Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (283 page)
STICK-RESISTANT SEMOLINA FLOUR
To prevent the pizza dough from sticking to the pizza peel, many recipes advise using cornmeal or bread crumbs. While both coatings work, they also leave a gritty or crunchy residue on the bottom of the pizza. We typically call for a generous dusting of flour, but even this isn’t the perfect solution, as too much flour on the peel can lend a dusty, raw-flour taste to the crust, while too little will allow the dough to stick. The best approach is to spring for a bag of semolina flour. This coarsely ground wheat doesn’t char as easily as all-purpose flour, so you can make two pies in succession without brushing off the stone. And almost any amount of semolina will allow pizza to release easily without leaving too gritty a residue.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Grilled pizzas often frustrate cooks with their charred crusts and sauce and cheese that drip onto the coals. We set out to find the secret to great grilled pizza. We found that for grilling, pizza dough has to be both thin (to cook through quickly) and sturdy (so that it doesn’t fall apart when we turn it to grill the second side). We used high-protein bread flour to strengthen the dough, and a greater proportion of water made it easier to stretch. The crust also needed more flavor to stand up to the heat of the fire, so we added extra salt, a little whole wheat flour, and some olive oil, which also kept the crust from sticking. Using salted chopped tomatoes rather than sauce kept the crust from getting soggy, and a mixture of soft fontina and nutty Parmesan added more flavor than mozzarella. Spicy garlic oil and a scattering of fresh basil added complexity without heaviness.
MAKES FOUR 9-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 4 TO 6
The pizzas cook very quickly on the grill, so before you begin, be sure to have all the equipment and ingredients you need at hand. Equipment includes a pizza peel (or baking sheet), a pair of tongs, a paring knife, a large cutting board, and a pastry brush. Ingredients includes all the toppings and a small bowl of flour for dusting. The pizzas are best served hot off the grill but can be kept warm for 20 to 30 minutes on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven.
DOUGH
1 | cup water, room temperature |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
2 | cups (11 ounces) bread flour |
1 | tablespoon whole wheat flour (optional) |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
1 | teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast |
TOPPING
1¹⁄ | pounds plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
³⁄ | teaspoon salt |
6 | ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1¹⁄ |
1¹⁄ | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (³⁄ |
1 | recipe |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh basil |
Kosher salt |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Combine water and 2 tablespoons oil in liquid measuring cup. Pulse 1³⁄
4
cup bread flour, whole wheat flour, if using, sugar, salt, and yeast in food processor (fitted with dough blade if possible) until combined, about 5 pulses. With food processor running, slowly add water mixture; process until dough forms ball, about 1¹⁄
2
minutes. (If after 1¹⁄
2
minutes dough is sticky and clings to blade, add remaining ¹⁄
4
cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time.) Transfer dough to large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1¹⁄
2
to 2 hours.
2.
Gently press down on center of dough to deflate. Transfer dough to clean counter and divide into 4 equal pieces. With cupped palms, form each piece into smooth, tight ball. Set dough balls on well-floured counter. Press dough rounds by hand to flatten; cover loosely with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. FOR THE TOPPING:
Meanwhile, toss tomatoes and salt in bowl; transfer to colander and drain for 30 minutes (wipe out and reserve bowl). Shake colander to drain off excess liquid; transfer tomatoes to now-empty bowl and set aside. Combine fontina and Parmesan in second bowl and set aside.
4.
Gently stretch 1 dough round (keep other rounds covered) into disk about ¹⁄
2
inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Roll disk out to ¹⁄
8
-inch thickness, 9 to 10 inches in diameter, on well-floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. (If dough shrinks when rolled out, cover with plastic and let rest until relaxed, 10 to 15 minutes.) Dust surface of rolled dough with flour and set aside. Repeat with remaining dough rounds, stacking sheets of rolled dough on top of each other (with parchment in between) and covering stack with plastic; set aside until grill is ready.
