For Easy and Good level recipes, try not to confuse the budding chef with too much information. By the time they (or you) are ready for Better and Best level recipes, here are some extra recipes, tips and tricks to keep in mind.
Pizza Tips
– Pizzarias use a very hot oven – 800-900° – Use at least 500° at home
Types of Pizza
– New York flat – Very thin – “Saturday Night Fever pizza”
– Neopolitana is a thin crust, but with a little substance to it
– Siciliana – This is a thicker crust – not quite deep dish
– Chicago Style Pizza – Also known as deep dish. This is a very thick pizza
How to THROW a pie
– Flour your peel
– Start to flatten Dough
– Smash air out
– Flatten from outside in
– Leave some thickness in the middle to stretch
– Flip hand to hand
– Toss on fists . Thumbs up
Making your Pizza
– Put onto peel
– Put firm Wisconsin Mozzarella cheese down first
– Then sauce . Tomatoes, evoo, puree, salt
– Dot your pizza with sauce, don’t drown it
– Pecorino cheese . Make it snow
– Fresh Mozzarella on top
– Parmesan regiano cheese
– Drizzle EVOO over top
Cooking at home
– 500° – best with a pizza stone
Put the stone in first to preheat and become hot
– Cook 4-5 minutes
– OPTION: Then turn broiler 2-3 minutes
– Basil after oven and more evoo and more parm
Reheating Leftover Pizza
– Use a hot baking stone or skillet for crisp pie
Alt sauce
– Evoo in skillet
– Tomatoes, chipotle in adobo, oregano
ALT Cracker Crust – St Louis Pizza
– Flour
– Salt
– Baking Powder
– BLEND
– Add 2 TBL oil
– Bind with water – Adjust so that it just comes together
– – Better not enough than too much !!
– Create rounds and wrap in plastic – let rest in fridge 2 hours
– Crush canned whole (drained) tomatoes with basic for sauce – Use EVOO also
– Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil
– For cheese, use a chopped mix of provolone, cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan
– Roll out dough very flat
– A bit of sauce, cheese, toppings
– Use preheated pizza stone – Use parchment paper and slide off cookie sheet
Alt Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza
– – – The only difference to your standard pizza dough, is that you add a bit more yeast, and let it rise more than you might with a thin crust, and a bit of extra EVOO oil
– Water, oil, yeast, sugar, flour, cornmeal
– Finish on the counter on a bed of flour
– Let raise in the fridge overnight
– Finish rise next day on the counter
– Sliced peppers in hot cast iron skillet
– Brush with oil
– Salt and pepper
– Bit of sugar and vinegar near end
– Sliced sausage
– Oil iron pan again
– Dough in hot deep dish pan
– . Let set 1/2 hour to rise
– EVOO on dough
– Sauce to edge
– Cheese, pepperoni, cheeses, other toppings
– Peppers on it, sausage, salt
– Bake 20 minutes at 425 till browned
– uncover until the cheese starts to brown and things crisp up
For a Special Italian Treat, try Farinata
– Chickpea flour, water, oil and salt
Mix to the consistency of a thin pancake batter
Pour onto a RIMMED pizza pan
Put into oven
Top and eat when it’s hot
Stovetop Pizza
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
In cast iron skillet (with cover) or dutch oven
– start with 1 tbl olive oil in bottom of pan
mix the following in the pan
– 1/2 cup AP flour
– 1/2 cup self-rising flour
– 1 tsp yeast
– 1 tbl honey
– 2/3 cup lukewarm water
– 1 tbl olive oil
– pinch of salt
Top with sauce, then your favorite toppings, and then cheese
Turn stovetop surface to medium heat
Cook 5 minutes with lid on and lid vents closed
Rotate lid to open vents (do not remove lid)
Cook another 10 minutes with lid vents open
Remove to cutting board, cut and serve
