Just-in-time pizza.
“In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” - Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Well, Alfred, perhaps that was true 167 years ago, when you penned those words about England’s young lads.
But it’s not true as I write these words today, in White River Junction, Vermont, about my fellow King Arthur Flour Web team members.
In spring—and summer, winter, and fall, too—the Web team’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of…
Pizza.
Well, naturally; we are, after all, a flour company. Anything made with yeast—read, pizza crust—relies heavily on flour. And since we’re an employee-owned company, it’s in our own best interest to be avid about pizza.
But the Web team’s devotion to pizza goes way beyond avid. It’s more like rabid. Scarcely a week goes by when I don’t hear the plaintive request: “PJ, when are you going to be making pizza again?” I look up and see those hopeful faces… how can I resist? Into the kitchen I go.
And truthfully, it’s no hardship. I’ve loved pizza since my mom started making the Appian Way version from a mix (flour, yeast packet, and can of tomato sauce in a cardboard box), back in the day. Mom is 82, and she’s still making wonderful pizza—these days with the help of her bread machine, and a favorite crust recipe I gave her.
I’ve been making pizza myself for over 30 years. And strangely enough, I’ve never settled on a favorite recipe. I bounce from thick-and-doughy crust to thin-crackly-crunchy. I’ve baked pizza at 500°F on an oven stone, and 350°F in a pan. I’ve made pizza in a wood-fired cast iron cookstove (rescued from the bottom of a lake and restored); and in everything from a behemoth Garland gas oven to an electric toaster oven.
Not surprisingly, every pizza I’ve made has been thoroughly delightful. See, that’s the thing about pizza; you just can’t go wrong, no matter how hard you try. It’s like chocolate: even bad chocolate is good chocolate.
This week my fellow Webbies started asking for pizza again. But they couldn’t agree on a day; between meetings, family responsibilities, and days off, there was no time we could all be together—except for one small window on Thursday.
Ah-HA! Time for Now or Later Pizza, the busy person’s solution to pressures of work. Make the crust and partially bake it when you have a chance. Then, set it aside till you’re ready for pizza.
Just as your team—or family—is getting hungry and casting hopeful glances your way, add toppings, throw it in the oven, and bingo! Ten minutes later, hot, oozing-cheese, aromatic pizza.
Or to put a business operations spin on it, Just-in-time Pizza (a.k.a. Now or Later Pizza).
Dig in, team…
Halley (left) is holding her favorite version: charred pepperoni. Jim and Tracy (center) are going the veggie route. Janet (right), ever the mother, is serving. Lunchtime cheers (and a big thumbs-up for the pizza) from your King Arthur Flour Web team!
We often use semolina in pizza crust; it gives it a bit of chew, and a bit of color. And what, exactly, is semolina? It’s durum wheat (a high protein wheat) that’s been ground to the consistency of cornmeal. In fact, semolina looks almost exactly like cornmeal. The difference is, semolina has protein to build gluten; cornmeal has no gluten-building protein. So you can use semolina to make great yeast breads and pizza crusts.
Here’s semolina on the left; King Arthur all-purpose flour on the right.
And here’s my other must-have pizza crust ingredient: pizza dough flavor. A few teaspoons in your dough really does give it “pizza parlor POP.”
I’m making dough in my stand mixer here, though your bread machine is an equally good choice. So—semolina, all-purpose flour, pizza dough flavor, salt, and yeast…
…followed by olive oil and water.
Can you forego the semolina, and use all-purpose flour instead? Of course. You’ll want to use 2 tablespoons less water if you make the dough using 100% all-purpose flour, instead of the combination of AP and semolina.
Mix for 2 minutes, using the flat beater paddle, to make a soft, sticky dough.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl…
…switch to the kneading hook, and knead for about 5 minutes.
Here’s the dough made with all-purpose flour, no semolina; it’ll be somewhat stickier, as you can see.
Put the dough in a lightly greased container of some sort. I like to use an 8-cup measure, so I can easily track the dough’s progress. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate for up to 36 hours.
