PIZZA Worth Celebrating!
February 9th is National Pizza Day! Isn’t it fantastic that there is a national day to celebrate one of Italy’s most popular culinary creations? You know what they say; Pizza is like a hug in a dish! My husband and I happen to share the same love and passion for homemade pizza. His favorite is pepperoni and olive and my favorite is prosciutto and fig. I like to top it all with fresh tomatoes as after it comes out of the oven. (My husband kids me that I like a little pizza with my tomatoes.)
Pizza is an easy-to-cook meal that guarantees a happy ending and leaves no room for disappointment. Need I say more? Whether you are a fan of thick or thin crust, pizza is the perfect meal to celebrate this special day. So, let’s give in to our cravings and enjoy this iconic dish. Maybe give in and try a new combo of toppings just for fun!
How to Make the BEST Pizza You Have Ever Tasted
So you have a recipe for pizza dough and a recipe for pizza sauce, NOW WHAT?
Getting Started
About an hour before you want to bake your pizza, take your pizza crust dough out of the ‘fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F
OR set your grill on high
Select Your Sauce
I like to use a traditional red sauce for most of my pizzas, however, there are other choices out there. Some pizzas are great with an afredo type sauce and others do better with a really nice extra-virgin olive oil, possibly infused with herbs and/or garlic. Have fun and experiment. It is YOUR pizza.
Choose Your Toppings
Some of my favorites are;
- Pepperoni with Sliced Black Olives
- Ham, (or Prosciutto) with Pineapple. YES! Pineapple belongs on pizza!
- Fig and Prosciutto. For this, I use olive oil infused with garlic rather than the traditional red sauce.
- Italian Sausage with Peppers and Olives
- There are all kinds of veggies and fruits that work well on pizza; some of my favorites are red onion, bell peppers, pitted olives–any kind, pineapple, fresh figs, fresh peaches
- Additions after the pizza is baked are good too, such as arugula and fresh tomatoes
Pick Your Cheeses
- Grated mozerella is an “always” cheese for my pizzas unless I decide to go with FRESH mozerella–sometimes I use both, the grated on the bottom and the fresh on the top
- Fontina is wonderful with ham and Proscuitto pizzas
- Provolone is great on Pepperoni, Sausage and cheese pizzas
- Cheddar cheese is always good in combination with other cheeses
- Parmesan is nice addition to any pizza, before and after baking
NOW It’s Time to Create Your Master Piece
First, decide whether you want to bake your pizza in a pizza pan or if you want to place it on a pizza stone, using a pizza peel. If you plan to cook it on a stone, I recommend that you prepare your pizza on a sheet of parchment. It is SO much easier to manage.
- Take your pizza crust and stretch it to approximately the size you want your pizza to be and place into your pizza pan or onto your sheet of parchment paper
- Finish shaping your pizza and make a rim around the edge
- Place whatever sauce you like onto the crust. If using the traditional red sauce, I use about 1/3 of a cup for a large pizza
- Sprinkle some cheese over the sauce and then add your other toppings, starting with your meats
- Sprinkle the top with a little more cheese(s) of choice
- Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 12 minutes
- Transfer pizza to a cutting board covered with a sheet of parchment paper, if using a pizza pan. Transfer pizza from pizza stone to a cutting board, if using a pizza peel. Using a pizza cutter, cut your pizza into pieces and place onto a cooling rack.
- Serve and ENJOY!
Sourdough Pizza Crust
This makes a wonderfully thin and crisp pizza crust with a delightful sourdough flavor.
Servings 2 pizzas
Equipment
- Pizza stone (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups flour
- 1½ tsp onion salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer, combine the starter, water and 2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed with the paddle until the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- Change to a dough hook and with the mixer running on low, add the salt, olive oil and remaining flour. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to clear the sides of the bowl and gathers on the hook. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for 5 minutes. (If mixing by hand, add as much of the flour as you can using a spoon, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface to finish kneading in the rest of the flour.)
- Drop the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over to coat the surface. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the bowl and lift one side of the dough and fold it into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough and then flip the dough over. Cover the bowl and after 30 minutes, repeat the procedure. Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes, repeat the procedure again.Cover the bowl and set aside for another 60 minutes. By the end of 3 hours the dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish, give it another hour at room temperature. At this point you can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days or you can go ahead and make the pizzas
- Drop the dough onto a floured surface. using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. For, each piece into a tight ball by cupping the dough in the palms of your hands--do not knead at this point. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes, (covered), before forming into your pizza crust.
- Place one ball of dough onto a large square of parchment paper and gently flatten and press the dough into a disc. Use your fingers to stretch the dough into a 12-14" round.
- Proceed to top and bake your pizza.
- I often use a grill to bake my pizza.
Perfect Pizza Dough
This is a recipe I have been tweaking for the past 35 years or so, and will most likely continue to do so. Sometimes I add olive oil to the dough, but most times the oil I drizzle into the bowl is enough. I must confess that I don't measure the pepper and the onion salt, a healthy shake of pepper and a nice mound of onion salt in the palm of my hand is just right. I also add about 1/4 teaspoon sugar into the warm water to help give the yeast a boost. I like to use 00 flour, (double zero is high protein/high starch/high gluten which makes it ideal for pasta and bread making), but all-purpose flour will work just fine.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup 00 flour all-purpose can be substituted
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2¼ tsp dry yeast
- ¼ tsp coursely ground black pepper
- ½ tsp onion salt
- ¼-½ tsp Italian Seasoning optional
- Extra-Virgin Olive oil
Instructions
- Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir and allow to stand until foamy
- Place flour, pepper, onion salt, Italian Seasoning (if using) in the bowl of a food processor.
- With food processor running, SLOWLY add yeast mixture in a steady stream until the dough forms into a ball. Continue processing about a minute to develop the gluten.
- Drizzle about a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil into a medium sized bowl. Place the dough into the bowl then flip it over- oiled side up, and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place in refrigerator and allow to raise for a minimum of 8 hours or up to 2 days.
Positively Perfect Pizza Sauce
This is just an outline, you can add or subtract whatever strikes your fancy. We like our sauce to be a little on the spicier side, but if you prefer it mild, just leave out the crushed red pepper and garlic. I will often substitute fresh herbs for the Italian seasoning. Fresh torn basil leaves are heavenly in this.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs plum tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic minced
- ⅓ cup good extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- smoked paprika and red chili flakes to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven and cook at the highest temperature in your oven until tomatoes are mushy, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the skins from the tomatoes, (cutting the tomatoes in half before cooking is the trick here).Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher and then use an immersion blender to smooth it out. If the sauce is too runny, put it back into the oven to reduce to the right consistency.
Notes
I like to make my pizza sauce ahead, put it in small containers, and then freeze them for another day. They thaw quickly and it just makes making pizza that much quicker. You need about 1/3 cup of sauce for a large pizza.
Have An Entertaining Day!
