How do I make pizza?

[CBDB]

Originally Posted by shoe

please remember for some of us SF is home. there is no other place to go. this is internet.

:Sigh: Ok. So i agree that making your own dough is far too labour intensive. Go to an italian bakery and buy the dough. Let it rise in the oven; no heat just the light, it takes about 3-4 hours. Cook up some spicy pancetta with three onions until caramelized (you can add a leek if you want). Roll out the dough, add high quality passatta (tomoto sauce from the same italian shop) sauce. Sprinkle chopped garlic. Layer of grated mozza cheese. Spread onion/pancetta mix. Cover with chopped green peppers and black olives. Quite nice.

 

[itsstillmatt]

It isn't that labor intensive. You just need to knead it for about 12 minutes and leave yourself enough time for it to rise.

Using fresh mozzarella as opposed to grated (or even grating) mozzarella makes a world of difference. Even better if it is buffalo.

 

[shoreman1782]

Using fresh mozzarella as opposed to grated (or even grating) mozzarella makes a world of difference. Even better if it is buffalo.

Is this really worth it? Half of the pleasure of fresh mozzarella is the texture, and that would be lost when it's melted, no?

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

Is this really worth it? Half of the pleasure of fresh mozzarella is the texture, and that would be lost when it's melted, no?
Au contraire mon frere...

 

[TheIdler]

Yeah, making a batch of dough isn't all that labor-intensive, although it takes to much time proving to do it on a weeknight. You can use any basic white bread dough recipe, just make sure it has enough salt. My current favorite pizza is to pound a bunch of thyme in a mortar with salt, garlic, and olive oil. Spread that on as your base. Then put some artichokes on (fresh are best but canned are OK) and parmesan. Kinda different but really good.

Also, I keep trying to do pizzas on my Weber grill, but I'm not quite getting it right. Does anyone have any tips?

P.S.: I mean real parmesan, or gran padano or whatever it's called, and not that incredibly nasty stuff in the green canister from Kraft.

Who still eats that?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by shoreman1782

Is this really worth it? Half of the pleasure of fresh mozzarella is the texture, and that would be lost when it's melted, no?
Yes, it is worth it. The cheese is much sweeter and the soft, melting texture has none of the rubberiness of grated pizza cheese. Also, it allows the pizza to be less regular. It should look more like this:

 

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Yes, it is worth it. The cheese is much sweeter and the soft, melting texture has none of the rubberiness of grated pizza cheese. Also, it allows the pizza to be less regular. It should look more like this:

Assuming you made that, color me impressed.

 

[underwearer]

Keep it simple....Good mozz is probably too soft to grate

 

[underwearer]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Yes, it is worth it. The cheese is much sweeter and the soft, melting texture has none of the rubberiness of grated pizza cheese. Also, it allows the pizza to be less regular. It should look more like this:

Yes! Thats old-school NY style pizza!

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

Assuming you made that, color me impressed.

Nope, grabbed it off the web. Ours don't look very different, although I tend to put slightly too much cheese on.

 

[philosophe]

Homemade crust, real cheese, a few fresh herbs, a small amount of good sauce--these are the essentials. Matt's recommendation to avoid rubbery mozzarella is right on, and less is always more in toppings.

I use a ceramic pizza stone heated to about 500 F. Preheating the stone is crucial. For extra crunch, I put some semolina in the crust, and I coat the stone with semolina to prevent sticking in case the toppings run.

As an alternative to pizza with a tomato-based sauce, I sometimes saute some bitter greens and onions, then add a little fontina and some walnuts to top off the pizza. A small hit of chilis works well in this combination.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by iammatt

It isn't that labor intensive. You just need to knead it for about 12 minutes and leave yourself enough time for it to rise.

Using fresh mozzarella as opposed to grated (or even grating) mozzarella makes a world of difference. Even better if it is buffalo.

Matt's right. It's not that big a deal and it's going to taste far better than most delivery pizzas. You can even make the dough ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. I also have a recipe for a skillet pizza (it's at home, I'll try to remember to post it tomorrow) where the crust is even easier, and tastes decent (far better than most delivery places).

Once you're comfortable making basic crust and sauce (both are easy, and you can always just use commercial tomato sauce if you're looking for shortcuts), you can vary things infinitely with different seasonings, toppings, etc.

 

[whodini]

I prefer something quick and easy since I usually don't have a lot of time to prepare meals. I use Betty Crocker pizza crust mix which is super easy (and dirt cheap) to make: http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crocker-.../dp/B000EMOD5M I then either make a deep dish pizza (bottom to top: crust, toppings, cheese, and seasoned tomato chunks that can also be found in can form) or a thin bbq chicken pizza (chicken, brown sugar bbq sauce, green onions, bacon bits, cheese, and mushrooms). I usually make both at the same time and am done within 45 mins. The taste is far better than anything I've had down here and the cost can be close or cheaper than ordering take-out. I'd rather take the time to bake these than deal with that fake pizza taste from the fast food places.

 

[underwearer]

Originally Posted by whodini

a thin bbq chicken pizza (chicken, brown sugar bbq sauce, green onions, bacon bits, cheese, and mushrooms).

Theres a place in SF that makes a bbq chicken pizza (Marcello's in the Castro) its got chicken, red o's and BBQ sauce. Not trad NY pizza but good though.

 

[HomerJ]

Anyone else like anchovies. The saltiness seems to work with the pizza.

Originally Posted by Laffertron

It's also a great activity if you're having a girl over. Make the pizza together, put it in the oven, have a couple of wines while you're waiting for it to cook then sit down in front of a movie together and enjoy your creation. If she's not

after that, find another girl.

Making pizzas is also a great family activity. Gets the kids involved and teaches them about eating quality food.

Yeah, it's a nice cheap date to go pick out ingredients and make a pizza. And then you get the Hot Pocket.