Tired of takeout? Try homemade pizza, hot from the oven
Pizza as we know it – flattened dough covered with tomato sauce, cheese and assorted tidbits – originated as a peasant dish in Italy. It gained more elevated status after a version was assembled in honor of an 1889 visit to Naples by the country’s king and queen.
Incorporating green basil, white mozzarella and red tomatoes to represent the colors of the Italian flag, local pizza-maker Raffaele Esposito named it in honor of Queen Margherita.
Italian immigrants brought pizza to this country in the early 20th century and New York City’s original pizzeria, Lombardi’s, is still in operation. This humble snack grew in popularity with the return of WWII soldiers looking for the tasty food they’d first encountered in Europe. Today, there are many types of pizza, with Chicago’s deep dish and New York’s thin crust the most well-known.
Since I was raised in upstate New York, I’ve always been a thin crust fan (although I’ve encountered my share of soggy crusts and charred edges). The best of these have a delicate, crunchy crust moistened with a coating of seasoned tomato puree, sprinkled sparingly with toppings and a thin layer of cheese to hold it all together. The key to the best thin crust pizza is a consistent, high heat. If you try the recipe below, you’ll have better results preheating the oven for an hour before baking.
While thin crust pizza is a ballet of flavors dancing on your tongue, deep dish pizza is a lush, rich mouthful that tackles your taste buds. The ingredients in the crust are the same, the preparation is different: deep dish dough is pressed into a high-sided pan and allowed to rise before topping and baking; thin crust dough is stretched and pulled to cover a flat disk, topped and baked immediately. For deep dish pizza, you first layer the cheese, then ladle on chunky sauce and toppings to create a casserole that eats like an open-faced sandwich.
Making pizza dough is far less difficult than the instructions might suggest. You don’t need a food processor or standing mixer with a bread hook, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. That snowy evening I opted to make a thin crust white pizza with artichokes for my dinner and Jack would have a deep dish pizza with leftover meat loaf crumbled into chunky tomato sauce (see photos). Based on the contents of your cupboards, you could change out the meatloaf for sausage, broccoli for artichokes, or invent your own combinations.
For both pizzas, I used the trick our son, Paul, taught us to give the crust additional zest: toss Italian seasoning blend in with the flour and sprinkle herbs onto the bottom of the pan beneath the dough. The longest step was the 45 minute period while the dough for Jack’s deep dish was rising. But, we figured the whole process didn’t take much longer than waiting for take-out from a local pizzeria. Instead of delivery cold at the door, we enjoyed homemade pizza hot from the oven.
Deep Dish Pizza
Crust
1 package yeast
1 C warm water
3 T olive oil
1/2 C cornmeal
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t salt
2 1/2 C flour
1 t Italian seasoning
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the oil, cornmeal, Italian seasoning and 2 C of the flour. Continue to mix the dough, adding the last 1/2 C flour to reach a smooth, elastic consistency. Place the dough onto a countertop or plastic cutting board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat all sides. Cover with a dish towel and set aside in a warm location to rise for about 45 minutes. Coat the inside of a large deep skillet or cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Coat your fingers with a little olive oil and press the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan; the dough should be about 1/8-inch thick.
Filling
8 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 t basil
1 t oregano
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
Preheat oven to 475 F. Place slices of cheese across over the entire bottom of the crust. Mix any additional ingredients into the crushed tomatoes (*see below) and spread mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan cheese; drizzle edges of crust with olive oil. Bake until the crust is a light golden brown, about 35 minutes.
*Additions
1 C cooked ground beef
1 C crumbled meatloaf
1 C cooked, crumbled sausage
1/2 C chopped Pepperoni
1/2 C diced ham
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1/2 C diced peppers
Thin Crust White Pizza
Crust
1 t Italian seasoning
1 package yeast
1/4 t sugar
3/4 C water
2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1 t basil
Topping
1/4 C oil-packed sundried tomatoes
1 C quartered artichoke hearts
2 T chopped Kalamata olives
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 T Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil
Preheat oven to 500 F. Coat a 12-inch round pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. In a small bowl, stir sugar and yeast into the water to dissolve. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and basil. Pour yeast mixture over flour, add olive oil and mix well with a wooden spoon. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. Shape the dough into a flattened disk and press into a 12-inch circle. Place dough on prepared pan and stretch to edges (if it sticks to the surface, use a piece of dental floss to slide under the dough); set aside. In a small skillet over medium heat, sauté the tomatoes and artichoke hearts until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spread the unbaked crust evenly with mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with artichoke mixture and olives. Dust with Parmesan cheese, brush visible crust with olive oil and bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes.
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