Pizza

Now that it's fall the oven has been fired up nonstop.  I had been dying to try the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Pizza Bianca (Oct. 2008) and was met with great results.  It's a wet dough recipe which means no rolling and lots and lots of messy hand washing.  I used my hands rather than an electric mixer and both pies came out fine.  Here's what I did:

PREP!

Red Sauce:

2 28 oz. cans San Marzano tomatos (whole peeled) 

5 cloves of garlic

basil (dried or fresh)

salt & pepper to taste

The red sauce can be done ahead of time (or while the dough is rising) and I use it for pizza, pasta, etc.  It is super simple:

1.  Blend both cans of tomato sauce with roughly chopped garlic and place in saucepan over high heat.  Note the level in the pan.  Add one 1/2 can (14 ounces) of water and let come to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  (At this point, skim foam left from blending and discard.)  Allow mixture to reduce back to 28 oz. (level noted in pan earlier) and add herbs. (If you are using fresh, one small bunch of basil is fine.  If using dried you will need less, about 3/4 teaspoon.)  Turn off heat, let cool, jar it up and/or use it on your prepared pizza/pasta/etc.

Dough:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 2/3 cups water, room temp

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons sugar

Olive oil

1.  Place the first three ingredients in a bowl (or mixer bowl) and mix slowly until no patches of dry flower remain.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue again mixing until all flower is incorporated.  Let dough rest for 20 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough, knead slowly until combined scraping sides occasionally.  Increase speed on mixer or just crank up the elbow grease and mix until dough is fully incorporated with a glossy sheen and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 10 minutes.) 

3.  Oil up a bowl and hands (its good for your fingernails and skin) move dough into oiled bowl and flip it once or until fully coated in oil.  (At this point the dough is really wet so you need to get slicked up with oil or else you are going to be in a sticky mess.)  Let rise for 2-3 hours or until triple in size.

4. An hour before dough is finished rising preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  At this point I split the dough, made one classic dough for pepperoni and jalepeno for me and one olive, caper and anchovy dough for Lauren.  I must admit, the latter was my favorite.  I split the rising dough and kneaded in 5 or 6 quartered olives, one can of rolled anchovies with capers along with about 1/2 the oil from the anchovy can to one half.  I unrolled the anchovies and capers, used the capers as they were but loosely chopped the anchovies (about the size of the olives.)

5.  Spread the plain dough on a oiled sheet pan (I rubbed mine with raw garlic) and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  The same follows for the olive/anchovy/caper dough.  Cooks Illustrated recommends topping with sea salt and rosemary.  I used mozzarella, red sauce, pepperoni and hot peppers.  For Lauren's I topped with sun dried tomato paste and goat cheese.  If using a pizza stone bake for 15-20 minutes on the middle oven rack at 450 degrees.  If not, 500 degrees on a low rack will do.  Rotate pans halfway through cooking.  Brush finished pizzas with olive oil.

Enjoy.