Pizza alla Campofranco, an ancient Neapolitan aristocratic recipe.

Imagine a brioche dough filled with cooked ham and mozzarella, topped like a pizza with tomato and mozzarella, this is the Pizza alla Campofranco, if you don’t try it, you cannot understand the indescribable taste and goodness of this ancient Neapolitan aristocratic recipe.

Developed at the end of the nineteenth century by the monzù of the Lucchese-Palli Princes of Campofranco, lieutenant at the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, who brought the recipe to Naples, a recipe which has now become part of the history of Neapolitan gastronomy.

A true monument of the most refined and aristocratic Neapolitan cuisine, you will never find this dish on restaurant menus (not even the best ones!), but only in certain Neapolitan homes that possess this precious recipe handed down from generation to generation (this one I propose is my mother’s recipe).

Try this sumptuous and rich Neapolitan delicacy yourself and you won’t regret it! It makes a beautiful presentation on the table even during parties and celebrations (Christmas, Easter, etc.)

In practice, Pizza alla Campofranco is the “refined” and elegant version of the classic Neapolitan pizza, in fact Ada Boni in her precious “Talismano della Felicità” does not call it Pizza alla Campofranco, BUT: “Refined Neapolitan pizza”.

If you love Neapolitan cuisine, look for more recipes in my Special: “CUCINA NAPOLETANA DOC“.

Ingredients for Pizza alla Campofranco

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup butter (or, even better, lard)
3 eggs (whole)
1/2 cup whole milk
0.9 oz fresh yeast
5 tbsps granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp fine salt
5.3 oz cooked ham (diced)
21.2 oz buffalo mozzarella (or fiordilatte)
14.1 oz peeled tomatoes (I use Cirio finely chopped tomatoes)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 golden onion
to taste fine salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
to taste basil (abundant)

Tools

Bowl
Knife
Terracotta Pot
Stand Mixer Kenwood with 1400 W power and illuminated bowl
Springform Pan

Steps for Pizza alla Campofranco

Melt the butter (or lard) in a double boiler pan, cut the buffalo mozzarella (or fiordilatte) into slices.

Then prepare the simple tomato sauce like this: Slice the onion thinly and fry and let it soften for 10 minutes in a pot with extra virgin olive oil (if it tends to burn, pour in a little boiling water), then add the peeled tomatoes (without their juice), salt, and a teaspoon of sugar (to remove the tomato’s acidity) and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes until the oil separates from the tomato, finally add plenty of fresh basil.
Now prepare the brioche dough: Dissolve the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm milk (NOT boiling) and add 3/4 cup of flour (taken from the total of 4 1/4 cups) forming a very soft starter that will rise for about an hour in a covered bowl and protected from drafts (it should triple in volume).
After the rising time, place the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour in the stand mixer, along with the starter, and add the whole eggs and sugar. Finally, gradually add the melted butter (or lard) working with the flat beater until the dough detaches from the sides and becomes smooth and shiny; it will take about 10 minutes.
Switch from the flat beater to the dough hook, add the salt, and work for another 10 minutes until the dough separates from the sides in one piece.
Take a round baking pan with a diameter of about 9.5 inches, preferably springform, butter it (or smear it with lard), NO flour, place the dough on top, help spread it with your hands and sprinkle all the diced cooked ham and 1/3 of the mozzarella slices on top, use your hands to cover all the filling with the brioche dough (as in the photo).
Let the dough rise again for about 2-3 hours in a protected place, covering the pan with a cloth.
After the rising time, cover the surface of the brioche dough with the remaining mozzarella slices.
Then pour the tomato sauce over the mozzarella slices until covering the mozzarella layer (see photo below).
Bake in a cold oven (NOT preheated) at 350°F and cook the Pizza alla Campofranco for about 40 minutes (it will also depend on your oven).
Garnish the pizza with fresh basil and serve it very hot and gooey.

Shopping Tips!!!

To knead perfectly and with convenience, I often use my Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with 7L illuminated bowl, integrated scale and blender, and a whopping 1400 W of power, a faithful ally in the kitchen for kneading, weighing, whipping, melting chocolate, and pasteurizing eggs.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for a more economical and smaller model of stand mixer, you can safely choose to buy a Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker, with 1200W power and accessories.

To weigh the ingredients, I use this handy digital kitchen scale, with a large removable bowl, tare function, and built-in timer

To cook the sauce, I used thisartisanally made clay pot, which can be used on the stove, in the traditional oven, and in the microwave. #adv

To cook the sauce, these are also great Tognana Diamantea non-stick casserole set.

Notes and Tips

Ada Boni stuffs this pizza differently: she divides the dough into two pieces, flattens the first one with her fingers, and places half of the mozzarella slices on top, the tomato sauce in fillets (prepared with 500 g of tomato fillets, oil, basil, and salt cooked for about 15 minutes), 150 g of sliced cured ham, basil, and finishes with a second layer of mozzarella, covered with grated Parmesan, covers the filling with the second piece of remaining dough, matching the discs, lets it rise, and then bakes it.

FAQ (Questions and Answers)

What is Pizza alla Campofranco? History and Origins
Pizza alla Campofranco is a dish of noble origins, linked to the aristocracy and Neapolitan culinary traditions, made with brioche dough and topped like a pizza. More specifically, it is said that, towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Monsù of the Prince Lucchesi Palli of Campofranco (the pizza indeed took its name from the house where the Monsù was in service) was tasked with preparing a very refined lunch, as among the guests there was none other than the then Prince of Naples who would become the future King Victor Emmanuel III. The cook was asked to prepare something special. What to do? Why not make a pizza, but made with brioche dough? No one had ever made it before, the idea didn’t seem bad, so the good man took the chance. It was a great success, and from then on it took the name of the hosts.

Delicious Recipes

Pizza alla Campofranco: the Neapolitan brioche that thinks it’s a pizza.