Luca Grasselli: the ideal cycle for a light, crisp pizza

At Cascina Lago Scuro, almost everything that reaches the table comes from the farm, which is run using organic and sustainable methods. The vegetable gardens provide a wide variety of produce, milk from the farm’s own herds is made into both fresh and aged cheeses, and Leghorn hens lay their distinctive white eggs.

The fields also grow cereals and ancient grains: einkorn, rye and an “evolutionary mix”, a valuable blend of different durum and soft wheat varieties. Once stone-ground, they become the flours used for bread, cakes and other leavened bakes.

Among the starters on the menu, the pizza al padellino (pan pizza) is always one of the most popular. Luca makes it with a sourdough starter and changes the toppings with the seasons. Baked in a small pan or a tray, it stays soft and light inside, with a thin, crisp crust.

Getting this result takes lengthy preparation, with several stages of handling and proofing that demand great precision.

The Nortech Plus multifunction blast chiller gives Luca three advantages: full control over proofing, where the ideal temperature changes over time; less hands-on work in the kitchen; and the ability to plan preparations ahead instead of making fresh dough every day.

With Nortech Plus, cold storage, proofing and the chilling that follows (to stop the proofing) run one after another in a single automatic cycle. First, the dough rests for a few hours at 3°C. Then comes the “wake-up” phase, in which the cabinet temperature rises gradually (so as not to shock the yeast) up to 28°C for the proofing proper, which takes about two hours. Once proofing at 28 °C is complete, the dough is held at 8°C, which slows proofing down and stabilizes the product.

Throughout all these phases, the chef can set not only the temperature but also the humidity, a key factor in achieving an excellent result.

The result is perfectly proofed dough: soft, with an airy, open crumb.