Homemade Pizza
It's not going in the weeknight rotation, but it's a SUPER fun weekend activity.
I had a humbling experience on Sunday afternoon. Turns out I’m not so good (yet!) at making pizza. Or shall I say I’m not so good at using our new pizza oven. We had a few “ugly baby” pies, delicious but deformed. For Father’s Day I put together a make your own pizza party for us and our next door neighbors. It was also a chance to break open our Ooni pizza oven that we got as a wedding gift and have never used. I went to the Italian supermarket for all the good stuff and made the dough the day before. It was all a fair amount of work, and I wouldn't recommend it for a busy weeknight, but it’s a really fun weekend family dinner. We all were laughing at our misshapen pizzas, trying to figure out what states they resembled. But in the end, the spot on dough recipe and the high quality toppings made for some DELICIOUS pizza, even if they looked more like Ohio than a circle.
The Dough
A few weeks back I asked on Instagram what everyone’s favorite pizza dough recipe was. The recipe from Roberta’s in Brooklyn was the resounding winner. It was easy, straightforward and very very tasty. I recommend following the instructions for making it a day ahead and letting it rise in the fridge. This gives it a really good flavor and chew.
Roberta’s Pizza Dough
153 grams 00 flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
153 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons)
8 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
2 grams active dry yeast (3/4 teaspoon)
4 grams extra-virgin olive oil (1 teaspoon)
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)
To make pizza, place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares. Top and bake.
Tips:
Make sure that “damp” dishcloth is indeed quite damp. I sprayed mine with water a few times over the course of 24 hours. It prevents the dough from getting a skin.
IMPORTANT: buy semolina flour. Use it to dust the parchment on which you lay the dough balls AND if you’re using a pizza peel, you need to dust that with the semolina so the pizza will slide off. Regular AP flour won't cut it, it will stick to the peel - trust me :)
The Pizza Oven
A kind friend bought us this Ooni pizza oven as a wedding gift. And this was our first weekend using it. It’s very simple to set up and is fueled by wood chips. We set it up on a metal rolling cart in our backyard. The thing gets HOT! Which is awesome because your pizza cooks super fast and you get that amazing crust quality usually only found in a restaurant. Some other helpful equipment:
A pizza peel - really the only way to slide the pizza into the oven.
Pre-cut parchment sheets: we served the pizza on these. Easy cleanup.
There are many other methods of making pizza at home, such as your oven or grill. I have yet to experiment with a pizza stone in the oven. But if you’re after a Neapolitan style crust, this pizza oven is pretty awesome.
The Toppings
The combinations here are endless. And this list doesn't even contain some of my favorites, but here is what we put out last Sunday night.
Tomato sauce (san marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil & salt)
Vodka sauce (store bought)
Anchovy oil (olive oil, garlic and anchovy paste mixed together)
Jarred Calabrian chili paste
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mozzarella
Part-skim mozzarella
Ricotta (buy a quality whole milk one)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (the good stuff)
Spicy coppa (sliced very thin)
Prosciutto di Parma (sliced very thin)
Pepperoni (my husband bought it from the pizzeria because he likes how it “cups”)
Sweet Italian sausage (I cooked this off the day before)
Cherry tomatoes
Sliced scallions
Sliced cooked potatoes
Broccoli rabe (sautéed with garlic and oil)
Rosemary (for the potato pizza)
Basil (I bought a big potted one and put it right on the table for people to pick from)
What I’m Loving This Week:
Neighbors: We’re so lucky to have moved somewhere with a lot of awesome families in town. And even luckier that our next door neighbors have two small boys like us and they appreciate really good food like us. It’s been such fun swapping food, having each other over, getting the boys together in the backyard, and just having that nice supportive vibe right next door.
Snap Peas: The snap peas at the farmer’s market right now are unbelievably sweet and make you never want to bother with a supermarket one again. They are a delight to just eat raw but I often quickly saute them with butter, a little garlic and a little ginger. I’ve been buying them every chance I get because soon they will be gone.