First Attempt At Pizza: Success!

jones2289 · Dec 18, 2011

Gents,

As I posted in the What's For Dinner thread, I tried making homemade pizza for the first time yesterday. I made the dough Friday night using Peter Reinhart's Napoletana crust recipe. I've never made bread or really any type of dough from scratch, so I was a bit nervous about the outcome.

The dough didn't rise overnight in the refrigerator, so I was afraid it would be dense and not too great. I guess this isnt the case with a thinner crust, as it turned out pretty darn well considering it cooked on the back of a baking sheet in a 500 degree apartment oven.

I made a no cook sauce using crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper, sugar, oregano, basil, and garlic. I just pulsed it in the Magic Bullet and the pinch of sugar to take the bite out of it. I topped with some sandwich size pepperoni and Kraft Italian blend cheese. The cheese was decent, and gave it a bit more flavor than plain old mozzarella.

I was completely shocked by how well it turned out. Pizza is one of my favorite foods, and I can't honestly say there are any that I've enjoyed more than what I made.

I added a few pictures below, so feel free to toss in any helpful hints or comments on your pizza process.

Sejanus · Dec 18, 2011

Honestly that looks like it turned out great, first try or not!

If you see one try to pick up a pizza stone if you get the homemade pizza bug. It doesn't have to be expensive and I have heard of some people using UNGLAZED (very important) terracotta tiles from the hardware store. A good amount of department stores though have baking stones you can get for minimal cost. If you do go that route though make sure you start the stone (or tile) in the oven cold to prevent thermal shock. I leave mine in my over 24/7 and never worry about it.

Hope you enjoy your next homemade pizza!

The Pontificator · Dec 18, 2011

Not bad for a first try! Looks pretty good!

As Sejanus said, go out and get yourself a baking stone. A GOOD ONE (thick) such as one made by Villaware. Or you can go to a tile outlet store and get some unglazed tiles and cover one of your oven racks.

I leave my stone in all the time it helps keep the oven temperature steady.

______________________________________________________________________

I have found that the less ingredients I use, the better the pizza tastes (less is more).

My pizza sauce is little more than plum tomatoes put through a food mill to remove seeds with a little bit of olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. that's it.

Whole Milk Mozzarella and fresh basil leaves round out the Pizza Margherita.
Whole Milk Mozzarella, chopped anchovy fillets and a sprinkling of FRESH oregano leaves round out the Pizza Napoletana.

The Pontificator · Dec 18, 2011

Pizza Dough - Neapolitan Style

(Adapted from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups tepid water (about 110 degrees)
1 pkg dry yeast (I prefer regular vs. fast-rising)
pinch sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz.) cornmeal
1 TBS olive oil
18 oz. flour (about 31/4 cups) measured on a scale and divided into 6 oz. and 12 oz.
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Place the tepid water in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. You wait five minutes to ensure the yeast is active and bubbling (called "proofing").

Add the olive oil, 6 oz. flour, and the cornmeal. Beat together to form a batter (called a "sponge"). Add in the remaining 12 oz. of flour at bit at a time until the dough "comes together". You may not need all of it.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and silky. If too sticky add small amounts of flour to correct. Towards the end of the knead time you can sprinkle in the salt. DO NOT add salt to the sponge, as it is a yeast growth inhibitor. Add it last.

Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl or dough bucket. Allow to rise until double in bulk. A 3-4 hour rise is preferred. Punch the dough down and divide into 2 or 3 equal parts or you can use the entire batch to make a very large thick pizza.

The Pontificator · Dec 18, 2011

If you're using regular old "all purpose" flour make the switch to King Arthur AP flour. It's made without bleaching or using bromates. To "up" the nutritional content you can also incorporate in some of their "white whole wheat" flour. Indistinguishable from white flour and a lot better for you.

Dough tastes best if it is given a rise of at least 3-4 hours or preferably 4-6 hours or overnight. This way it develops that chewy, tangy taste.

Perforated pizza pans or pizza "disks" are great to use in conjunction with a baking stone. Likewise a steel pizza paddle with a short handle.

MWS · Dec 18, 2011

Great job for a first try. Simple and delicious.

Do you have a BBQ? That same simple recipe will be fantastic!

The Pontificator · Dec 18, 2011

"Sicilian Pie" using my Allied Metal Spinning (Bronx, NYC) "Black Beauty" steel Sicilian-style pizza pan!

Love them anchovies!

jones2289 · Dec 18, 2011

The Pontificator said:
If you're using regular old "all purpose" flour make the switch to King Arthur AP flour. It's made without bleaching or using bromates. To "up" the nutritional content you can also incorporate in some of their "white whole wheat" flour. Indistinguishable from white flour and a lot better for you.

I actually used King Arthur bread flour. I thought about mixing in some KA whole wheat flour, but was afraid to experiment too much on the first try.

tchudson · Dec 18, 2011

They all look great! My wife and I started making our own pizza a few years back since we live in a rural area with Pizza Hut 20 miles away being the only place to get pizza. One of my favorite toppings is grape tomatoes sliced in half.

_JP_ · Dec 19, 2011

A cast iron skillet works well for me for cooking pizza. I shape the dough into the skillet, put on the toppings and pop it into the oven. It heats up quickly enough to cook the crust nicely.

whiskers blake · Dec 19, 2011

Dang, all those pizza's look great!

Mick · Dec 19, 2011

I am a pizza-holic. I have been making my own pies for decades. SWMBO has tried to slow me down but I still make them. I make my own dough and sauce and sometimes make my own Italian sausage. It takes a lot of whining and cajoling to get her to relent but if it has been several weeks since the last pie I am usually successful. She loves them but thinks it might keep me around longer if I eat healthier. WHO CARES.. I would rather eat pie and die early then live longer eating twigs and sticks.

Have a nice LARGE stone/brick that always stays in the oven and a couple of well worn peels that I will probably be buried with