WHOA! Here it is after 18 hours in the fridge. Nice rise… and wonderful flavor. As dough slowly rises in the fridge, the growing yeast releases organic acids and alcohol, which really enhance the dough’s flavor.
Divide the dough in half. This simply makes it easier to handle. Want to make one giant 14” thick-crust pizza? Go for it! Don’t divide the dough.
Working with one piece at a time, pick it up by the edge, and let gravity stretch it out. Work your fingers around the perimeter of the dough, turning it in your hands so it stretches itself into an irregular oval. When it starts thinning out too much, or becomes hard to handle, set it on a piece of parchment.
Continue pressing the dough till it’s as flat as you like. I’ve made this piece of dough about 12” x 14”; this will make a thin-to-medium thickness crust.
A large peel is a big help in moving crust from counter to pizza stone, and stone to cooling rack.
I’ve shaped the other piece of dough into a 9” x 10” or so oval; this will make a thicker crust, obviously. And though it flops over the edges a tiny bit, I can use my handy giant spatula to move it around.
Cover the shaped crusts. Use greased plastic wrap, or an overturned clear plastic cover from a deli tray… whatever you can find to set over the dough and keep it from drying out. Start to preheat your oven to 450°F. If you have a pizza stone, put it on a lower rack.
After 30 minutes—longer, if you want a thicker crust—place the crust and its parchment onto the hot stone. See why I love parchment? No need to fool around with messy cornmeal (which inevitably burns on the bottom of the crust anyway). And parchment, unlike cornmeal, will never allow your dough to stick to the peel.
Check your dough after a couple of minutes. WHOOPS. Reach in with a cake tester or toothpick and pop any big bubbles.
Ah, that’s better.
After 6 minutes (for the thinner crust) or 7 to 8 minutes (for the thicker crust), remove from the oven. The dough will feel set and dry, but still soft inside. It definitely won’t be fully baked… more like half-baked. Bake your second crust the same way.
At this point, you can set the crusts aside to cool, then wrap and store till you’re ready to top and make into pizza. Think those supermarket Boboli crusts… same deal. So, say you’re having pizza night on Tuesday, but want to make the crusts Sunday. No problem. Make them Sunday, and simply store in plastic, on the counter, till Tuesday. For longer storage (up to 5 days), refrigerate. You can even freeze these, well-wrapped, for up to 4 weeks.
OK, back to that warm crust you just pulled out of the oven. Top it with whatever you like. Since the topped pizza won’t bake for every long, make sure any meat or veggies are already cooked. Here I’m using Italian sausage, goat cheese, and tomato sauce.
Bake for about 8 minutes—on an upper rack of the oven. I baked this one on the stone, and found it made the bottom too brown, and the top too pale.
Here’s a neat trick: As soon as you pull your pizza out of the oven, scatter a handful of finely shredded cheese over the top.
The oven’s heat will partially melt the cheese. It looks nice, and adds even more melted cheese—always a good thing!
This is one of my larger (12” x 14”) crusts, which I let rise for about 30 minutes before baking. Note the thick edge, thinner center.
And this is a smaller crust (9” x 10”), which I let rise for a full hour before baking. Note its extra-thick outer edge, and uniformly thick center. Making a smaller (9”) crust, and letting it rise for an hour, is the way to go for you aficionados of thick, soft crust.
Now, for some topping experiments. This is a simple Pizza Margherita: fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. I added the fresh basil leaves after the pizza had come out of the oven. The bright green leaves looked lovely against the white-and-red background.
Then I thought, well, maybe I should just run the pizza through the oven for 10 seconds, to ”meld” the basil to the cheese. BIG MISTAKE. Even that tiny bit of oven heat turned my lovely green leaves a mottled gray.
This is a tasty vegetarian topping: sautéed mushrooms, cheese, and sliced fresh (not cooked) garlic. Putting the mushrooms and garlic atop a bed of cheese, instead of sprinkling the cheese on top, makes for a prettier presentation.
