Pizza
I have been making pizzas for years. Initially, I used a pizza dough recipe that was more like a focaccia bread in texture, and baked the pizzas in a standard oven. Eventually, I moved onto a baking stone in my oven and my dough recipe failed me. A friend of mine (Leon, pictured above) had a pizza oven and I would occasionally help him with his pizza parties. We shared recipes for our doughs and sauces and we both determined that his recipe for dough was best for a thin cracker-style crust, and that my sauce recipe was better and more efficient, since it doesn’t require cooking.
On our foodie trips to Italy, the villas we rent usually have large (some ancient) outdoor pizza ovens and we usually spend one evening making pizzas. It is a casual night at the villa with conversation and creative interaction as everyone gets to make their own pizzas. I provide the dough, sauces and a large table with an elaborate number of pizza toppings from cheeses and meats to vegetables, herbs and olives.
Pizza Dough
There are 2 distinct types of pizza dough recipes. The first is for a thick and bready “pan style” crust (think focaccia) and the other is for a thinner “cracker like” crust. My pizza dough recipe below delivers a thin “cracker style” crust that is perfect for ovens like the large stone pizza ovens we use in Italy or home style pizza ovens like the Ooni.
When I teach the basics of pizza making in Italy, I always stress two important points. First, make sure the pizza always moves on the peel (when gently shaken) and secondly, no “towers of Pisa.” Let me explain:
- Roll the dough out very thin and place it on a pizza peel that has been generously sprinkled with corn meal. The cornmeal helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the peel or pizza stone. As you oil, and sauce your pizza, be careful not to get any oil or sauce on the peel. As you build the pizza with toppings, give the peel a little shake (occasionally) to make sure it is not sticking to the peel and will easily slip into the oven.
- Don’t be tempted to put too many toppings on the pizza. Italian pizzas with thin crusts tend to have less sauce and toppings on them than Americans are used to, because the thicker the layer of toppings is, the more likely that the crust will turn out soft and won’t crisp due to the trapped steam. A thin crust with a light layer of oil and sauce with a sprinkling of toppings will always guarantee good crisp crusts from a hot pizza oven.
Pizza Sauce
Before I put a sauce on my pizza I usually brush the outside edge of the rolled out dough with some flavored olive oil. The olive oil above is flavored with garlic and dried red chili peppers and I often make a rosemary flavored oil also. Just be careful not to get oil on the pizza peel or the dough may stick.
In Tuscany, I usually offer a few different sauces to use on the pizza. Pesto is a good choice and I have also used leftover wild boar Sugo (think bolognese) and Tartufata sauce, which is made from porcini mushrooms and black truffles. The standard and most popular option is my red tomato sauce which is flavored with anise, garlic and oregano. My recipe for pizza sauce is simple to make and requires no cooking.
Pizza Toppings
There is an endless list of possible toppings for pizza and everyone has their favorites. Mary Jo’s favorite pizza has canned tuna, hard boiled eggs, red onions and olives. I like prosciutto, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil leaves and olives.
In Tuscany, I put out a whole table of toppings for everyone to choose from including:
Cheeses: grated pizza mozzarella, fresh buffalo mozzarella, aged pecorino, Parmesan, fontina, sharp provolone
Meats: prosciutto, mild Italian sausages, salami, cooked ham, tuna, anchovies, wild boar sausage, capicola
Vegetables: artichoke hearts, roasted bell peppers, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, onions, mushrooms (raw and cooked), tomatoes (all sizes, colors and varieties)
Other Items: green and ripe olives, fresh basil and oregano, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, roasted garlic
Pizza Equipment
The number of ways to make pizzas at home is endless. Thicker crust pizzas can be made in cast iron skillets or baking pans. A stone can be used in a standard oven with thinner crusts, and I have a good friend who makes pizzas in his Green Egg and gets good results. I bought an Ooni pizza oven a few years ago that is wood pellet fired. I get really good results with it when I am preparing pizzas for just a few people. If you are making pizza for a crowd, I have found that the pellet fired stove can not keep the stone hot enough for more than about 6 pizzas. You can wait a short period of time and allow it to heat back up, but I like to keep the pizzas coming, so I purchased a gas model that can keep up the heat and I use that one for larger gatherings (I actually use both). For just myself and Mary Jo, or if we have another couple over for pizza, I use the pellet fired oven.
Ooni, however, now makes the Karu model (see Tool Tip below) that is wood or charcoal fired and has an optional gas attachment (also listed below) so you can get the best of both worlds in one.
Other equipment that is nice to have for pizza making: bench knife, round pastry brush, pizza peel, pizza turning peel, infrared thermometer and pizza wheel (cutter).
TOOL TIP:
The Ooni Karu 12, Outdoor Pizza Oven is an amazing way to make great pizzas at home. It can be fired with wood or charcoal, and with an add-on attachment (see below), it can be hooked up to a propane tank.
This gas burner attachment for the Ooni Karu 12 – Outdoor Pizza Oven allows you to hook up your Ooni oven to a propane tank. When you are making numerous pizzas, I find that it is difficult keeping the stone hot with other fuel sources. If I am having a pizza party and need to make more than 4-6 pizzas, I will definitely use the propane option.
Pizza
Course: EntreeCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium4
servings25
minutes2
minutesI have included recipes for my pizza dough and sauce here…add desired toppings.
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water (110-degrees F.)
1 packet active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pizza Sauce
15 oz tomato sauce
7.5 oz tomato paste
3.5 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground anise seed
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Directions
- Pizza Dough
- Whisk the yeast into the warm water. Let set for 5 minutes.
- Mix the remaining ingredients in another bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir it until combined and a smooth ball is formed.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place to rise for at least 2 hours.
- Cut into quarters and roll out to use.
- Pizza Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix to combine.
