Pizza
- Tracy Scheckel
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
The time has come to talk pizza. Oh, I've made reference to pizza with Pizza Chiena, pizza mini-bagels, and portabella pizzas, but they are but variations on a theme.
You may have heard that pizza translates to the word pie and that pizza pie is basically saying 'pie pie'. Actually, the word pizza in Italian may originate from the Greek (pita) for flatbread. The word is also likely related to the Latin words pinsa and pinsum which refer to the pressing of dough. Generally speaking, it's a leavened dough with toppings baked on it.
Just like in Italy, in America pizza varies by region. New York style pizza is a thin crust and usually harbors enough oil to leave a puddle on the plate. If you're eating NY style pizza, you fold it in half lengthwise and tilt the point toward the plate to drain the excess olive oil before the first bite. What you DON'T do is blot it with a paper towel or napkin -- EVER!
In Chicago, deep-dish pie is the regional fave and lure has it that it was introduced in around 1943 Basically the crust is pressed into the bottom of and up the sides of a cast iron pan; this creates a great base for all sorts of layered ingredients. For a deeper dive into regional pizza in America, check out this article in, Food & Wine
In my world, there is a time for every pizza under heaven. Sometimes a nice thin greasy NY style slice is in order, and other times a thick Sicilian slice is what I crave. It doesn't end there folks, think focaccia, stromboli, and calzone; these are all, in my humble opinion, variations of pizza.
Back to the original pizza definition of pressing dough into a flatbread, all of the above, start that way and therefore, the dough itself is critical. I played around for years to get the dough just right and then I discovered Portland Pie dough in the supermarket when we moved to Maine. I keep several in my freezer and it's my go-to. On the rare occasion that I want to make a pizza and the freezer is void of Portland Pie dough, here's the recipe I use.
Basic Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar (or honey)
3 to 3.5 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Combine water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes until the yeast is bubbly.
Add in the olive oil and salt and stir to incorporate
Add most of the flour and work with your hands or a dough hook until dough forms.
Add the remaining flour gradually to get rid of any shagginess.
Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Let rise at least 60-90 minutes until double in size (you can also refrigerate over night and do a second rise the next day)
However you're using the dough, it's a good idea to brush the pan you'll be baking in with some olive oil and then sprinkle some course cornmeal; this adds some crispiness and helps avoid sticking. and
Roll out your dough for your desired recipe and plan to bake it at a high temperature between 450 and 500 degrees.
Whether you're making your own dough or using a pre-made variety, it's now time to consider the options:
NY style thin crust is rolled out (or tossed / stretched) into a large circle about 1/8"-1/4" thick before adding your selected toppings.
For a thick Sicilian style pizza, you can roll or press the dough into a rectangle that's about 1/2" thick. I usually let Sicilian crust rise a second time before adding toppings.
If deep-dish is your thing, prep your cast iron pan(s) and divide the dough and press it into the pans and up the sides before filling. When our kids were little, we would do 'make your own pizza night' and each kid would have a pan with dough that the could build their own toppings from a selection that I had curated. I still do that today, but its usually for guests and allows me to accommodate for food intolerance, allergies, and other dietary restrictions.
For stromboli, roll the dough into a rectangle before adding fillings and folding the dough into thirds to encase the fillings.
For calzone, you roll the dough into 8" squares about 1/4" thick, add filling and then fold it diagonally into a sealed triangle.
Focaccia gets pressed into a pan to about 3/4" thick, then you brush it with olive oil, then you make indentations all over the top with the handle end of a wooden spoon or your thumb. After the seasonings and toppings are added, I generally let it rise a second time before baking.
Although these all get baked in that high oven I mentioned earlier, it's important to note that in the New Jersey / NYC region, calzones are sometimes deep fried instead of baking them. This delivers a crispy crunchier pastry. We call them calzonetti fritti or panzerotti and making them is an art because they need to be well sealed and handled gently to avoid rupturing in the oil.
I think we'll talk toppings and fillings in another post.
