Lingue di Pizza

These Lingue di Pizza are an incredibly easy Roman snack - crispy pizza 'tongues' that come together in just half an hour. Golden and crispy on the outside and with plenty of marinara sauce in the middle. A dream!

For years, I ignored the existence of Lingue di Pizza - meaning pizza tongues (because of their long oval shape) as they never used to be a thing in my region. Then a couple of years ago, they became viral al over the internet. This snack from Rome, something lots of children bring to school for their mid-morning break (lucky them!), was suddenly being recreated by several chefs and content creators all over Italy. And for good reason: they are foolproof, cheap and delicious - so what's not to love?

Although I saw several recipes for Lingue di Pizza when they became viral, I was yet to try making them myself and then like most trends, it kind of died down and I once again forgot about them. That is, until I went to Rome with my best friend last year and Ligue di Pizza were on our list of Roman foods to try. We got our hands on some at a lovely bakery a stone throw's away from the Trevi Fountain, so we worried they'd be quite expensive and not high quality - but Reader, we were so wrong. Not only did we spend less than 2 euros for them, they were also absolutely delicious, crunchy and super thin, and with a generous amount of sauce in the middle. We were mindblown and we fully understood why the baker had looked puzzled at us as she processed our order, asking us: Just 1 each? Are you sure?!

We definitely made a mistake there - but that was swiftly corrected by eating many more Lingue di Pizza over our stay in the capital. Once home, I decided I simply had to recreate them. After a few trials, I was finally happy with this recipe. Since then, they have been a constant for dinner parties and aperitivo alike, and I am pretty sure it'll be the same for you, once you try them.

Why We Love Lingue di Pizza

Aside from tasting delicious, what makes them easier than pizza making is that most recipes don't call for any yeast, meaning there is no waiting around for the dough to proof - which makes the process super speedy. So you can have these crispy, golden pizza tongues on the table in about half an hour (how brilliant is that?).

There are also a few recipes that do call for dry yeast, but they also have quite short proofing time. Still, I found going without yeast was perfect, really resembling the amazing Lingue di Pizza I had in Rome.

How to Make the Best Lingue di Pizza

• Roll them eeextra thin: What makes Lingue di Pizza so crisp is the fact they are rolled super thin (we are talking about 1/2cm thick) into a long oval shape (which is what gives them the name 'tongues').

• Oil your tray: There is no oil in the dough, therefore it's important you oil your tray thoroughly (or your baking paper), so that the pizza tongues can become crispy and golden.

• Add the marinara sauce twice: You want to spread about two-thirds of the marinara on the pizza tongues when they first go into the oven, then spoon over the remaining in the final 5 mins, so that the Lingue di Pizza stay extra saucy, without making the dough soggy.

• Perfect your marinara: As the star of the show, you want to use high-quality passata, a lot of extra virgin olive oil and high-quality dried oregano.

• Dust off with semolina: Before you add the sauce, sprinkle a good amount of semolina flour over the tongues - it'll help make them extra crispy.

• Keep an eye on them: Every oven is different, and since Lingue di Pizza are very thin, it's good to keep an eye on them to ensure they don't burn.

Ingredients:

300g 00 flour

150ml lukewarm water

250g tomato passata

1 tsp dried oregano

semolina flour

salt

extra virgin olive oil

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C fan

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour and 1 tsp salt, then slowly stir in the water. Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside.

• To a medium bowl, add the passata, oregano, a generous pinch of salt and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.

• Coat 2 large baking trays with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.

• Divide your dough into 6 balls, then roll out each one into a thin, long oval (no more than 1/2cm thick), resembling a tongue. Add to the baking trays, then drizzle with more oil and dust with a sprinkle of semolina flour. Spread each oval with a couple tbsp passata mix (making sure you reserve about one-third of passata for later).

• Bake for 15-18 mins, until golden. Take out of the oven and spread the remaining passata over the pizza tongues. Return to the oven for a further 3-5 mins, until the second layer of passata has thickened slightly and the crust is crispy and lightly charred.

• Lingue di Pizza are best enjoyed straightaway but can keep in the fridge and reheated for up to 3 days.