And here’s one for the traditionalists: thick-crust pepperoni and mozzarella.
Read, rate, and review (please!) our recipe for Now or Later Pizza.
Buy vs. Bake
Buy: Gallagher’s Pizza, Green Bay, WI: Pepperoni Pizza, 10” hand-tossed, $9.24
Bake at home: Pepperoni Pizza, 10” thick-crust, $3.54
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
If you’re a perfectionist, the silicone mat you guys sell, and that I see in some of the pictures, can be useful for getting a circular crust. Just put your dough ball in the middle and stretch it to the lines. When you’re done put some parchment paper on top then set your baking sheet or peel on top of that and invert the whole mess.
True, Mike - that mat is VERY good for those who want a crust, either pie or pizza, that’s just the right size. Thanks for pointing that out
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am
I’m quite excited to try making a pizza dough using semolina. Since I have it in the house for making homemada pasta, anyhow. But, what I’ve been struggling with lately, is trying to find a great KA white whole wheat pizza dough. Can I use this recipe and swap out the ap for www? Any other suggestions for a wonderful thin and thick www pizza dough?
Sure, Melissa, try it with the semolina and www - bet it’ll be pretty darned good. Other than that, try any of your favorite pizza crust recipes using white whole wheat. Our Guaranteed Pizza Crust might be a good place to start. For the water, try 1 cup; mix the dough, and let it sit for 30 minutes before kneading. This rest period allows the www to absorb the liquid, and keeps you from adding too much flour, which would give you a dry crust. I think it should be pretty good - esp. if you try the organic www sometime, which yeast seems to love… PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Homemade pizza is the best! This beautifully thick crust looks fantastic!
Cheers,
Rosa
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Things I never knew: Let pizza dough rise…. prebake….. leave on counter 2 or 3 days…. top and bake later…
I was suprised of all the above… I’ve made pizza for years and rolled out the dough, cover with toppings and bake… After reading the blog, I think I’ve been missing the whole idea of home baked pizza…
ya think? walks away shaking head…
No, no, no… Elizabeth, ALL pizza is good pizza. Ever hear of how many ways there are to skin a cat? Let’s change that to how many ways there are to bake a pizza… Pizza (flatbreads in general) is a fascinating, far-ranging (global) topic. Thank goodness. But I do like this parbaked crust method, as it lets you have pizza pretty instantly, without having to “work up to it” all day…
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
my favorite topping combo: mozzarella cheese, sliced fennel bulbs, sliced red onions, red bell peppers and cilantro! I always seem to have the problem of my parchment paper smoking in the oven. Is it from the non-stick spray? Just bad paper? The semolina is a great tip for pizza - I never would have considered it!
Anne, I never use non-stick spray on my parchment - because nothing sticks to it anyway… So could be the spray. Also, our test ovens don’t get up to 500°F - so perhaps, if you’re baking at 500°F, the parchment smokes? My parchment does turn brown at 450°F, but doesn’t smoke… As for your toppings - Oh, boy… does THAT sound good! Guess I’ll have to make pizza again this week-
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
When I click on the link for the recipe, I end up a with cinnamon strussel coffee cake recipe. Also when I do a search for now or later pizza I end up at the same place. HELP!
Chuck, not sure what’s happening…. The link goes to Now or Later Pizza when I click it. Try clicking right here: Now or Later Pizza. If that doesn’t work, let me know - I’ll just send it to you via email! “Technology is our friend…”
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Hello, I love your blog - mouthwatering recipes, with always helpful photo instructions. I’m definitely making pizza tonight! (By the way, I tried to click on the link in your post for Now-or-Later Pizza, and the link doesn’t seem to work?)
Hi Mari - Try going to kingarthurflour.com/recipes and typing in Now or Later Pizza… Thanks. PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
That looks fantastic…but here’s what I’ve been searching for — a good tomato sauce for pizza. Any suggestions?