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over three-quarters of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
6.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Lightly flour pizza peel or baking sheet; invert 1 dough round onto peel, gently stretching it as needed to retain its shape (do not stretch dough too thin; thin spots will burn quickly). Peel off and discard parchment; carefully slide round onto hotter side of grill. Immediately repeat with another dough round. Cook (covered if using gas) until tops are covered with bubbles (pierce larger bubbles with paring knife) and bottoms are grill-marked and charred in spots, 1 to 4 minutes; while rounds cook, check undersides and slide to cooler area of grill if browning too quickly. Transfer crusts to cutting board, browned sides up. Repeat with 2 remaining dough rounds.
7.
Brush 2 crusts generously with garlic oil; top each evenly with one-quarter of cheese mixture and one-quarter of tomatoes. Return pizzas to hotter side of grill and cover grill with lid; cook until bottoms are well browned and cheese is melted, 2 to 6 minutes, checking bottoms frequently to prevent burning. Transfer pizzas to cutting board; repeat with remaining 2 crusts. Sprinkle pizzas with basil and season with salt to taste; cut into wedges and serve.
MAKES ABOUT
¹⁄
3
CUP; ENOUGH FOR 4 PIZZAS
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
Cook all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to sizzle, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to small bowl.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We wanted a recipe to rival the best deep-dish pizza Chicago has to offer, with a thick, crisp crust; an airy, flaky interior; and a rich taste that could hold its own under any kind of topping. The recipes we came across in our research weren’t bad, but they weren’t as flaky as a Chicago-made crust. To increase the flakiness, we turned to laminating—layering butter and dough through a sequence of rolling and folding to create ultra-flaky pastries. Adding melted butter to the dough and spreading the rolled-out dough with softened butter before folding did the trick. Our only additional tweak was adding oil to the pan to crisp the edges. With our crust all set, we turned to the toppings. Following Chicago tradition, we covered the dough with freshly shredded mozzarella and then topped the cheese with our thick, quick-to-make tomato sauce. The cheese formed a barrier between the crust and sauce, which prevented our thick, flavorful crust from turning soggy.
See “MAKING FLAKY CHICAGO-STYLE PIZZA CRUST” illustrations that follow recipe.
MAKES TWO 9-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 6 TO 8
This dough must be prepared in a stand mixer. Place a damp kitchen towel under the mixer and watch it at all times during kneading to prevent it from wobbling off the counter. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands to prevent sticking. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater.
DOUGH
3¹⁄ | cups (16¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup (2³⁄ |
2¹⁄ | teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
1¹⁄ | cups water, room temperature |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons, softened |
1 | teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil |
SAUCE
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
¹⁄ | cup grated onion |
¹⁄ | teaspoon dried oregano |
Salt and pepper | |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
TOPPINGS
1 | pound mozzarella, shredded (4 cups) |
¹⁄ | cup grated Parmesan cheese |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix together flour, cornmeal, yeast, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, the dough will fall back to sides.)
2.
Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to prepared bowl, turning once to oil top. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. FOR THE SAUCE:
While dough rises, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, oregano, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce has reduced to 2¹⁄
2
cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH:
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry clean counter and roll into 15 by 12-inch rectangle with short side facing you. Spread softened butter over surface of dough using offset spatula, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18 by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half at a time, fold dough into thirds like business letter, then pinch seams together to form ball. Return dough balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
5.
Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to clean counter and roll into 13-inch disk about ¹⁄
4
inch thick. Transfer dough round to cake pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin, then unrolling dough into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working it into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
6. TO TOP AND BAKE THE PIZZA:
For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1¹⁄
4
cups of tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over sauce for each pizza. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizzas from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Cook 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed, in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle half of cooked sausage over mozzarella in each pizza before continuing with additional toppings in step 6.
Sprinkle each pizza with 2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives along with Parmesan in step 6. Using 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese per pizza, dot surface with teaspoons of cheese. Bake as directed. Remove pizzas from oven and sprinkle ¹⁄
4
cup chopped arugula over surface of each pizza.