that our team is cooking food to the exact specifications that we have all agreed that we want. I want to say thank you to the entire tram at @chefico for working so hard to get to this point. The service is warm and hospitable. The wine service is elegant. The cocktails are delicious. I am proud. Cheers to pushing goal line further. #CheFicoStylePizza

A post shared by David Nayfeld (@davidnayfeld) on May 14, 2018 at 9:09am PDT

Che Fico’s Signature Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: 

• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand, still wrapped, at room temperature 1 hour before use.
2. For the sauce, pulse the tomatoes (with the juice) and salt a few times in a blender.
3. About 20 minutes before dough is done resting, select the “WOODFIRED” setting to preheat the oven (takes about 20 minutes).
4. Sprinkle semolina flour on a clean work surface. Lightly coat both sides of dough ball by placing on top of flour.
5. Make a small well in the center of the dough with your fingers, leaving a generous amount of crust. Gently stretch the dough into a 10-inch circle, leaving a 1½-inch crust.
6. Lightly coat entire surface of the pizza peel with semolina flour. Then transfer the formed dough onto the peel.
7. Using a ladle or spoon, spread 2 ounces of tomato sauce evenly to cover the center of the dough. Top with basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
8. Transfer pizza to oven and bake for 2 minutes.
9. Remove pizza, and scatter the mozzarella over the sauce.
10. Return to oven and bake for 2 more minutes. Crust should be charred all around.
11. Using a brush, lightly oil the crust, and cover it with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
12. Slice and serve immediately.

Learn more about Breville’s The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo here and comment below with your favorite style of pizza.