I like Barilla brand pasta sauce - with a spoonful of sugar added to cut the acid of the tomatoes. For homemade, I use my Italian mother-in-law’s recipe, which is MUCH too long to print here… PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
PJ –
The links don’t work — could you send to me via e-mail? Thanks for all your great work!
Nicole
Nicole - Try going to kingarthurflour.com/recipes. Then type in Now or Later Pizza. Should take you right there. If it doesn’t, we have BIG problems… PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I’m having the same problem Chuck is having-the recipe link takes me to Cinnamon Streusel, instead of pizza… But looking at these pictures is making me hungry again. Might have to pick up some mozzarella and mushrooms this week!
Becca, we’re having issues today… Try going to kingarthurflour.com/recipes and typing in Now or Later Pizza… Thanks. PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I often like to skip the parchment paper and put the pizza directly on the stone, because one of the benefits of the hot stone is that it wicks away moisture, and it can’t do that through the parchment paper. It’s a minor thing, but sometimes it makes a difference to me. (Not always.
)
But I’m surprised you didn’t mention one of my all-time favorite pizza tips: if you don’t want to use parchment paper, don’t dust your peel with cornmeal to keep the crust from sticking. Dust it with semolina! The grains are just as hard and round, and it does exactly the same job, with one major difference: cornmeal burns in the oven. Semolina does not.
It works great! Try it sometime.
Matt you are so correct. Semolina is the correct flour to use for dusting your peel. Thank you for the reminder!
Joan@bakershotline
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
wow…i join the ranks of the amazed people who have been making pizza for YEARS and NEVER knew all that stuff!!! Can’t wait to try again with your tips…looks a lot more like the kind i get from my favorite pizza place! thanks!!!
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Curiously enough… lol… pizza is one of my favourite things to do with that hunk of bread dough that was too small to make a loaf or a proper batch of rolls with. I just roll it out flat, cover with toppings, bake: pretty much guaranteed delicious.
I therefore rarely make pizza on purpose, with “proper” pizza dough - but I love semolina in the crust when I do!
I’ve been thinking of making chocolate pizza… with cocoa nibs studding the crust. Yum.
Oh, I know, our Web manager keeps nagging me about chocolate pizza… what would you put on it? She’s saying marshmallow and graham crackers. It does bear thinking about… PJH P.S. Flour is actually packed and waiting for me to get to the post office…
March 22nd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Hey, PJ…I just read your article in Dartmouth Medicine (I was introduced to KAF when my hubby was in med school at DMS). I absolutely loved it! You are such an inspiration
This is a great crust recipe, by the way.
Thanks so much, Laurel - I never expected to see a comment about that article here! Glad you liked it… AND glad you like the recipe.
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
OH my! How Timely… I just finished making this pizza dough on my BigGreenEgg charcoal grill… used a pizza stone, 500 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. I don’t precook the crust in stages, just assemble, let rise, and let ‘er rip. I guess that would be the ‘NOW’ in now-or-later! I add just a squeeze (maybe 1-2 Tablespoons) of honey to the dough when mixing it all up. Today we had pulled pork pizza… leftover PP, caramelized onions, mozzerella cheese and plenty of BBQ sauce. YUM! This recipe makes the BEST dough, it’s my go-to pizza dough! -d
Oooh, Deb, yummy - Hey, I have a Big Green Egg, too. What a treat, huh? Love your topping choices… PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
PJ - I know it’s not flour but your MIL’s homemade sauce would make a great blog! Or, for second best - post the recipe?? Please?
Not written - basically, fry meatballs and sausage. Take them out of the pan and add 28 oz. tomato puree and 8 oz tomato sauce, sugar, basil, garlic, salt, pepper. “Let stew.” Put the meatballs and sausage in another pan, and fill halfway up the meat with water. Cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Dump meatballs, sausage, and stewing water into tomato sauce. Stew for an hour or so. Season to taste. And that’s as specific as it gets! Have fun, Marion- PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
We are a family of 5 and make homemade pizza every Saturday night for our pizza/movie night. Lately I have been using the KA “pizza crust” recipe from your website made in my Zo bread machine. I think I need to try your pizza dough flavor and semolina to add some more flavor to my dough. We like homemade pizza sauce made from tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic and oregano. Thanks for the pizza making tips and new recipe.
