From Scratch

There’s nothing that’ll cut down on pizza consumption faster than moving from the Big Apple to the Little Snowball. The local pizza joints’ pies range from bad to worse to inedible. At least one of them uses frozen crust already rolled into a thick circle and all of them have chewy, doughy crusts. That’s blaphemy for someone used to New York’s thin-crust pies, everything made on site.

So once again I’ve turned to making food I used to take for granted.

When I came up with a dough I liked — and New York dough does not use any oil, thank you — I needed sauce. I played around and ended up with a sauce that’s loaded with flavor and freezes well. I use the food processor for both but the dough can be made by any other method and it doubles just fine; there’s enough here for one medium pizza. A blender’s fine for the sauce.

I prefer a slightly chunky sauce to the smooth New York sauce, but you can make it as smooth as you like. It’s a savory sauce without any sugar added. The dough won’t fight you when you shape it because it’s made with all-purpose flour and just enough yeast to do the job. When it’s baked, you’ll hear a satisfying crunch when you cut through the edges.

Ella’s Homesick Pizza

Dough
Enough for one medium pizza

8 1/2 ounces/250 g unbleached all-purpose flour*
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast or a scant 1/2 tsp active dry
4 1/2 ounces very cool water, plus 2 TB more if needed

* this is approximately 2 cups, when the flour is spooned into the cup

Put dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to mix well. With the motor running, add the 4 1/2 ounces of water in a steady stream until the dough is moistened and coming together. If it does not after 20 seconds or so, gradually add the extra water until it does. Then process for 40-50 seconds. The dough will be warm and in a ball. There might be a few stray pieces of dough in the bowl; that’s okay.

Remove all the dough and form into a smooth ball. Place into an oiled or sprayed bowl, turning to coat the ball with oil, and cover with plastic wrap or slip into a large resealable bag. Leave in a warm, draft-free area for about 90 minutes, until the dough is nearly doubled and an indentation made with your finger remains.

Meanwhile, just wipe out the processor bowl and use it to make the sauce; refrigerate or freeze whatever is left.

Sauce
Makes about 3 cups, enough for 3 pizzas

1-2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, packed in juice not puree
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp coarse salt
fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. (I use a 3 qt saucier.) Chop the onion in the processor, transfer to the pan and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. While it sautes, process the garlic and set aside. Put the tomatoes and their juice into the processor and pulse until it’s a thick puree.

When the onions are translucent add the garlic and saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 - 60 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir well and adjust seasoning if necessary. Tuck in the bay leaf and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and let cool while the dough finishes its rise.

When the dough is ready, punch down gently and pat or roll into the approximate size or shape you need and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450. Work the rested dough into the right size and assemble the pizza. Bake on the center rack for about 20 minutes, until crust is brown and cheese is melted. Allow 5-7 minutes more if raw meat needs to cook. Slide off the pan, if using one, onto a board and let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Assembly: Everybody has their own way; this works for me. Once the dough is shaped, I brush a very thin coating of olive oil onto it to “seal” it and usually follow with a light sprinkling of cheese for the same reason. In the top photo, you can see some exposed crust on the left; it’s not soggy. Then come sauce and toppings. Sometimes I bake it on a stone or a pizza screen but when it’s loaded like this one (broccoli, baby bella mushrooms and chicken breast marinated in white wine), I use a pan.

Quick processor cleanup: Squirt some dish detergent into the bowl, fill about 1/3 of the way with water, process for 20-30 seconds and rinse.

Sphere: Related Content

Tags: budget meals, tomatoes