Napolina Pizza Bases

...of choice. I picked up Napolina Authentic Italian Pizza Bases at my local Co-op supermarket at the offer price of 86p for a box of two (full price of £1.29) when I couldn't be bothered with all that fresh pizza business of mixing, kneeding and proving.

The box had pleasant black based design with a picture of half a pizza on the front laden with all sorts of mouth watering goodies. The good news behind this is that it is possible to ...
...box urges you to use Napolina pizza topping for your tomato sauce but you could probably get away with any thick tomato pasta sauce. It has to be a thick sauce as you don't want it running off the base. You could conceivably reduce down some regular pasta sauce in a pan if you're having liquidity problems. I personally like to make a large batch of thick homemade tomato sauce up and spread this liberally over the bases. My sauce has lots of garlic ... more

Very few of us do not love a freshly made pizza but when that craving for glorified Italian cheese on toast strikes a ready -made fresh or frozen pizza usually gets snapped up at the supermarket. Admittedly you cannot beat a pizza made up from scratch but if you want to take a partial short cut then there is no shame in purchasing a ready-made base and loading it with tasty toppings of choice. I picked up Napolina Authentic Italian Pizza Bases at my local Co-op supermarket at the offer price of 86p for a box of two (full price of £1.29) when I couldn't be bothered with all that fresh pizza business of mixing, kneeding and proving.

The box had pleasant black based design with a picture of half a pizza on the front laden with all sorts of mouth watering goodies. The good news behind this is that it is possible to produce a pizza which looks as good as the one on the box. Honestly, I will testify to this ! Anyway back to the bases which come in a plastic-foil package and are around 9 inches (22.5 cm) in diameter indicating that one base is large enough for a main meal pizza for one or a snack for you and a loved one.

Upon removal from the foil package the base was about 3/8ths of an inch (1 cm) thick and had a firm, dry texture with a typical light brown colour. I personally think that when you cook a pizza with these bases, the bottom of the base does not go crisp enough. In order to crisp them up I heat each base on one side in a frying pan over a low to medium-heat till they go slightly crisp before loading with toppings and putting in the oven. From here on in the pizza you desire is quick and easy to prepare. The box urges you to use Napolina pizza topping for your tomato sauce but you could probably get away with any thick tomato pasta sauce. It has to be a thick sauce as you don't want it running off the base. You could conceivably reduce down some regular pasta sauce in a pan if you're having liquidity problems. I personally like to make a large batch of thick homemade tomato sauce up and spread this liberally over the bases. My sauce has lots of garlic and a touch of chilli to add that flavoursome edge. Upon addition of the essential sauce it is then time for the crucial cheese. I personally vouch for a generous sprinkling of ready grated mozzarella but if you're feeling posh whack on some slices of sumptuous buffalo mozzarella. Follow this up with toppings of choice and use this as an opportunity to fire up your imagination. Then slide the pizza onto a greased baking tray and then into the oven for around 10 minutes at 220 degrees Celcius. Once the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned in patches it is ready for devouring. If you only use one base for your meal then the other can be stored for up to 2 days in fridge.

In terms of ingredients the bases are suitable for veggies and relatively wholesome as they only contain wheatflour, yeast, olive oil, salt, dextrose (A.K.A. glucose) and that most authentic of Italian ingredients, margarine ! The margarine contains an emulsifier, E471, a synthetic fat manufactured from hydrogenated soya bean oil (I hope have they avoided devious GM soya bean products here). I could have done without the margarine but I guess its addition helps keep the cost of the bases down and overall their fat content is quite low at 3%. Nutritionally the ingredients add up to the bases being unsurprisingly high in carbohydrate and salt. Indeed I would argue a little too high in salt which is probably to make up from the lack of flavour from the other ingredients (hey, that's a lot of processed food for you). The fibre content is low too as the bases are made from refined wheatflour. Anyway here is the breakdown per 100g (one base is 150g) : 291 cal, 7.9g protein, 58.0g carbohydrates (2.1g sugars), 3.0g fat (1.2g saturates), 0.2g fibre, 1.25g salt

In conclusion I found these bases to be very convenient to use and have a reasonably neutral if slightly too salty flavour. They also had a very firm texture once cooked which contrasted well with the thick sauce and gooey cheese....yum ! The detractors weren't too deleterious as the flavour of the base was good enough and it allowed the flavours of the toppings to sing out which ensured a satisfying pizza supper. However in comparison to a thin and crispy pizza base made in a genuine Italian restaurant or even to a homemade base these bases do fall short in terms of flavour, texture and crispness. Therefore they maybe made in Italy but this as close as you'll come to an authentic Italian experience with these bases. Good for nuetralising those pizza cravings quickly though.
Happy munching !
Zallin 

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