Pizza Party

I think I have respectable skills in the kitchen, but there are many types of food I just do not know how to make, nor am I likely to attempt them at home. I love Indian food, but don't have enough experience cooking it to do it right. My baking skills are good, but I have yet to take on challenging things like puff pastry. I've never made pho. All these cuisines are available at restaurants, where they are made by people who know those flavors and techniques inside and out, certainly much better than I do. Even though I know its quite easy to make, until recently pizza was one of those foods for me.

I sit on the board of directors of a very cool theater company here in Pittsburgh called Bricolage Production Company. A couple years ago, I offered to host a dinner party at my home with the company's founders as a silent auction item for their annual fundraising event. It was an elaborate dinner; we made pasta by hand, we made our own pesto with herbs from our gardens and we made ice cream from scratch. The folks who had the winning bid in the auction were wonderful people and it was a tremendously fun night, but it was a ton of work and took us hours to prepare. We were all completely exhausted at the end of the night. When it came time to plan the fundraiser last year, we decided to do something much less complicated and after a little brainstorming, we settled on an Oscar night pizza party. I have a nice, big den with a gas-jet fireplace and a huge, comfortable couch where we could watch the Academy Awards presentation. Plus, I've never made pizza at home before!

Tami Dixon at work

Tami Dixon and Jeffrey Carpenter, the founders of Bricolage, are warm, smart, highly intelligent and really fun people and Tami loves to cook. My job was to have appetizers and desserts ready and Tami was in charge of the pizza and salad. By the time the Bricolage gang arrived, the house was spotless, my favorite chocolate blackout cake was chilling in the fridge and there was a lovely spread of cheeses, fruit, crackers, olives and yummy deviled eggs with just a touch of horseradish in the filling. Tami immediately jumped in and started making the dough. She was using yeast that was specifically made for pizza dough, which means that the dough doesn't need to proof before baking. She also used jarred pizza sauce and pre-shredded Italian cheeses as well as a variety of fresh toppings, which tasted great and saved a ton of time. The result was absolutely delicious and I was surprised at how good and how simple it was to make. Tami made about 6 different pizzas and we had an amazing feast and a wonderful evening watching the Oscars together.

Tami's mushroom pizza

Over the next couple of days, I found myself thinking about that pizza. The following weekend I decided to make an enormous pot of slow-cooked spaghetti sauce with meatballs and sausage. Its one of my favorite Sunday dinners because it rewards me meal after meal with things like lasagna, meatball sandwiches, shakshuka and, of course, pizza. In the past, I would buy a pre-made crust, but not this time.

PIZZA DOUGH

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour

1 tsp sugar or honey

1 packet instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

As usual, I did a little research before I proceeded and settled on a basic recipe I saw multiple times. Making pizza dough at home is easier than falling off a log and if you've worked with any kind of yeast dough before, this is a breeze. I combined all the ingredients in my stand mixer and using the dough hook, mixed until the dough came together into a ball. I kneaded it for about 5 minutes in the mixer, then turned it out onto my counter and kneaded it by hand until it was nice and smooth and stretchy. I gave this dough an hour-long proof in an oiled bowl and allowed it to just about double in size. At this point, the dough can be used to make pizza, but I wanted to see what happened if I let it proof overnight in the fridge. According to everything I read, the longer it sits in the fridge, the more flavor the dough develops.

A bit about equipment - there are different ways to make pizza. It can be baked in a pan, on a cookie sheet or straight on a pizza stone. I had a pizza stone for a long time, but it eventually cracked and I just haven't replaced it yet. If you are using a pizza stone, you will need a peel to get your pizza in and out of the oven. Also, the familiar technique of flipping pizza dough in the air until its paper thin provides great theatrics, but its impractical for a home cook. Tami used a rolling pin and so did I. The dough is very stretchy and tends to shrink back as you work with it. If you let it rest for a few minutes as you're working it, the gluten will relax a bit and it will be easier to roll. 

I cut about a quarter of the dough off so I could make a test pizza before putting the rest of the dough into an oiled ziplock bag and setting in the refrigerator. I rolled that small dough ball out with a rolling pin until it was very thin, then laid it into an oiled baking pan. I cranked the oven to 450 degrees and while it pre-heated, the yeast in the dough reactivated. By the time the oven was ready, the dough had just begun to puff up. I popped it into the oven for just 5 minutes so the crust could set a bit before I put the sauce and toppings on it. A thin layer of sauce followed by handfuls of grated mozzerella and parmesan cheeses went on before I put it back in to finish baking. About 10 minutes later, I pulled a beautifully bubbling pizza with a golden, crispy crust out of the oven and was pretty pleased with my effort. The pizza was tasty with a toothsome, crunchy crust. The next day, I used the rest of the dough and filled the biggest baking pan I own to make a giant pizza. It was even more delicious and we ate the leftovers cold right out of the fridge for two more days. It was the gift that kept on giving. I'll be making my own pizza dough from now on so any day can become a pizza party!