Pizza

PIZZA

I have been craving a decent pie lately, as it seems my neighborhood joints don’t make it the way that sings to me. Sign of the times, when there aren’t even some Italian Pizzaoila’s living in New York. What is a deranged home baking chef to do? Make it himself! Since I found myself regularly feeding my levain, I was happy to make a pizza dough for Sunday. Puffy, soft and airy, even though I didn’t make it with any “00 flour,” it’s not just that available or sitting around my kitchen. I used my Heckers unbleached A.P. and went to it, using a converted Neopolitan recipe spied on one of the holier-than-thou sites for pizza freaks. Then I cranked the Mick Hartley’s conversion scheme and went at it!

My oven only hits 550 degrees. And because of safety concerns, I am not about to Jimmy-rig it like my recent guest Jeff Verasano. Also, I don’t have a self cleaning oven. And it’s bad enough  my wife already hates it when I bake at about 460 F for my regular loaves. She told me this morning no more baking for two weeks, put the flour away! So my observation on this is pizza, good chewy, crusty dough if stretched very thinly, airy and with buffala mozzarella. A bit of parmesano. And you’re in like Flynn! Oh, don’t forget the Black Chocolate Stout or some Winter Ale, soda is for kids.

Pizza Napoletana

Straight dough
500g 00 caputo or A.P. flour
325g aqua (water)
20g sale  (salt)
3gr livieto

Sourdough version
376 g flour
201g  Water
247g  starter
3g salt