PS- As a chocolate snob I have to disagree with your comment and say that bad chocolate IS bad chocolate. It’s not worth the calories if it’s not delicious.
Well, true, calorically speaking. Then again, chocolate is like wine - it’s all in how it reacts with YOUR palate. Some people like a lusty Merlot, some a light Prosecco. Some like bittersweet chocolate, some milk. Who’s to say what’s “good” or “bad”? I happen to be enjoying dark chocolate M&Ms at the moment - my favorite new treat…
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
I recently heard about a really interesting dessert called “Far Breton Cake.”
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Far-Breton-231583
I’m curious to make it, but I’m sort of afraid given the somewhat daunting set of instructions (and the fact that I’ve never baked a cake of any kind.) Maybe you’ll think of doing it for a future Banter? *hopeful smile*
I’ll put it on my ever-growing list, Katherine. Still, I think you should just give it a whirl. Don’t be afraid. I always say, if you can read, you can bake. I wouldn’t bother with the flaming brandy, but the rest of it sounds pretty straightforward - actually, it sounds easier than most cakes. I think you can do this, really - and think how proud you’ll be of yourself! Let us know, if you do. PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I went to a KA class this past week and was inspired to make my first loaf of from-scratch bread this weekend. Now you’re killing me with this charred pepperoni pizza - it looks so good!
Well, Cate, now that you’ve got your first yeast loaf under your belt (literally, and figuratively!), pizza crust should be a piece of cake! Uhh…. well, a piece of pizza, maybe?
PJH
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
For an excellent pizza sauce, try KA’s pizza seasoning with a small can of organic tomato sauce. Start with a small amount of the seasoning, 1/2 teas., and let the flavors meld together for 15 min. Adjust the amount of seasoning to taste. This also works with a can of diced tomatoes that have been pureed in a food processor.
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 am
I learned about stretching pizza dough by watching cooks form crusts at a local Italian eatery. Way better texture than rolling them out! I’ve progressed to the slapping back and forth between hands stage. Not willing to toss and twirl…yet. (I worry about my ceiling.)
For a different topping, you might try Alfredo sauce, broccoli flowerlets, onions, canned or sauteed mushrooms and black olives, all topped with a light coating of grated mozzarella/cheddar cheese. Nice change from the tomato sauce pizza. Sounds yummy. Thanks for that great suggestion! I’m not at the toss and twirl stage yet either, and doubt I’ll ever be. I’m too clumsyfor that
Mary @KAF
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:15 am
Hi,
I’ve sort of gone the other direction. I’ve been mixing cake flour with bread flour (both King Arthur of course!). I’ve been trying to approximate the low protein flour used in Italy. But my questions really is about yeast.
I have a bunch of recipes for pizza dough at home and they all use a lot of yeast for the amount of flour used - usually about 4 1/2 teaspoons per 2 1/4 cups of flour. Most bread recipes I have use a fraction of this amount of yeast. I can’t find my Italian recipe from my cooking class in Italy sadly.
Why do most pizza doughs use so much yeast? Why does yours use so much less? My latest batch of dough I tried using half the amount I usually use. I like slow-rise pizza dough and usually let it rise for about five days to a week and this has made a big difference in the rise time. I won’t know how it tastes until this Friday.
