The true origin of the pizza we enjoy today is unknown, although food historians trace its evolution to an early Egyptian flatbread. Literally translated, pizza means “pie.” A humble dish for the working class, pizza was originally produced by bakeries and meant to be eaten while walking. The pie first made an appearance in the United States with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century.
Before the 1940’s, consumption of pizza was primarily by Italian Americans. However, veterans returning from World War II had developed an appetite for the flavorful tomato and cheese pie that was sold by singing vendors on the streets of Naples. Neighborhood pizza parlors and later pizza chains sprung up all over the United States and a whole new industry was born. The dish became even more popular after it was even featured on an episode of the iconic television series “I Love Lucy” in the 1950’s.
There are three traditional parts to the pizza: the crust, the cheese, and the toppings. Although there are many variations of crust recipes, Perfect Pizza Dough is a classic that can easily be prepared in a home kitchen. With a scale and electric mixer, this dough, a snap to make in less than 10 minutes, is enough to create three “regular” or five “thin” – 12-inch diameter crusts. Small family and need only one pizza? The dough freezes well and defrosts easily overnight in the refrigerator waiting for your next pizza adventure.
Tomato sauce is often the base of pizzas, although pesto, olive oil or a “white” pizza with ricotta or a soft cheese is delicious too. Cheeses include mozzarella, fresh or factory produced, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, provolone, brie, chevre or goat cheese, fontina, even cheddar. For convenience, many supermarkets sell packages of pizza cheese or Italian cheese. Topping suggestions include meats like bacon, pepperoni, sausage, salami and prosciutto. Uncooked meats like ground beef or pork are better when precooked before adding to your pie. Smoked seafood is tasty, as are smoked turkey or chicken, even fresh lobster.
Vegetables containing a large percentage of water fare better atop a pizza if they are slightly precooked. The next time you fire up the grill, do some extra onions, zucchini , summer squash or mushrooms for your pizza. Olives, tomatoes, fresh or sundried, canned roasted peppers or mushrooms add flavor to your pie.
For brunch, try a hashbrown pizza with a sunny side egg on top. We enjoy a barbeque chicken pizza with barbeque sauce on the bottom, grilled chicken, fresh onions, cheddar cheese and sprinkles of chopped cilantro. A Greek pizza features artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese. Pissaladière, a French pizza tart, is a fancy name for a pie topped with caramelized onions and garlic, fresh thyme, anchovy fillets, and black olives.
Pizzas are a wonderful way for the whole family to enjoy a nutritious, delicious, hands-on and fun meal. Since our tribe was quite young, Sunday night pizza has been the traditional time for the family to gather round and make pizzas. Rolling and shaping dough, grating cheese and chopping vegetables are all valuable kitchen skills. Tasting new cheeses and food combinations educates the palate about the wonderful world of food, and creating your own personal masterpiece inspires the chef in all of us. Looking for a new cooking adventure? Indulge your passion in the worldwide culinary icon: pizza.
Perfect Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 3/8 cup 300 grams water
- 2 teaspoons 7 grams active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons 10 grams Maine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons 20 grams olive oil plus more for oiling the top of crust
- 4 cups 500 grams all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. About one hour before baking the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- To the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water, active dry yeast, Maine sea salt and olive oil.
- Allow the mixture to stand for a few moments until the yeast starts to bubble, then add the all-purpose flour.
- Slowly mix the dough until blended, then turn the mixer up to a higher speed and beat until the dough forms a nice ball and pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough seems a bit wet and sticky, add a bit more flour until it makes a nice ball.
- Remove the dough to a well-floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts (for regular crust pizzas) or 5 equal parts (for thin crust pizzas) By weight, the regular crust will be about 280 grams and the thin crust about 170 grams. For the dough that is to be used at another time, seal the dough in plastic bag and freeze. Cover the remaining dough with a damp towel and let rise for about one hour. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Sprinkle a 12-inch pizza pan with cornmeal.
- On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle
- Fit the dough into the pan. Brush the top with olive oil. You are now ready to create your pizza!
- Slide the pizza on its pan into the preheated oven. After about 4 minutes, turn the pizza in the oven and check its progress.
- Depending on the dough thickness and toppings, the pizza should take 6-12 minutes to bake total.
Cheryl's Notes
Nutritional analysis of dough of thin crust pizza: 485 calories, 13 grams protein, 77 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams fat, 773 mg. sodium, 4 grams fiber.