Passionate About Pizza: Making Great Homemade Pizza (30 page)

Basic Pizzeria-style Pizza
– thin crust, tomato sauce, popular toppings
New York-style Pizza
– thin crust with puffy rim, tomato sauce, sparse toppings
California-style Pizza
– thin sourdough crust, innovative toppings, individual sized pizzas
Whole Wheat Pizza
– medium crust, tomato sauce, popular toppings
Cracker Crust Pizza
– extremely thin and crispy crust with no rim, sparse toppings
Double Crust Pizza
– two layers of crust, toppings inside, no sauce on top
Italian-style Pizza
– extremely puffy and light crust with small charred spots, sparse toppings

Basic Pizzeria-style Pizza

Many pizzerias do not label themselves as to which style of pizza they make; they just make pizza. The following recipe reflects the same philosophy. Basic Pizzeria-style Pizza is a straightforward pizza recipe that you can make with any kind of toppings you want.

However, I urge you to make a cheese pizza at least once and as many times as you can. I believe making a cheese pizza is the quintessential test of a pizza chef. A cheese pizza is a fine tableau to show the subtle interaction of the flavors. It is important and very satisfying to achieve just the right balance between the flavors.

So, dive in, make a cheese pizza, and show your family and friends your stuff!

Cheese Pizza

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
) olive oil
1 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (see recipe
page 113
)
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian Herbs
Romano cheese
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Resting
–
After the dough has risen, punch it down with one fist, take it out of the bowl, and knead it briefly (about one minute) without adding any flour to release the large air bubbles. Make a dough ball then shape it into a flat circle about one inch thick. Sandwich the dough between two layers of plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator (or on the counter) for five to ten minutes before shaping it.

Shaping
–
Hand stretching is the classic method used in most pizzerias; use the technique described in the section entitled stretching dough (see
page 60
). Alternatively, some pizzerias roll out their pizza dough; if that is your favorite method, use the technique described in the section on rolling dough (see
page 58
).

Once the dough is close to the desired size, carefully lay the dough onto the prepared pizza peel or pizza screen. Gently configure the dough into its final shape. Remember not to squash the edge!

Assembly
– If you desire it, brush the dough with olive oil (including the edge). Spread an even layer of sauce over the pizza up to the rim. The layer of sauce should be just thick enough so that you do not see bare spots through the sauce, but be careful not to use too much sauce. Spread the Mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with herbs and Romano cheese, if desired. The sauce and cheese will migrate toward the center, so you should put a little less in the center; otherwise, the cooked pizza may be soggy in the center.

Feel free to assemble and bake the pizza on a pizza screen, if you prefer. Many pizzerias use pizza screens because they make the unbaked pizza easier to handle. The bottom of the crust cooked using a pizza screen will be a little less crispy than a pizza bakes directly on a baking stone.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a pizza stone in an oven preheated to 500˚ and bake for eleven to thirteen minutes. The actual baking time may vary from eight to sixteen minutes depending on the oven, but be careful not to bake too long. You want to bake the pizza so that the crust is nicely browned and crunchy-chewy, but not overdone. In addition, the toppings must heat through. The cheese and sauce should be bubbling slightly (it will almost look like it is boiling) over the whole surface of the pizza. This ensures that the toppings and sauce heat to the right temperature and that the crust cooks through.

Serving
– After removing the pizza from the oven, let it stand for a few minutes on a trivet until the cheese stops bubbling and the pizza cools slightly. This allows the toppings and cheese to set prior to cutting. Cut the pizza into manageable size slices and serve while still warm.

If you have one, serve the pizza on a perforated pan. The holes in the pan let steam and sauce out so that the crust does not become soggy.

Variations

Dough
– Basic Pizza Dough, California-style Sourdough Dough, Half Wheat Dough, New York-style Dough, Rye Dough, Slow Rise Dough

Sauce
– Basic Pizza Sauce, Chicago-style Sauce, Sweet Pizza Sauce, Fresh Plum Tomato Sauce, Mexican Chile Sauce, Mustard Sauce, Sassy South of the Border Sauce, Squashed Tomato Sauce

Toppings
– Virtually any edible cheese, vegetable, fruit, or meat.
Assembly and Baking
– You generally assemble and bake this pizza on a pizza peel or a pizza screen.

New York-style Pizza

New York-style pizza is thin-style pizza, but not just any thin-style pizza. A New Yorker who eats thin-style pizza in some other part of the country may not even consider it pizza!

So, what makes New York-style Pizza so special? First, the crust must have a thin center section with a crispy yet chewy texture and a nice puffy rim around the edge. Second, it has just the right amount of toppings with enough sauce, cheese, and toppings to have taste, but not so much that they fall off when holding a piece in your hand or folding it. New Yorkers in New York City frequently eat pizza on the go and may fold over the slightly floppy pizza and eat it like a sandwich.

The combination of a particular dough recipe and specific preparation techniques create the distinctive New York-style crust. The dough has no oil or sugar in it, the chef forms the pizza crust by hand stretching the dough, and the pizza bakes directly on the floor of the pizza oven. You form the distinctive puffy rim first during the initial part of the stretching process. After you form the edge, it is never touched so it stays puffy. For those so inclined, you can hand toss the dough like you see in the pizzerias! It does not affect the taste but it is fun and a little bit showy.

Pepperoni Pizza

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza or two ten to twelve inch pizzas.