The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (284 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
1.
On dry counter, roll dough into 15 by 12-inch rectangle.
2.
Spread softened butter over dough, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border along edges.
3.
Starting at short end closest to you, roll dough into tight cylinder.
4.
Flatten cylinder into 18 by 4-inch rectangle. Halve crosswise.
5.
Fold each piece of dough into thirds; pinch seams to form balls.
6.
Let dough balls rise in refrigerator 40 to 50 minutes to chill butter.
7.
Roll out each ball into 13-inch disk about ¹⁄
4
inch thick.
8.
Transfer disks to pans; press into corners and up sides.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Unlike its thin-crust cousin, pan pizza has a soft, chewy, thick crust that can stand up to substantial toppings. We wanted to try our hand at making this pizza without a lot of fuss. Most of the allure of deep-dish pizza is in the crust, so it was important to get it right. After trying numerous ingredients and techniques, we found a surprising solution: adding boiled potato gave the crust exactly the right qualities. It was soft and moist, yet with a bit of chew and good structure. The potato even made the unbaked dough easier to handle. To keep the outside of the crust from toughening during baking, we added a generous amount of olive oil to the pan before putting in the dough. Topping the pizza before it went into the oven weighed down the crust so that it didn’t rise enough, so we baked the crust untopped for a few minutes first. Our crust wasn’t just a platform for the topping; it had great flavor and texture of its own.
MAKES ONE 14-INCH PIZZA, SERVING 4 TO 6
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough by hand following the instructions in
“TEST KITCHEN TIP NO. 119 HAND-MIXING METHOD FOR DOUGH”
. If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the pizza on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. Prepare the topping while the dough is rising so it will be ready at the same time the dough is ready. The amount of oil used to grease the pan may seem excessive, but in addition to preventing sticking, the oil helps the crust brown nicely.
DOUGH
9 | ounces russet potatoes, peeled and quartered |
3¹⁄ | cups (17¹⁄ |
1 | cup water, heated to 115 degrees |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast |
6 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
1³⁄ | teaspoons salt |
TOPPING
4 | tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
Salt and pepper | |
6 | ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1¹⁄ |
1 | ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (¹⁄ |
3 | tablespoons shredded fresh basil |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Bring 1 quart water and potato to boil in medium saucepan and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potato and process through ricer or food mill onto plate. Measure out and reserve 1¹⁄
3
cups potato; discard remaining potato.
2.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat for 10 minutes, then turn off oven.
3.
Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix ¹⁄
2
cup flour, ¹⁄
2
cup water, and yeast together on low speed until combined; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
4.
Add 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 3 cups flour, remaining ¹⁄
2
cup water, salt, and potato to flour mixture and mix on low speed until dough comes together. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough comes together and is slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic and let rise on lower rack in warm oven until doubled in size, 30 to 35 minutes.
5.
Grease bottom of 14-inch cake pan with remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Remove dough from oven; transfer to clean counter and press into 12-inch round. Transfer round to pan, cover with plastic, and let rest until dough no longer resists shaping, about 10 minutes. Uncover dough and pull up into edges and up sides of pan to form 1-inch-high lip. Cover with plastic; let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
6. FOR THE TOPPING:
Mix tomatoes and garlic together in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
7. TO BAKE THE PIZZA:
One hour before baking, set baking stone on lower rack and heat oven to 425 degrees. Uncover dough and prick generously with fork. Bake on baking stone until dry and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
8.
Remove pizza from oven. Spread partially baked crust with tomato mixture; sprinkle with mozzarella, then Parmesan. Return pizza to baking stone and continue baking until cheese melts, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Move pizza to upper rack and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown, about 5 minutes longer. Remove pizza from oven, sprinkle with basil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Omit tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil from topping. Spread ¹⁄
2
cup
CLASSIC BASIL PESTO
onto partially baked crust in step 8, then sprinkle with mozzarella, followed by 1 cup shredded provolone cheese, ¹⁄
4
cup crumbled blue cheese, and Parmesan. Continue baking as directed.