Thanks
Hi Aaron - Not sure why others like to use so much yeast - I assume because they want fast results rather than flavor. Maybe they figure most pizza bakers are newbies, and can’t bear to wait for dough to rise… I like a slow rise (as you say), as it develops the flavor beautifully. There’s no substitute for time. I don’t usually go over about 36 hours, as I don’t like the acidic taste (sourdough) the dough starts to develop. But for sourdough fans, a longer rise is appropriate - all in the fridge, of course. Hope your Friday pizza tastes great! PJH
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:43 am
For the first time, I found one recipe that I do know how to make and I do mine just like the pictures! Somehow that builds my confidence. I do use the dough enhancer from KA and do think it helps the crust. One questions about it. Mine is hard as a rock as I store it in a glass jar. I had to break it up with a mortar and pestle yesterday when I made crust. I would certainly agree the dough freezes wonderfully either in a disk or partially baked.
Still prefer the recipe on the back of the pizza flour bag. I always use that flour and am very pleased with how it turns out.
Never eat pizza out as I know what I’m putting on my pizza is fresh and just what I want.
Works great on my gas grill too!
Shirley, you sound like a pizza expert! I’d email customercare@kingarthurflour.com and ask about the hard dough enhancer. Or try our LiveChat - you can access it off our shopping site. Enjoy! PJH
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
Well, if I make chocolate pizza, I’ll blog about it for sure!
I was thinking some kind of fruit topping - banana is great with chocolate AND it bakes well. If I were going to be really deadly I’d fold peanut butter into the pizza dough, then roll out the pizza base, then press cocoa nibs into the top of the base and then layer with bananas, maybe brushed with melted butter and honey. How’s that?
Or cocoa nibs walk the line between sweet and savoury - I could make a chilli pizza with cocoa nibs in the dough.
PS: Woo woo! Can’t wait! Flour!
Like where you’re going with this - you’re right about baked bananas. Now you’ve got me thinking…
PJH
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
Oh, these look incredible!!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am
Great Blog!
I have recently started making my family pizza from scratch and have tried numerous recipes. I have found one tool that is very valuable and only costs $10-$15. It is a pizza screen that ou can pick up in most restaurant supply stores. I just spray it with a baking spray and one I have my dough ready to go, I just lay it on the screen and shape it to a perfect circle. When finished it comes right off and gives the crunch a nice crunch.
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I don’t have instant yeast…. will regular yeast work and if so, is there anything special I need to do to make it “instant yeast”? Thanks!
You may use active dry yeast, just remember to proof it. Frank from KAF.
March 23rd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I use a similar recipe in my bread machine but we like a very thin crust. I throw my crust to get it as thin as possible then use a Lodge cat iron pizza pans. I think the pan makes it so I get as good of results as if my oven did go up high enough in temp. I bake mine at 425º and get a super crisp crust.
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I make pizza nearly every Friday night. It’s great, we know what to expect, it’s easy, and we sometimes use up leftovers (veggies, cold cuts, etc.). My favorite dough is the first pizza crust recipe in the Whole Wheat Baking book (I don’t have the name right now). I love it and it’s great because you make it the night before and it’s ready when you are. The problem is that it makes 2 pizzas, and I always make 2, but we only eat 1. I can’t find a good way to store the second pizza. Do you know of anything on the market that would serve the purpose? What I have in mind is a round plastic container that isn’t very deep.
Thanks for this great blog!
How about a Pie Keeper: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/stay-fresh-pie-keeper
or a Crust Bag: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/pie-crust-bag
Frank from KAF.
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Frank, you are a genius! The pie crust bag could not be perfect-er!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I’m so happy to see this recipe on the blog–I’ve made it a few times from the cookbook, but the dough always came out so very sticky that it was hard to handle. (Tasty, but messy-hard to handle.) The tip about using less water if not using semolina will be handy (perhaps I’ve had too much water in my dough–when recipes call for “10 to 12 ounces of water” I’m never sure how to decide how much is enough when I”m using my stand mixer). These photos will be very handy for my next attempt. Thanks.
