Helene Siegel - Totally Pizza Cookbook

Copyright 1996 by Helene Siegel. Illustrations copyright 1996 by Carolyn Vibbert. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the express permission of the publisher.

Celestial Arts Publishing

P.O. Box 7123

Berkeley, CA 94707

Interior illustrations: Carolyn Vibbert

The Totally Pizza Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Siegel, Helene.

Totally Pizza Cookbook / by Helene Siegel.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-89087-786-9

ISBN-10: 0-89087-786-6

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-5302-7

1. Pizza I. Title.

TX770.P58S54 1996

641.824dc20 95-48231

v3.1

Other cookbooks in this series:

The Totally Eggplant Cookbook

The Totally Picnic Cookbook

The Totally Tomato Cookbook

W ITH A TIP OF THE HAT TO MAVENS
E D L A D OU , W OLFGANG P UCK, AND
C ALIFORNIA P IZZA K ITCHEN
ALL PIZZA TRAILBLAZERS.

Serving Sizes

Most of the recipes are for individual, California-style 9-inch pizzas. They serve one person as a main course, or four or more as an appetizer. The simpler pies, especially those without cheese like the White Beans and Olives (), can be cut into small pieces for wonderful hors doeuvres.

W HEN IT COMES TO PIZZA, EVERYONES GOT AN OPINION.

Some swear by the New York variety: large, thin-crusted, topped with nothing more exotic than peppers or mushrooms, and eaten by the slice at a neighborhood joint called Sals or Rays.

Midwesterners, on the other hand, like it a few inches thick, baked in a pan to contain colossal quantities of meatballs and sausage, with a couple of pounds of cheese to ward off the cold.

And then there are the laid-back Left Coasters. This bunch likes to arrange things like duck meat and radicchio atop ever-so-thin crusts. They call this gourmet.

(Teenage boys, a small nation of pizza eaters unto themselves, seem to prefer any variety that requires a phone call and results in an unsightly stack of greasy cardboard boxes on kitchen counters. But thats another story.)

As an experienced pizza eater (and baker), I refuse to take sides. I prefer to keep an open mind and celebrate pizza in all its outrageous diversity, from humble bread, cheese, and tomato combinations to exotica like barbecued duck, marinated Thai shrimp, and, on occasion, even scrambled eggs and bacon.

The home is the best place for such wild experimentation. There are only two requirements regarding the making and serving of excellent pizza at home.

Always serve it piping hot, right out of the oven, and skip the silverware. It tastes better that way.

Quick Tips

Have all the toppings ready before rolling out the dough.

When trying out new combinations, do not get carried away. Three or four toppings usually work better than a huge pileup.

Shred or grate cheeses for better melting, and always mix in some mozzarella for superior meltability.

If eliminating tomato sauce, coat dough first with a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking.

Adjust temperature to follow package instructions if using a prepared crust. Be sure to increase baking time to compensate for lower temperatures.

HOMEMADE
PIZZA DOUGH
AND
QUICK SAUCES

If you are new to bread baking, pizza dough is a great place to start. For very little effort the rewards are bountiful. Bread baking is never a precise science, as the ratio of water to flour varies according to climate and the condition of the flour, Just add the water gradually and use less or more according to the feel of the dough. When moist and slightly sticky, but not so tacky that it is difficult to work with, its ready. To correct a dough that is too wet to handle, add flour a small handful at a time.

1 (-ounce) package dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cups warm, but not hot, water

3 cups all-purpose flour

cup semolina or cornmeal

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Fill a measuring cup with cup warm water. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Combine flour, semolina or cornmeal, and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir in olive oil. Stir in the yeast mixture, and then slowly add remaining water until stiff and sticky. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth, moist, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover with damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down once or twice and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Cut into 6 pieces for individual pizzas. Gently knead each into ball. If baking soon, cover with towel and reserve on board. To store, wrap each tightly in plastic and store in refrigerator up to a day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator until soft.

Combine the cup water, sugar, and yeast as in by hand method (see ).

In a processor fitted with plastic dough blade, combine flour, semolina or cornmeal, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the oil and briefly process.

With the machine running, add yeast mixture through the feed tube. Slowly pour in remaining water just until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a ball on top of the blade. Process an additional minute. Remove and knead on floured board about 1 minute. Follow by hand instructions for rising.

Combine the cup water, sugar, and yeast as for by hand method (see ).

In mixer bowl combine flour, semolina or cornmeal, salt, and olive oil. Mix with paddle to combine. Switch to dough hook and turn machine on slow. Pour in yeast mixture, and then slowly add remaining water until dough forms a ball around hook. Knead at medium speed about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth, moist, and elastic. Remove and follow by hand instructions for rising.

Preheat the oven to 515 degrees F 30 minutes or longer with pizza stone or tiles on a medium-high rack.

Generously scatter cornmeal on pizza paddle to prevent sticking. On the paddle, flatten the dough ball with the palm of your hand and lightly dust the top with flour. Also dust the rolling pin.

Roll out the dough, from the center out, lifting and turning often, and adding more cornmeal as necessary. When dough is a 9-inch circle, lift, add additional cornmeal near the edge of paddle, and position dough as close as possible to the edge. Add toppings and place in the oven quickly to prevent sticking.

To place in oven, insert paddle, at slight upward angle, and with a quick back-and-forth motion slide the pizza onto the stone.

To remove, have a plate nearby and reach in with a long-handled spatula to transfer to plate. Long sleeves are a good idea for reaching into such a hot oven. Always let baking stone cool off in oven before removing.