pizza

prep time:  tbd
cook time:  tbd
servings:  tbd

pizza dough ingredients:
2 1/4 cups warm water - divided
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 packages, or 2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoons, active dry yeast
5 cups of flour + more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse salt

pizza sauce ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 carrot - peeled and finely diced
1 small yellow onion - peeled and finely diced
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
1 teaspoon coarse salt

pizza dough steps:
1.  whisk together 3/4 cup of water and the yeast in a large bowl and let stand until the surface has a few bubbles and is creamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  add 1 1/2 cups water, 3 3/4 cups flour, olive oil and salt.  stir until smooth.  while stirring, gradually add up to another cup of flour until the dough starts to pull itself from the edges of the bowl.

3.  knead the dough on a generously floured surface until it's elastic and smooth.  dust the surface with flour as you go.

4.  form the kneaded dough into a ball, dust with flour, and gently place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea-towel.  let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  you can let it sit for up to a couple of hours or even overnight in the refrigerator.

5.  pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees and arrange an oven rack in the top third of the oven (but not the top rack) and place a pizza stone on the rack.  let it heat for about 1 hour.  turn a large baking sheet upside down and dust the surface with flour.

6.  break off pieces of dough and stretch with your fingers until quite thin.  you can also roll your dough out using a rolling pin.  place it on the dusted baking sheet.

7.  add pizza sauce making sure not to put too much sauce on and not to get it to close to the edges.

8.  sprinkle pizza with toppings of your choice (suggestions below) and then stick them in the oven.

9.  jiggle the pizza gently on the pan to make sure it is not sticking, and un-stick it if it is, putting a little flour underneath the sticky parts.  slide the pizza onto the heated pizza stone.  make sure to start at the stone's back end so the at the entire pizza will fit.

10.  cook the pizza for 3 minutes.  if you have a broiler on the top of your oven, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.  broil the pizza until golden, crisp and a bit blistery and charred in places, 2 - 4 minutes (watch carefully so it doesn't burn).  if you don't have a top broiler, just bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and the crust well browned, about 10 minutes.  use tongs to slide the pizza to a large platter and enjoy.

pizza sauce steps:
1.  heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring now and then, until softened but not ground, about 8 minutes. 

2.  add the tomatoes and their juice and the salt.  turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 40 minutes. 

3.  carefully puree in a blender until very smooth.    let it cool before saucing your pizzas.

suggested pizzas:

classic margherita:
a thin layer of tomato sauce
freshly torn buffalo mozzarella
a few fresh basil leaves - tear onto the pizza once it's cooked

spring squash blossom pizza:
a thin layer of tomato sauce
a few dots of ricotta
grated parmesan
torn squash blossoms tossed with a bit of oil (so they crisp in the oven)

quattro formaggi:
torn pieces of buffalo mozzarella
crumbled gorgonzola
grated fontina
grated parmesan
a drizzle of truffle oil (optional)

clam pizza ingredients:
1 pound of the smallest clam available
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic
6 cherry tomatoes
a pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 cup red or white wine
grated parmesan
parsley - chopped

clam pizza steps:
1.  in an oven-proof baking dish, combine the clams with the olive oil and garlic.  using your hands, crush over the tomatoes.  sprinkle with red chili flakes.  pour the wine over the mixture and roast until the clams are open; about 10 minutes.

2.  spoon the juice from the clam dish over the pizza dough.  sprinkle a small handful of grated parmesan.  shuck the clams and spread them over the dough.  when it's done cooking, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

- goop, may 2011