March 24th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Just my two cents worth even though this isn’t about your yummy crusts–my kids adore pepperoni (the turkey pepperoni isn’t as greasy but not as good as the fatty stuff), and well, I while I hate the grease from pepperoni too, I especially hate seeing my kids using tons of napkins/paper towels trying to soak it all up right out of the oven before they’ll eat their pizza…Solution: lay the pepperoni in layers on paper towels and micro it about 30 seconds to a minute to de-grease it. Voila, then when you then bake your pizza topped with pepperoni, it won’t be swimming with little grease puddles all over it! We adore the pizza dough flavor in our crusts–well worth the price, and well, ok it is pretty darn tasty in the garlic knot twists too!!! Love this blog–you all do fantastic work!
March 24th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Add pizza crust to your gluten-free mixes wish-list…not everyone who is GF is looking for organic, dairy free, or “healthy” some of us would just like “tastes almost like normal”!!
March 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I just made this last night, and it was great! I made the first one for my kids at 5, and then my husband and I actually got to have a hot pizza (with goat cheese) later on that night. Thanks!!
March 24th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Frank,
Elizabeth is right, you are a genius! I’m going to buy one right away. I think I need both actually. There’s nothing like proper storage solutions.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Whoa, so THAT’S the secret! It’s the semolina!
I’ve been making bread and pizza dough (same thing, really, I thought) for years and it never came out as well as it did tonight. Now, I didn’t start that far ahead as it was a last hours-ish decision for dinner, so I made the dough in the bread machine (and so added more yeast, I’ve learned my lesson from the no-knead-long-rise-little-yeast concept), and damn if it wasn’t the best pizza dough I’ve ever made. It was exceptionally crispy and tasty and just all around excellent. What a revelation! It’s the semolina, people!
I feel like I should have a Soylent Green joke here somewhere.
You GO, Pegg… Isn’t it exciting when you make a discovery like this?? thanks for sharing - PJH
March 24th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
You have mixes for frosting, and mixes for cakes. Why not a pizza mix? I use to buy boxed pizza mix in the store if other companys make a mix. How about KA making a pizza mix.
A quick pizza sauce if you don’t mind is a can of tomato sauce and tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Mixed all together.
Thanks for the sauce recipe, Kimberly. Try our Classic Pizza Crust Mix. And our Semolina Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Mix. YUM. PJH
March 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
This dough looks so good, I can’t wait to try it. I am a huge fan of making pizza at home, it’s just so much better! I do have a question unrelated to the flour though, in the past I have tried to use real fresh mozzarella on pizza. Everytime I do though when it gets done cooking it is very “watery”, is there any way to keep it from doing this? Thanks so much!
Cam, I’ve never tried fresh mozzarella, but know it’s stored in water. Perhaps you could try pre-baking it at a low temperature, to dry it out? Or just laying very thin uncooked slices atop the baked pizza, and letting the pizza’s heat soften them a bit? PJH
March 29th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
PJ, nice to see that you’re a “cover girl.” Great photo! I picked up the magazine to read it and told my husband “I know that woman from somewhere!” I think it says a lot about your warm relationship with us, ‘your” bakers, that I felt I knew you, even though we’ve never met in person. Baking question — I’m making sandwich bread today, using the Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread recipe. One of the ingredients is Lora Brody’s Dough Enhancer. I notice you no longer sell this. What exactly is (was) it, a bit of extra gluten? I am going on a hunch and using Bread Flour instead of the AP called for, in the hopes that this will fix whatever the LB stuff was supposed to. Anyway, it will taste great as it’s kind of hard to make “bad” bread.
Thanks, Candace - You must be in the DHMC vicinity, then? LB dough enhancer was gluten, dry milk, and…. I think ascorbic acid? You could definitely throw some gluten in there if you like. And I AGREE - it’s hard to make “bad bread,” in the global sense, because even if you don’t like it the birds will. Have fun - I’m making cream of tomato soup on this rainy, cold, Mud Season day. PJH
March 29th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
We made pizza on Friday and it was great despite no semolina and no pizza flavor. I’ll try them some day for even better crust but we were very happy with what we got. The only thing is we ate all of it. Can I double this recipe? It would be easier to be able to make enough crust for four pizzas at one go, if that will work.
