Pizza

Friday nights in our house is pizza night.  I love the tradition of it, and of course, the kid-friendliness.  Not only do they ADORE pizza, but it's a great way to get them helping with food prep.  C helps to stretch dough and spread ingredients and thinks eating something she created is the best thing ever.  Now that we have tomatoes in the garden and summer squash making its appearance at the Farmer's Market, I'm looking forward to making a fresh tomato-Gruyere-thyme and a lemony-zucchini pizza (below) this Friday .  

A word on dough.  It's incredibly easy to make your own whole wheat pizza dough, and I've posted my recipe below, based on Mark Bittman's method from How to Cook Everything.  But you know what's even easier and completely fabulous in both taste and texture?  Trader Joe's Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. 

And my thoughts on sauce.  I don't use it.  Don't need it, and don't miss it.  Obviously, you can put anything on top of your dough, including sauce, and as long as you do it VERY THINLY, it will work.  But beware of adding too much liquid, else you'll end up with a soggy, underdone in the middle and burned on the outside mess.

Quick Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 2 pizzas, takes about 15 minutes for prep, two hours for rising

Ingredients

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more as needed 2 cups whole wheat flour Or sub 3 cups whole wheat bread flour for both of these flours 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling 1 to 1 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

Method 1) Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in the container of a food  processor.   2) Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil  through the feed tube. 3) Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time,  until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.   If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for  another 10 seconds.  (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too  sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time. 4) Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few  seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball.   5) Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it.   6) Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free  area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours (I put it on the hood of my car in the garage).  You can cut this rising time short if you are in a  hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up  to 6 to 8 hours. **You can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.   Defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Basic Pizza Method

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Prepare toppings

3) Roll and press pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal or lightly oiled.

4) Add toppings - cheese first (or sauce if you're using, then cheese), herbs, and then the rest (you want your herbs to be slightly buried so they don't overcook.  If you're adding fresh tender greens  - arugula or spinach are nearly always lovely - don't add them at this step - wait until the pie is out of the oven, then add greens and let the heat wilt them)

5) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (baking time will vary,depending on your oven and your desired done-ness), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown.

Grilled Pizza 

Grilling brings pizza to a whole new level.  Smoky and wonderful.

1) Pre-heat your grill to 450-500 degrees or, if using coals, prepare as you normally do and spread them for even heat. 

2) Prepare toppings and set aside.

3) Before adding any toppings, slide rolled out pizza dough onto grill - no oil necessary, and grill for 3-5 minutes

4) Turn dough carefully and quickly add toppings to grilled side of dough.  Grill for another 3-5 minutes or until underside of pizza is nicely done and toppings are melty.  YUM!! 

Ideas for Pizza Toppings  

• Fresh tomatoes, thyme, and Gruyere cheese
• Roasted bell peppers, fontina cheese, and sausage
• Mozzarella, Basil, and fresh or roasted tomatoes
• Pesto, peccorino-romano cheese, and pine nuts
• Broccoli rabe, fontina cheese, and Italian sausage
• Ricotta and fontina cheese, thinly sliced prosciutto, and sage
• Fontina, ham, and pineapple
• Carmelized shallots and Gruyere cheese
• Sauteed potatoes and leeks, Gruyere cheese
• Mozzarella or fontina, prosciutto, and arugula (added after baking)
• Cheddar cheese, black beans, and tomatoes
  
  
  

Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza 

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Makes one small pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 batch pizza dough
• 1 lemon
• 4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
• Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
• 1/2 medium yellow zucchini, sliced as thinly as you can pull off with a knife or your mandoline (I went for 1/8-inch thick with mine)
• 1/2 medium green zucchini, sliced as the same as above
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2) Roll pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal.

3) In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, and spread it over your pizza dough.

4) Scatter fresh basil slivers over the cheese.

5) Arrange your zucchini coins in concentric circles over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them slightly.  I used way, way too many here and it was too heavy in the middle.   Later attempts were more successful with about half the amount pictured.
 
6) Squeeze the juice of the second half of your lemon on top of you zucchini, then drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7) Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes (your baking time will vary, so please watch carefully), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown and the zucchini looks roasted and a little curled up at the edges.