I did a pizza blog on yeast free, Chicago Style Thin Crust pie back in February, you can check it out (here). Yeast has always fascinated me. I have made beer, wine and bread through the years and love working with the miraculous, wee beasties. They are magical little creatures that can turn grain and fruit sugars into beer and wine or flour and water into a puffed up, crunchy, tangy loaf of Sourdough bread.
I am addicted to Sourdough and several months ago, I made a new starter culture from whole wheat flour and the wild yeast that call the High Planes home. I used this technique from kingarthurbaking.com, and the local yeast-beasts blew the tops right off the jars, foamy starter dough burbling all over the counter by the morning of the 4th or 5th day. Since then I have kept the two starters in the refrigerator and feed them once a week.
If no bread gets made by the weekend, I use the old starter to make pizza dough. I just dump it into the mixing bowl, add some salt, oil, dried oregano and about a cup of flour to stiffen it into dough. I end up with a dough ball, about right to make two good size pies. I do this fairly early in the morning, nead it good, cover it with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rest for 3 – 4 hours. Then, I add a little flour if it’s sticky and nead it again before letting it proof another few hours.
About an hour or so before I intend to make pizza, I roll out the dough, put it on parchment paper and put them in the oven, preheated to about 90 degrees, to plump up a bit. For me the crust and the sauce are the keys to an awesome and artistic pie. In the previous post I made a white or bechamel style sauce but red sauce is more noble, rich and beautiful. It does not come from a can or a jar either, if you are going to take the time to make homemade pizza, take the time to make homemade sauce.
I make my sauce with Roma tomatoes, already processed and frozen from the garden or fresh ones from the market. Eight Romas are perfect for two good size pies. Put them in boiling water until the skins begin to separate. Drain them and run them under cool water. Once they cool down, remove the skin and run them through the blender on high, until smooth. Saute the veggies you want to use in virgin olive oil. I used garlic only for these pies and quite a bit of it but I commonly use onion and mushrooms. I chop everything nice and small but I like a smoother sauce, some like it chunkier. When everything is sautéed to your liking, dump in the blended Romas and add in the seasonings. Salt, pepper and oregano work well. I usually add in some vino tinto. I tell myself it is to darken the color to a beautiful blood red but it may just be an excuse to open a bottle of wine. Then simmer it until it gets some shoulders. When it is thick enough that it holds a dome shape, let it cool.
From Artichoke to Zucchini, the list of possible toppings is long and varied. I try something new every once in a while but tend towards classical toppings and old favorites. In my early days at the craft I constantly made the same mistake, falling into the more is better trap. When it comes to pizza toppings more is not better. Too many different ingredients confuse the palate and too much stuff on top causes soggy or unstable crust. The last thing you want is to be forced to use a fork to eat pizza. Pizza is so much more than just the taste. Pizza is the king of finger food. Tacos rate pretty high but pizza is the King.
Keep it simple. My judgement is that five toppings are perfect; the sauce and the cheese being two, which leaves room for three more. Too much sauce is a problem, don’t do it. If you made too much, throw it away or put it in the fridge, not on the pie. Some folks like extra cheese too but it can get in the way. Less is more. A little Parmesan mixed with the Mozzarella adds to the flavor profile but piles of Mozzarella can cover some of the other subtle flavors. Olives are a classic ingredient adding a nice Unami flavor. Along with the olives, we used grass fed burger and onion on this weeks pies. Happy Holidays.
