PIZZA BASICS

PIZZA MAY BE CALLED FAST FOOD, BUT YOU'VE got plenty to do before you can get it in the oven. There's dough to knead, let rise, and stretch; tomato sauce to make; cheese to grate; and toppings to prepare. Little wonder so many people have surrendered to shredded mozzarella and premade dough.

The problem, of course, is that these shortcuts come with a price: an extreme drop in quality. Homemade pizza is superb. Our goal was to find as many shortcuts as possible to streamline the preparation of the various components.

We also wanted to develop a variety of recipes for different kinds of pizza. Although pizza has its origins in Italy, it has become a thoroughly American dish, with many regional differences. Chapter three focuses on thin-crust pizza, which is king in New York and other eastern pizza capitals; Chapter four covers deep-dish or Chicago-style pan pizza; and Chapter five is devoted to grilled pizza, first popularized in California, but now common throughout the country.

While these three kinds of pizza all rely on similar doughs and sauces, the techniques for shaping and baking each style of pizza are really quite different. Listed below are a number of pieces of equipment you will use throughout this book.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

INSTANT READ THERMOMETER. Successful dough starts with water at the proper temperature. An instant-read thermometer, preferably a digital one with a quick response time and easy-to-read display, guarantees accurate readings.

FOOD PROCESSOR. Although doughs can be kneaded by hand or in a standing mixer, we find that a large-capacity food processor does the job quickly and efficiently. When choosing a food processor, look for a model with an eleven-cup workbowl (smaller models cannot knead a dough with four cups of flour) and a heavy base (at least ten pounds) that will prevent the food processor from jumping across the counter as the blade spins through the thick dough.

BAKING SHEETS AND PEELS. For thin-crust pizza, we like to transfer stretched dough to a peel that has been dusted with semolina. The long handle on the peel makes it easy to slide the dough onto tiles or a stone in a hot oven. Although a rimless metal baking sheet can be used in this fashion, the lack of a handle puts your hands that much closer to the oven heat.

When shopping for a pizza peel, note that there are two choices. Aluminum peels with heat-resistant wooden handles are probably the better bet because they can be washed and cleaned easily. Wooden peels can mildew when washed so it's best just to wipe them clean. Either way, make sure your peel measures at least sixteen inches across.

For grilled pizzas, we like to put stretched dough rounds on a rimless baking sheet or aluminum peel that has been dusted with flour. We do not feel comfortable placing a wooden peel so close to an open fire.

BAKING TILES OR STONE. If you like thin-crust pizza, we recommend you invest $15 or $20 to line the bottom rack of your oven with unglazed quarry tiles made of terra-cotta. These porous tiles come in six-inch squares and can be cut at a tile store to fit your oven rack perfectly. Look for one-half-inch-thick tiles.

A large rectangular pizza stone is also a good option. The chief drawback here is size. In most home ovens, you can fit two medium pizzas on a tile-lined rack. However, most pizza stones can only fit one pizza at a time. If using a stone, take care when sliding the pizza into the oven. You don't want part of the pizza to hang off the stone, dumping toppings onto the oven floor.

DEEP-DISH PIZZA PAN. If you like deep-dish pizza, we recommend buying a fourteen-inch round metal pan that is two inches deep. We tested shiny and dark pans, and both browned the crust equally well.

LONG-HANDLED GRILL TOOLS. Grilling pizza over a hot fire can be tricky. Tongs with long, heat-resistant handles are essential. A fork (for pricking any bubbles that form in the crust) and brush (for painting on oil) with long, heat-resistant handles are also worth owning.

PIZZA WHEEL. A pizza wheel will quickly turn a piping hot pizza into wedges or slices ready to eat. Although a pizza wheel looks like a pastry wheel, it should have a much stronger handle that is offset from a much stronger blade to provide the leverage necessary to cut through thick crusts. Make sure the cutting wheel is large enough (four inches is good) to get through a deep-dish pizza.