The very best slice of pizza I ever ate was in Pisa, Italy.
It was about 25 years ago and I still remember it.
My girlfriend and I were wandering around town after
climbing to the top of the leaning tower and we stumbled upon a tiny family
style restaurant.
The pizza was being sold by the slice and we both ordered
garlic. It was handed to us wrapped up in a napkin and it was thin. It was not
loaded with tons of cheese, but it did have plenty of freshly sliced garlic and
tomatoes on it.
What I remember most is that it was chewy – a perfectly
baked dough, not too thick, crispy on the bottom. Probably baked in a
500-year-old stone oven! We folded it in half and experienced one of life’s
best culinary events – PIZZA.
I can’t even begin to count the number of slices I have had
since then. Thin, New York style. Stuffed, Chicago style. Pizza from every type
of pizza shop - both national chains and local dives. Cottage Inn in Ann Arbor
makes an excellent pie.
There’s a place in Mt. Pleasant I used to love when I was in
college in the late 70’s – Pisanallos, maybe? My East Lansing days found me
eating at Bell’s Greek Pizza. I crave the salty taste of feta cheese on pizza –
try it! I love mushroom pizza and I love veggie pizza. I love meat pizza, too.
But it’s the crust that has me in love with pizza.
You won’t be surprised to learn that I make pizza all the
time at home. But the perfect crust still eludes me- all because of one slice
of garlic pizza.
Pizza Dough
¾ C water
warmed to 100 -110 degrees
1 package
dry yeast (this equals 2 ¼ t)
1 t sugar
1 T olive
oil
Whisk the
above ingredients together and allow to sit for a few minutes.
1 ¼ C
all-purpose flour
½ wheat
flour
1 t salt
Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and mix well with
a wooden spoon. The mixture will remain wet and sticky. Pour out onto a floured
board and knead for a few minutes until smooth and not ‘craggy.’
Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn dough over in the bowl
until all sides of the dough ball are covered in oil.
Cover and allow to rest in a warm place for two hours or
until doubled in size. I placed mine in the warming drawer of my oven.
When dough is doubled in size, turn out on a floured board
and roll out to desired size. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake in
a hot oven (400 degrees) for about 15 minutes or until golden on the bottom.
(In full disclosure, I will tell you that I first published these words and this recipe on my other, now defunct, blog. See the original post here, if interested.)
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteI love the pizza with mushrooms halves on it......yum....I love mushrooms!!! You've inspired me to make pizza tonight.....thanks!
Oh I love a good pizza. I had pizza in Florence several years ago and it was indeed quite memorable (the Italians know what they are doing).
ReplyDeleteI will have to give your crust a try. I love that it is so thin and crisp.
Hope you are having a wonderful day Tracy!
I honestly could eat pizza every night of the week.... a go-to crust recipe is a MUST and this is the one I use.
ReplyDeleteYo también soy fanática de las pizzas, no me cansaría de comerlas aunque fuera todos los días, me fascinan. La que nos presentas se ve deliciosa, una masa perfecta y muy buena elección de ingredientes.
ReplyDelete¡Saludos y feliz día!
You make this sound so delicious, Tracy.
ReplyDelete