When I lived in New York I used to live above a pizza joint called 'Little Frankie's.' Ever the lazy slob, I'd order delivery from upstairs and sit around playing video games while the poor delivery man walked my pizza up four flights of stairs. I ate a lot of Little Frankie's during this period of my life. I think it's likely that I was also clinically depressed, but the pizza certainly did help temper that.
Little Frankie's pizzas were amazing. Very thin crusts and simple topping were the key. After I left New York and went to California I found a few places that had good pizzas. Dopo on Piedmont Ave in Oakland was one. But the wait for Dopo was ridiculous, and so were the prices. So I started making my own pizza. Not by my own hand, mind you. I bought fresh pizza dough at Trader Joe's and despite it already being made for me, spent a good long time wrestling it into a circular formation and onto a pizza pan. I also ate a lot of pizza during this period of my life.
But then when I moved to Dublin, I gave up on pizza. No one would deliver gorgeous thin pizzas, and no one wanted to sell me ready-made dough. I thought my pizza life had ended. But recently, being inspired by the grocery delivery services available around here, I decided to give it a go. Somehow, having yeast delivered just made the whole thing more manageable and I decided to make pizza from scratch. I'd been hearing and resenting Fran's casual "oh, we have homemade pizza twice a week at least" stories for years, so I figured I might as well make her recipe.
I was remarkably pleased with myself. The crust was thin but not mushy, my guest was delighted and I was full and smug. Pizza? Yeah, I made you.
Fran and Dan's pizza dough recipe, adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe bible: Fastest Pizza Dough
- 1 1/2 c. warm water (about 105 degrees)
- 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp. rapid-rise dry yeast
- 1 tbs. sugar
- 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 c. whole wheat pastry flour, plus extra for dusting hands and work surfaces
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- extra olive oil for oiling bowl
- Set oven to 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn oven off.
- Meanwhile, pour water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar into water and mix. Add oil, flour, and salt and mix until the dough is cohesive. It should be soft and a little sticky. (If it’s too sticky add a tablespoon or so of extra flour at a time.)
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand with a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball.
- Place the dough into a deep, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel (or plastic wrap). Set the bowl in the oven for 40 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Remove from oven, punch the dough down, and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a chef’s knife or dough scaper to halve, quarter, or cut dough into eighths. Form each piece into a ball and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest for 5 -30 minutes.
- Set one dough ball aside and wrap the rest tightly in plastic wrap. Store them in the freezer.
- Place a large cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
- Using your hands, flatten the dough and stretch it outward with your fingertips, rotating the dough to form a circle or oblong rectangle. Use a rolling pin to further flatten it, if you like.
- Gently transfer the dough to a pizza peel dusted with flour or cornmeal (we use a flexible cutting board — we don’t have a pizza peel) and top as desired.
- Use a quick jerking action to transfer the pizza from the peel (or cutting board) to the hot pan in the oven. Bake for 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the pizza. Serve immediately.
Uh-oh. What exactly did you do?
Lina | December 12, 2008 1:23 PM | ReplyDamn, did you make that pizza up there? It looks good. I'm a lazy slob as well and whenever making my pizzas I always just buy flatbread or pita or naan. But I have no time to cook anymore and am resolved to scavaging my house like a cockroach.
I think tomorrow I will make your pizza because I actually will have nothing to do. I was suspended for violently assaulting a teacher. Now I stay at home all day eating Doritos and being violently bored and depressed. It's a hard knock life, Lina.
Brandy | December 10, 2008 3:44 AM | ReplyI guess I should add that I made mine without that healthy wholewheat flour and it worked just fine.
Lina | December 5, 2008 5:31 PM | Reply