For the month of SEPTEMBER we’re making:
One recipe every month. Bake it. Share it. Savor it.
Melt Hearts and win Prizes.
Take a photo of your recipe using your phone, camera, iPad, or other device.
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Two Amazon.com $75 gift cards
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Tip One – How to Freeze Pizza Dough: After the dough has fermented in the fridge, you can freeze the dough in freezer-safe plastic containers for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough overnight in the fridge then allow it to sit at room temperature as directed above before shaping.
Tip Two – How to Stretch Out Pizza Dough:
1. Place a ball of pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface. Press into about a 6-inch circle with the palms of your hands.
2. Pick the dough up and stretch it out by holding one end and letting the other end fall, rotating gently. Or, drape the dough over your knuckles and slowly use your hands to rotate the dough, allowing it to fall and stretch. Continue this until the dough is stretched into about a 12-inch circle.
3. If at any point the dough springs back and doesn’t want to stretch out, simply cover it with a clean towel and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Tip Three – For Assembling Pizza: Use slightly less sauce and cheese than you think. The last thing you want is your pizza to be weighed down so much that it is soft or gummy and undercooked in the center. The other issue too many toppings can create is they can slide off when you slide your pie onto the baking stone.
Tip Four – For Assembling Pizza: Assemble each pizza on the pizza peel moments before you plan to cook it. The longer your pizza sits on the pizza peel, the more likely it will get stuck to it and not slide off easily.
Choose your own pizza adventure with the Flavor Variations outlined below.
For a more classic Neapolitan pizza, I simply top with:
• About 1/3 cup canned pureed San Marzano tomatoes, mixed with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt
• 3 ounces (85 grams) fresh mozzarella (preferably Buffalo mozzarella), sliced into ¼-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Fresh basil leaves (sprinkled on after cooking)
Super simple! If your cheese seems extra watery, blot the slices with paper towel and allow to sit for 10 to 15
minutes, then blot again.
If you prefer, here’s my more American-style pizza sauce recipe. I’ve also used this recipe to make pesto pizza with great success!
• Add meats: bacon, chicken, pepperoni, sausage, salami, or ham
• Get creative with: olives, fresh garlic, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, pepperoncini, pineapple, spinach, tomato, arugula, artichokes, or caramelized onions
• Drizzle different sauces on top: buffalo sauce, pesto, or BBQ sauce
• Veggie pizza: mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, black olives, and onions
• Hawaiian pizza: mozzarella, pineapple and ham (bacon optional!)
• Quattro Formaggio (four cheese pizza): mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, and bleu cheese
• White pizza: oil, fresh garlic, parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta cheese and tomato