Thanks for getting me to use my dough hook! I’ve had the mixer for something like 10 years and I don’t think it had ever been used before. I’m off to a good start, so who knows what will come next.
Great, Lesley - glad you finally got to use that dough hook! Of course, go ahead and double the recipe - but only increase the yeast to 1 1/2 teaspoons, OK? Usually you don’t double the yeast when you double everything else. Have fun - PJH
March 30th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Will this parbaking technique work with other pizza crust recipes? This is a GREAT idea that would make pizza on a weeknight actually possible for me. But I’m trying to do a lot more with whole grains, and was excited to try the crust recipes in my KA Whole Grain Baking Book. Will try it with this one first.
Yes, Carrie, it should work with any pizza crust… Have fun! PJH
March 30th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
The best thing about this recipe is that you can be creative about the toppings. My favorite topping is roasted bell peppers, cooked spinach, garlic tomatoes, Roma tomato sauce, Romano and Gouda cheese.
Love the spinach - I’ve never tried spinach on pizza. I’ll have to give it a go - thanks! PJH
March 31st, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Great article on pizza making. One piece of equipment that I recommend is a Super Peel. They’re made by a father - daughter team in Albany and sold direct.
Check the video on the website, and they work exactly as depicted for picking up a pizza laden with toppings and putting it directly on the stove. I’ve given a few as gifts to fellow pizza makers, and they mention that it is “night and day” different in getting the pizza onto the stone.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:29 am
@Cam - Re: fresh mozzarella
I always use fresh mozzarella for pizza (try it the flavour is soo much better!!). Here in Europe it comes in a little bag in water - first I drain out the water. Then take 2 pieces of paper towel to make a double layer, fold it all around the mozzarella and squeeze as hard as you can without making the cheese come apart.
Then just remove the paper towel and slice the mozzarella thinly. No need to pre-cook it, I find that it’s dry enough this way to go on a pizza or be eaten with some ripe tomatoes…
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I’ve spent years trying different recipes and methods for pizza crust. I haven’t found a really bad one nor one I’d call a favorite. I like them all so I’ll definitely try yours. The sauce is a different matter. I’m very particular about the sauce on pizza. I had an Italian girlfriend, growing up, and her mother used hand-crushed, fresh tomatoes without spices - too bland for my taste. My daughter spent a whole summer living with a family in Southern Italy as an exchange student. She came back with all kinds of ideas including the one about fresh mozzarella. Your blogger who mentioned it is right. It has a whole different flavor that I never knew existed and it tastes great on pizza! We Americans have been missing out. My daughter now works in a restaurant that has pizza on its menu (although it’s not an Italian restaurant) and she gets to try out all her ideas on the customers with “special” pizzas. I still get to make the pizza at home though and I have a simple recipe for the sauce that I found most people like. I take a can of tomato paste and add ¾ of a can of hot water, 2 Tbls. virgin olive oil, 1-2 tsp. K.A. pizza seasoning (I used to use Italian seasoning until I found your pizza seasoning - it has a better “punch”), and 1½ tsp. sugar. I whisk it all together in a small bowl and cover it. I leave it on the counter until I need it. The heat from the room helps the flavors blend so I usually mix it up while I’m letting the dough rise. It ends up being fairly thick so it doesn’t get diluted by the moisture in the topping you use. We use a lot of topping and I hate when the sauce is watery. Depending on how much you like, you can spread it thick or thin on the dough. I also like when just some of the sauce ends up on the crust and it bakes on. Just one of my many quirks I guess.
April 10th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
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April 11th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I made it today and it is the best PIZZA I ever eat in my life.
September 26th, 2009 at 7:48 am
I just made pizza with this recipe, and yes, this is maybe most authentic pizza what I ever managed to create in home kitchen. This recipe requires some time, but it is really worth of it. In future this is the recipe, wich will be my number one for pizza. Thanks!