Brenda’s thoughts on pizza:

Despite a decade in New York, I never fell in love with true New York style pizza . . . the thin, foldable slices appealed to me but the charred bottom wasn’t my favorite. Give me a pizza with thick, chewy crust and beautifully broiled edges . . .

How To: Pizza

Dough

Make this pizza dough, rest, and divide

Sauce

Make this red sauce with canned tomato sauce
OR this red sauce with fresh tomatoes
OR this creamy garlic sauce

Toppings

Use any of the following toppings, customizing to your preferences:

Cheese, mozzarella or Italian blend recommended
Meats:
- Pepperoni
- Canadian bacon
- Chicken
- Ham
- Sausage
- Ground Beef
Black olives, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Pineapple, sliced
Onions, diced
Peppers, diced
Tomatoes, diced
Fresh basil leaves

Pans

Pizza cooks at ~450F (up to 550F for ovens capable of those temperatures), so whatever pan you choose, ensure that it can handle really hot heat. Select one:

Cast iron (15” round skillet, size varies): able to withstand the high heat and creates a crust that almost tastes deep fried - exactly the way pizza should be. Pan can be preheated (requires transferring dressed pizza with pizza peel) or build the pizza in a cold cast iron and put in a hot oven for beautiful results.
Sheet pan (18” x 13”): generally works similar to the cast iron but doesn’t create quite the same crispness in the crust. Always build the pizza in a cold pan and put in a hot oven (recommended to keep baking temp around 400F-425F).
Ceramic pizza stone + pizza peel: place stone in the oven during preheat and build the pizza on a peel, then transfer prepared pizza to hot stone. Popular as the hot stone generally guarantees a crisp, bubbly crust.
Steel pizza stone + pizza peel: suggested use & results are similar to the ceramic stone.

Methodology

If building in a cold pan, follow these steps:

Prepare dough, sauce & toppings
Select pan and grease with ~1 Tbsp oil (canola recommended)
Roll out dough, using a rolling pin or stretch & press into a circle with fingertips
Transfer rolled dough to pan
- Optional step: allow rolled-out dough to then rest in pan for 30 minutes. Using fingers, lift about 1/3 of pizza crust at a time to release some of the built up CO2 (repeat with other 2/3 of pizza). Simply lifting the crust is sufficient. Continue to step 5.
Preheat oven to 450F
Spoon sauce over dough, creating a thin layer over the full surface
- Do not allow the sauce to go over the edge of the dough - it will burn
Top with toppings, remember to distribute evenly so everyone gets a loaded slice
1. Any toppings that will dry out (e.g. chicken or sliced olives) should go before the cheese
2. cheese
3. finally finish with those intended to crisp (e.g. pepperoni or diced peppers)
Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake for 12-18 minutes, until center is bubbly

If building on a peel, then transferring to a pizza pan, follow these steps:

Prepare dough, sauce & toppings
Select pan and put in oven, turn oven to 450F to preheat
Roll out dough, using a rolling pin or stretch & press into a circle with fingertips
- Keep this pizza a manageable size - remember the built pizza will have to be transferred to the stone or pan inside the hot oven
Lightly sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal to prevent dough sticking
- No peel? An inverted sheet pan is a good substitute - zero pan edges to contend with when it’s upside down
Transfer rolled dough to pizza peel
Spoon sauce over dough, creating a thin layer over the full surface
- Do not allow the sauce to go over the edge of the dough - it will burn
Top with toppings, remember to distribute evenly so everyone gets a loaded slice
1. Any toppings that will dry out (e.g. chicken or sliced olives) should go before the cheese
2. cheese
3. finally finish with those intended to crisp (e.g. pepperoni or diced peppers)
Transfer pizza to pan: practice improves this skill, so don’t worry if the first transfer doesn’t go perfectly smooth . . .
1. Carefully, very lightly shake peel (or inverted pan) side to side to make sure dough isn’t stuck
2. Open oven, using a hot pad, pull oven rack containing hot stone out to the catch (~halfway)
3. Quickly slide the pizza from the peel onto the hot stone by shaking the peel
4. Using a hot pad, push the oven rack back into place within the oven and close the door
Bake 8-15 minutes, until center is bubbly & remove using peel

Serve hot.

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: using the recipes above will make
- Deep dish: two 15” round pizzas
- Thin crust: three 15” round pizzas
Brenda’s favorite method is building the pizza in a cold cast iron pan, including allowing the dough to rest 30 min
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave 15 seconds and then “toast” in toaster oven for 3-5 minutes.

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