Homemade pizza is the Reader Mail topic of the day.
Send us your emails. You ask. We answer. Every Friday. (And, yeah, well, sometimes a day early)
Hi Patricia,
A recently purchased pizza stone has put me on a mission to find a pizza crust recipe that I can actually make and like.
After a lot of research, the number of different techniques is overwhelming. And I'm not happy with any of the ones I've tried.
I sure would appreciate any suggestions from you or your readers.
Thank you, and love Second Helpings!
Regards, Patty
Hi, Patty. Woo-hoo. We snagged another reader. Tell all your friends! Thanks for reading!
Here's some information from a pizza story I wrote back in December 2005. The pizza crust and recipes come from Dan Butler, owner of Toscana Kitchen + Bar in Trolley Square.
A FEW NUANCES HELP MAKE THE PERFECT PIE
Preheat the oven to its highest heat level - the hotter, the better. Allow at least 30 to 40 minutes for it to heat fully.
If using a pizza stone, preheat it along with the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, you can form and bake a pizza on a flour- or cornmeal-dusted inverted sheet pan.
Have your baking peel ready and form the dough on it. (A peel, available at most kitchen-supply shops, looks like a long, flat shovel.)
Don't have a peel? You can improvise by forming the dough on another inverted sheet pan. Just remember to dust the peel or pan first with flour or cornmeal so the dough won't stick and the pizza will slide easily onto the stone.
Make and chop all toppings ahead of time.
Don't use too thick a sauce on a pizza; it will turn to paste when baked. Make the sauce thin and well-seasoned.
Always use the best ingredients you can find, such as freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese. Mix them with good melters such as whole-milk mozzarella, Monterey Jack, aged cheddar or Gruyere.
Fresh herbs and some toppings, like precooked chicken or duck, should be buried under the cheese so they do not burn. Sprinkle fresh herbs, such as basil or chives, and fresh arugula on the pizza when it's finished baking.
Sausage, pepperoni and most other meats should go on top, since they taste best when crisped.
Use sauteed mushrooms, not raw ones. The pizza isn't in the oven long enough for the mushrooms to cook. Lightly precook other vegetables and marinate them in a flavorful olive oil.
Experiment with figs, Gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, goat and feta cheeses, ricotta, cooked spinach, roasted garlic and andouille and other sausages.
Sources: Dan Butler, chef/owner Toscana Kitchen + Bar; Peter Reinhart's "Crust & Crumb" cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 1998) and "Pizza" (Chronicle Books, $18.95) by Diane Morgan and Tony Gemignani.
Send us your emails. You ask. We answer. Every Friday. (And, yeah, well, sometimes a day early)
Hi Patricia,
A recently purchased pizza stone has put me on a mission to find a pizza crust recipe that I can actually make and like.
After a lot of research, the number of different techniques is overwhelming. And I'm not happy with any of the ones I've tried.
I sure would appreciate any suggestions from you or your readers.
Thank you, and love Second Helpings!
Regards, Patty
Hi, Patty. Woo-hoo. We snagged another reader. Tell all your friends! Thanks for reading!
Here's some information from a pizza story I wrote back in December 2005. The pizza crust and recipes come from Dan Butler, owner of Toscana Kitchen + Bar in Trolley Square.
A FEW NUANCES HELP MAKE THE PERFECT PIE
Preheat the oven to its highest heat level - the hotter, the better. Allow at least 30 to 40 minutes for it to heat fully.
If using a pizza stone, preheat it along with the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, you can form and bake a pizza on a flour- or cornmeal-dusted inverted sheet pan.
Have your baking peel ready and form the dough on it. (A peel, available at most kitchen-supply shops, looks like a long, flat shovel.)
Don't have a peel? You can improvise by forming the dough on another inverted sheet pan. Just remember to dust the peel or pan first with flour or cornmeal so the dough won't stick and the pizza will slide easily onto the stone.
Make and chop all toppings ahead of time.
Don't use too thick a sauce on a pizza; it will turn to paste when baked. Make the sauce thin and well-seasoned.
Always use the best ingredients you can find, such as freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese. Mix them with good melters such as whole-milk mozzarella, Monterey Jack, aged cheddar or Gruyere.
Fresh herbs and some toppings, like precooked chicken or duck, should be buried under the cheese so they do not burn. Sprinkle fresh herbs, such as basil or chives, and fresh arugula on the pizza when it's finished baking.
Sausage, pepperoni and most other meats should go on top, since they taste best when crisped.
Use sauteed mushrooms, not raw ones. The pizza isn't in the oven long enough for the mushrooms to cook. Lightly precook other vegetables and marinate them in a flavorful olive oil.
Experiment with figs, Gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, goat and feta cheeses, ricotta, cooked spinach, roasted garlic and andouille and other sausages.
Sources: Dan Butler, chef/owner Toscana Kitchen + Bar; Peter Reinhart's "Crust & Crumb" cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 1998) and "Pizza" (Chronicle Books, $18.95) by Diane Morgan and Tony Gemignani.
PIZZA RECIPES
The foundation of all great pizzas is the crust. Dan Butler, chef/owner of Toscana Kitchen + Bar, says that you shouldn't rush the proofing (rising) of the dough. "The dough will be ready when it's ready," he says. (It may take slightly longer than the suggested two hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and amount of flour used.)
Butler also provided four recipes for pizza toppings. (The photo at the top are slices from each of the four pizzas.)
