Signorelli Gastronomia's Pizza Cooking Class

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When the weather gets cooler and the urge for comfort food hits, a home-made pizza in the comfort of your own home sounds ideal.



Most of us will find the skills of making the traditional Italian pizza a bit daunting but es unveil all the guarded Italian cooking secret in an entertaining way. After one class, you can make that same authentic Italian pizza at your own kitchen without the expense of a restaurant!



I attended one of Signorelli Gastronomia cooking classes over the weekend in their posh Pyrmont's interactive theatre kitchen.



We arrived slightly early and the restaurant manager immediately offered us a complimentary glass of Italian wine from their wine room.





The next culinary sensation was the delectable antipasto bar. The antipasto bar consists of warm Italian bread, scrumptious Italian salads, pickled coleslaw and freshly sliced prosciutto, ham and salami.



The pre-cooking atmosphere was electric. Participants were waiting, munching away the antipasto, sipping champagne and absorbing the ambiance of Signorelli Gastronomia. Everyone had a smile on their face, anticipating what was about to happen.



Promptly at 3:30pm, we were led into the spacious cooking area. There was no crowding here and there were individual cooking stations set up for each participant. The restaurant manager introduced their in-house Pizzaiolo and our class instructor - Salvatore D'Avola. It was an intimate setting and plenty of one-on-one interaction with the chef.



We were told to take our place at the cooking station and it was a total surprise when we were told we worn the apron incorrectly. Salvatore showed us how to wear the apron in the 'proper Italian way'! It made the cooking experience all the more special for me.

The class began with Salvatore's demonstrations and explanations on the basic of flour, yeast and kneading techniques. A group of fifteen of us stand in awe as Salvatore demonstrated his skills. The cooking skills he passed on are definitely within reach and he shared the Italian culinary secrets in the most amusing ways possible.



If you think this is a 'sit-back, watch and learn' class, you are very mistaken. The class is very interactive and requires your full concentration and memory recall ability!

Starting with the pizza dough, we learned how to knead in the ingredients using our hands. Thanks to my friend's fine memory, she was able to recollect all the process steps. Salvatore was attentive to every participants' progress and was ready to give a guiding hand when needed.



Notes for making the Signorelli's Pizza Dough:

150ml Water
300g Bakers Flour "00" Protein-enriched Type (Available from Harris Farm)
15g Salt
10g Sugar
2g Fresh yeast
15ml Extra Virgin Olive oil



Method:

Put water (room temperature), yeast into a container and mix until all dissolved.
Place flour on the bench and form a well.
Mix the flour with olive oil, salt and sugar.
Add in the dissolved yeast and knead the dough.
Then allow to rest for 20 minutes.
For best result, let it set overnight in the fridge.



The most exciting part of the class was to watch Salvatore's pizza acrobatics demonstrations. It was amazing to watch the pizza trying to escape from Salvatore's clutches but instead it flew higher and higher.



All of us got to try and spin our pizza 'like a pro' (almost). That was a fun experience.



The next class challenge was a pizza memory game. We worked in pairs and replicated Salvatore's Margarita pizza after a 30-second glance. This was to test our attention to details.



I was munching on some delicious Italian treats and clearly was not paying my full attention. My scientist friend took the lead and our pizza made it to the 'quarter-final'.



The final class challenge was a pizza invention test and we got all creative with an abundance of ingredients.



I was in my element and enjoyed the moment when Salvatore announced our pizza "Garden of Eden" was the winner of the second challenge! We were surprised and elated.



The fun taste testing part was next. Salvatore cooked our tasty pizzas in the stone fired oven and we all sat in the courtyard and enjoy our pizzas with our new friends.



By undertaking a Signorelli Gastronomia's cooking class, you not only watch and learn from a professional, get hands on, leave with new knowledge and recipes, but you also sit around the Signorelli family table with your classmates and indulge in the Italian pizzas you all created. Add to that a perfectly partnered glass of wine and conversations with people whom were strangers only a couple of hours prior and it's one cooking class you'll never forget.

Please check Signorelli's cooking class calendar HERE .

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