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Pizza My Heart - No delivery required By Kady Guyton
Pizza is an interesting thing: depending on where you were brought up, there tends to be One True Pizza and all others pale by comparison. Or you ate something for most of your life that seemed lacking, until one day someone dropped a wood fired pizza on the table, then enlightenment occurred. I'm part of the second group; having grown up in the birthplace of Pizza Hut, I ate that - grudgingly - for many years. Finally, on a trip to Kansas City, I wandered into a hole in the wall pizza joint that consisted of a counter, cash register and the largest oven I had ever seen in my life. A giant smoking, slightly charred slice of pepperoni was served to me on a paper plate and I have never looked back. So if you are a fan of chewy, doughy Chicago style pizza, then this week's column is not for you. Go read the wine column and check back next week. If you like your pizza crispy, crunchy and believe that crust is mostly a means to deliver toppings, then stay with me. One of the major challenges of making pizza at home is that the typical home oven only goes up to 500 degrees. I say "only" because the giant deck ovens you see in most pizza places can reach temperatures of 800 to 1200 degrees. Those ovens are also made of stone, which holds heat like nothing else and can maintain a constant temperature. Home ovens tend to heat themselves to whatever they are set for, then let the temperature drop. When the interior gets too cool, they fire back up again, giving you an average cooking temperature, but not a constant level of heat. This is fine for making pot roast or bread, where the food will hold the heat, but for pizza - which cooks quickly - it just won't work.
So how to solve this problem? One solution is to build a wood-fired oven in your backyard. Since this isn't practical for most people (including me, sadly), the second option is to line the bottom of the oven with unglazed terra cotta tiles. I have reports of this working well. However, it seems extreme and there's the potential for tile bits to get in the oven's heating element. The easiest method is to just purchase a pizza stone. They can be had for around $25, come with handles and will last forever as long it's not washed. Now, onto the crust. Pizza crust is perfect for people who want to make bread but don't want to get into all the kneading, rising and proofing that regular bread requires. It is basically bread dough with extra oil and water to keep it soft. Pizza dough is also great for kids to play with, since the main goal is to end up with a roundish, flat-ish surface perfection is neither required or desired. Another great advantage to making crust at home is that you can flavor it with whatever is at hand. My crust ended up with fresh chopped basil, because that goes well with pepperoni and I had some that needed to be used up. Feel free to use garlic powder, fresh rosemary or whatever else will complement your toppings. I also used 3/4 cup of cornmeal for some extra texture. For a white crust, substitute that amount of flour. The recipe given below comes from the good people at Cook's Illustrated. I use it because it's the fastest pizza dough recipe I've been able to find, giving you oven-ready dough in a little over an hour. The amounts given make enough for two large, four medium or eight small pizza. Roll the leftover dough into a ball, store in an airtight container and freeze. The frozen dough will keep for two months, thaw and shape when ready to use again. Fastest Pizza Dough In The West 1. Set oven for 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn off. 2. Meanwhile, pour water into a medium bowl and sprinkle in yeast and sugar. Stir until mostly blended. Add oil, flour, corn meal and salt. Mix together until dough forms. 3. The dough will be tacky, so use a rubber spatula to turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Flour your hands, then knead a few strokes to form a smooth round ball. 4. Put dough into a deep, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the oven for 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Remove from bowl, punch down and divide into halves or quarters depending on the size of pizza. Shape into flat rounds, cover with toppings and bake eight to twelve minutes. Note: When using a pizza stone keep two pieces of advice in mind: 1. pre-heat your stone at least 30 minutes before using in a 450 degree oven. 2. Be sure to build your pizza on a paddle or a cookie sheet to transfer to the oven. Also, liberally coat the paddle with corn meal prior to spreading out the dough. Do Not use flour, the dough will absorb it and stick to the paddle. Be aware that the stone is much warmer than the oven and will hold that heat for a very long time after as well. |
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