DAN BUTLER'S BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cornmeal
Mix warm water and sugar in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Pour in the yeast and let it dissolve. Leave it alone for a few minutes and fermentation (bubbling) will begin. Let it ferment for about 10 minutes. Add flour, oil and salt. Turn the mixer on low until a ball begins to form. Let the dough mix for about 5 minutes. Pull it out and continue to knead the dough on a floured surface; until the dough is smooth and uniformly tense (a couple of minutes). Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Leave in a warm part of the kitchen to rise for about an hour (the dough should double in size and be quite pliable; it may take a little longer than an hour). Cut six even dough balls, place on a board or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and refrigerate, covered in plastic, for one hour before rolling and topping.
At least 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven, along with your pizza stone, to 500 degrees or higher. If you have a peel, roll or lightly press each dough ball onto the peel into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary. (Do not use more flour than you need.) You may need to let the dough sit a few minutes; it will relax and be easier to roll out. Roll or pat the dough as thin as you like it, turning occasionally and sprinkling with flour, if necessary. If you're using a baking sheet, dust it with flour or cornmeal, then press each dough into a flat round directly onto the sheet. Roll or pat out the dough, as thin as you like. Top the pizza with your favorite toppings. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the stone. If using the baking sheet, set it in the oven. Bake anywhere from six to eight minutes or longer, depending on the heat, until nicely browned. Using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven, slice and serve. Makes six 9-inch pizzas.
PIZZA PIADINA
The foundation of all great pizzas is the crust. Dan Butler, chef/owner of Toscana Kitchen + Bar, says that you shouldn't rush the proofing (rising) of the dough. "The dough will be ready when it's ready," he says. (It may take slightly longer than the suggested two hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and amount of flour used.)
Butler also provided four recipes for pizza toppings. (The photo at the top are slices from each of the four pizzas.)
DAN BUTLER'S BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cornmeal
Mix warm water and sugar in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Pour in the yeast and let it dissolve. Leave it alone for a few minutes and fermentation (bubbling) will begin. Let it ferment for about 10 minutes. Add flour, oil and salt. Turn the mixer on low until a ball begins to form. Let the dough mix for about 5 minutes. Pull it out and continue to knead the dough on a floured surface; until the dough is smooth and uniformly tense (a couple of minutes). Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Leave in a warm part of the kitchen to rise for about an hour (the dough should double in size and be quite pliable; it may take a little longer than an hour). Cut six even dough balls, place on a board or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and refrigerate, covered in plastic, for one hour before rolling and topping.
At least 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven, along with your pizza stone, to 500 degrees or higher. If you have a peel, roll or lightly press each dough ball onto the peel into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary. (Do not use more flour than you need.) You may need to let the dough sit a few minutes; it will relax and be easier to roll out. Roll or pat the dough as thin as you like it, turning occasionally and sprinkling with flour, if necessary. If you're using a baking sheet, dust it with flour or cornmeal, then press each dough into a flat round directly onto the sheet. Roll or pat out the dough, as thin as you like. Top the pizza with your favorite toppings. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the stone. If using the baking sheet, set it in the oven. Bake anywhere from six to eight minutes or longer, depending on the heat, until nicely browned. Using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven, slice and serve. Makes six 9-inch pizzas.
PIZZA PIADINA
Extra-virgin olive oil
Chopped fresh garlic
Chopped fresh parsley
Fresh baby arugula leaves
Thin slices of imported prosciutto
Fresh shavings of Parmigiano- Reggiano
Blend together the olive oil, garlic and parsley. Brush it lightly over the pizza dough. Bake until the crust is brown, about six to eight minutes. Using a peel, baking sheet or metal spatula, loosen crust from baking sheet. Transfer pizza crust to plate. Top with arugula, prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle with olive oil. Slice and serve.
PIZZA MARGHERITA
Canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
Sliced and grated fresh whole-milk mozzarella (squeeze it gently to release some moisture)
Fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons
Put tomatoes in a bowl and crush. Spread the tomato mixture in a thin layer evenly over the dough, leaving a thin border around the crust. Top with pieces of sliced mozzarella and scatter the grated mozzarella. Bake until the crust is brown, about six to eight minutes. Using a peel, baking sheet or metal spatula, loosen crust from baking sheet. Transfer pizza crust to plate. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Slice and serve.
PIZZA QUATTRO FORMAGGI
Domestic Gorgonzola, crumbled
Grated whole-milk mozzarella
Grated fontina
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Top the dough with the four cheeses. (When the cheese melts, it will make its own sauce.) Bake until the crust is brown, about six to eight minutes. Using a peel, baking sheet or metal spatula, loosen crust from baking sheet. Transfer pizza crust to plate. Slice and serve.
PIZZA FUNGHI
Unsalted butter
A selection of fresh mushrooms, such as crimini, shiitake and maitake, wiped clean and sliced
Chopped shallots
Dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Duck confit (You can find 6-ounce packages of the D'Artagnan brand in gourmet grocery stores.)
Grated fontina cheese
Fresh chives, chopped
Heat a skillet to medium, add a healthy pat of butter, shallots and mushrooms. Saute, stirring often, until they have begun to brown. Add a splash of white wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside some of the mushrooms. Puree the rest of the mushrooms, when cool, in a food processor. (You can add some more butter, about one tablespoon per 4 ounces of mushrooms, to give the mixture some body.) Spread the mushroom puree in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a thin border around the crust. Top with the remaining sliced, sauteed mushrooms and some pieces of the duck confit. Sprinkle grated fontina over the top. Bake until the crust is brown, about six to eight minutes. Using a peel, baking sheet or metal spatula, loosen crust from baking sheet. Transfer pizza crust to plate. Sprinkle with the chives. Slice and serve.
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