Homemade pizza

I have been making pizza from scratch for more than 30 years. It doesn’t take much time, you can customize it in ways the pizzerias don’t offer, and the finished product is fresh and hot! Plus, you get the wonderful pizza aroma all through the house…

Over the years, we have used cookie sheets and round, enameled pizza pans. Our newest favorite is a round, unglazed pizza stone.

The bakeware made by Hartstone in Ohio is heavier, high-fired stoneware for even heating, you can cut on it, and put it in the dishwasher. We’ve been using ours for quite a while, and it’s developing a nice patina. These stones are heavy, but that is why they help your pizza develop such a beautiful crust, evenly baked. I have a tall vertical cabinet right next to the stove. A handy storage space for this well-used ovenware.

Our favorite toppings:

• Parmesan cheese (put this directly on top of the sauce)
• Fresh mozzarella (the kind that you get in the deli)
• Mushrooms (canned or fresh)

Pizza Dough

1 ½ to 2 cups flour
½ t. salt
1 t. dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1 T. olive oil

Mix flour, salt and dry yeast (bread machine type) in a bowl. Add water and oil. Mix well, then turn out onto a lightly floured board to knead. Work dough for about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary to make a satiny ball that sticks to itself, but not to the board or your hands.
Lightly oil the outside of the ball, and put it back into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Stretch the dough out onto your pizza stone. Spread with sauce, your other toppings, then mozzarella cheese. Bake and enjoy!

Playing with your crust

• Replace part of the flour (up to a third) with whole wheat, spelt, or other flours (or a combination) to get a more substantial crust
• Use less yeast (as low as ¼ t.) if you want a thinner, crispier crust
• Add ¼ t of garlic power to give the crust a different flavor. Other Italian herbs, or Italian seasoning, work, too. We suggest testing with a small amount to see how you like them, and how they go with your sauce and toppings.

Pizza tips

• Bake in a hot oven, 500 degrees, or hotter if your oven goes higher. Those lucky enough to have an outdoor, wood burning oven, try baking pizza there for a special treat! (Just turn the pizza during baking, for even cooking.)
• Use double potholders or sturdy mitts to handle the hot pizza stone.
• Remember the pizza stone is heavy. We recommend sliding out the oven rack about half way, then picking up the pizza.

Pastorelli is our favorite brand of pizza sauce. It has a zingy, Italian tomato flavor. If it’s available in your area, you might want to test it.

We like meat on pizza, but it can make it too greasy. To avoid this, precook the meat (even pepperoni) and drain well on paper towels before adding to your pizza.

Using your Pizza Stone

• Hartstone has information on the packaging about use and care. We know from experience that this ware is dishwasher safe, and you can use metal tools and knives on it.
• Also, the stone does not need to be seasoned. Just wash and use. The stone will develop seasoning as you continue to use it.
• If you’re going to make an egg bread, pumpernickel in a round loaf, or another, stickier type of dough, you may want to season the stone.
• To season, we recommend first washing the stone and then oiling the baking surface with food-grade mineral oil from the pharmacy. I prefer this to vegetable oil, shortening or other oils for seasoning cookware, because the mineral oil will not go rancid. (It’s inexpensive and a little goes a long way. Look on the lower shelves at any pharmacy.)
• Then bake the stone at 250 degrees for one hour. Once it cools, it’s ready to use. You won’t need to season again.

How to choose and use a pizza baking stone:

• High-fired, unglazed pizza stones that are dishwasher safe are available, and we’ve liked the ones we’ve tried. A bit more expensive, but far easier to clean that those that cannot be exposed to soap.
• High-fired stones are also safe to cut on and use metal spatulas.
• Some stones need seasoning, some do not.
• How to season a baking stone:
  1. Wash and dry stone thoroughly.
  2. Apply thin coating of food-grade mineral oil (from the pharmacy). This won’t go rancid like cooking oils.
  3. Bake at 250° for one hour.
  4. Allow to cool and it’s ready to use. You won’t need to season again.

While many frozen pizzas and box mixes are available, books like American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza, by Peter Reinhart, help home cooks take their pizza to new levels of culinary expression and delight.