A PIZZA PARTY!
by Sara Hauman and Jordan Mackay
We’re settling the debate once and for all: The world is both round and flat. After all, who could argue that pizza isn’t the ultimate global food? As much as we eat pizza, pizza also eats us. No other food is made around the world every day in the hundreds of millions of units. No other food can assimilate every diet, cuisine, and taste. There’s artisanal pizza and trash pizza. Breakfast pizza. Salad pizza. Vegan pizza. Pizza with pineapple and Canadian bacon. As legendary baker Peter Reinhart writes in his book Pizza Quest, “There’s only two kinds of pizza: good and very good.”
What makes pizza so great? Let’s count the ways. You can eat it hot or cold and for breakfast to nurse a hangover. You eat it with your hands. It’s portable and deliverable, sold whole or by the slice. It’s simple food, yet an umami bomb with explosive flavors and complex textures. And it’s always in season and goes with all occasions — high, low, and everything in between.
Whether pizza’s antecedents came from Greece, Persia, or China doesn’t matter: Pizza is from Italy, which was then kind enough to give the gift of pizza to the rest of the world. Yet there’s no “Italian” style of pizza, just different renderings from different regions. Chef Sara honors this by introducing three separate doughs to make the three iconic pizza styles from the motherland. First is the classic Neapolitan pizza, characterized by its round shape, pillowy crust, and floppy structure — a beautiful platform to show off tomato and mozzarella, the hallmarks of Naples' home region of Campania. Next up is Pizza alla Pala — paddle pizza — known as the style of Rome, where it’s also called Pizza al Taglio. It’s often served by the piece, which is weighed and reheated in an oven. The dough here is higher hydration and, therefore, is a little fluffier than the Napolitano style. Last, Sicilian style pie, built in a square pan, bready and higher-rising — up to an inch in height! Don’t be afraid to put anchovies on a Sicilian pie — that’s how you often find them on the island. And if you’ve got some dough left over from your pizza party, Chef Sara has the answer with the deep-fried goodness of strawberry-mascarpone zeppole.
Even Italians love to drink beer with pizza — especially in the north — but, let’s face it, the combination of beer and pizza feels bread heavy. You can’t go wrong by lubricating your pie with the fruit of the vine. Lots of people love the juicy, high-acid reds so common in Italy with tomato-forward pizzas — think Sangiovese, Barbera, and Frapatto. But don’t forget about white wines, which may go better with all pizzas. The acid in white wines cuts right through the richest of cheeses and balances out the zingiest of tomato sauces. No matter whether your toppings include basil, garlic, anchovies, mushrooms, or pepperoni (or, as some Americans might have it, all of the above), white wine will be a perfect foil. Keep it light and Italian with Greco, Verdicchio, or Vermentino. A zippy Massican like Annia, Gemina, or Sauvignon Blanc will do the trick just as well.
And remember: Pizza is a synonym for happiness, so never overthink it. Just say yes.
OUR PIZZA PARTY MENU
You can download all the recipes as a PDF by clicking the button below.
Dough 1: PIZZA NAPOLITANA
Dough 2: PIZZA ALLA PALA (ROME)
Dough 3: SICILIAN
Dessert: STRAWBERRY STUFFED ZEPPOLE
PIZZA NAPOLITANA
Makes enough for two 8” pizzas
Kitchen tools needed for this chapter:
· Stand mixer
· Pizza stone (for the oven)
· Pizza peel (or paddle to transfer the pizza in and out of the oven)
Dough ingredients:
· 1 ½ cup 00 flour, plus more for dusting
· ⅛ tsp. dry yeast
· ½ tsp. salt
· ½ tsp. olive oil
· ½ plus ⅛ cup warm water
· Durum wheat semolina, for dusting
Topping suggestions:
· Red sauce
· Fresh mozzarella, sliced and grated
· Fresh Basil, torn into pieces
· Good olive oil
· Chili flakes
· Sea salt
Dough preparation:
1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl.
2. Combine the water and olive oil and then pour over the dry ingredients.
3. Mix the dough until all the flour is incorporated, then let sit uncovered for 15-20 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
4. Knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Let the dough sit on the counter overnight.
7. The next day, place the dough in the refrigerator for 48 hours and up to 96 hours.
Preparing the pizza:
8. A few hours before you are ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator.
9. Allow the dough to acclimate to room temperature, about 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove the dough from the bowl, divide evenly into two pieces and then roll each piece into a tight and smooth dough ball.
11. Place the dough ball onto a baking tray dusted with semolina and then place a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the top and let it stand in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
12. Preheat your oven to 550F with a pizza stone situated on the middle rack.
13. Once heated, let the oven continue to heat at temperature for another 20-30 minutes.
14. Liberally dust your pizza peel with semolina.
15. Dust your work surface with a little 00 flour and gently stretch the dough into a circle using your hands.
16. Work from the center to the edge, ensuring to keep the edge thicker than the center.
17. Once the dough is fully formed, place it onto the dusted pizza peel.
18. Add your favorite toppings to your dough then transfer the pizza using the peel to the hot stone in the oven.
19. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the bottom of the pizza is crispy and browned.
20. Turn your broiler to high and then brown the top of the pizza as desired.
21. Remove the pizza using the clean side of the pizza peel.
22. Let your pie cool for a minute, slice, and then serve.
PIZZA ALLA PALA (PADDLE)
Makes enough for two 8-10” rectangular pizzas
Pizza alla pala dough is generally wetter than your average pizza dough and can be a little tricky to work with. Work quickly with this dough using as much semolina as needed to minimize stickiness, and don’t worry about perfection.
Dough ingredients:
· 1 ½ cups 00 flour
· ¼ cup durum wheat semolina, plus more for dusting
· 1 tsp. salt
· ⅛ tsp. dry yeast
· 1 tsp. olive oil
· 1 cup warm water
Topping suggestions:
· Red sauce
· Green olives
· Spicy sausage or pepperoni
· Fresh Mozzarella, grated
· Burrata, add after baking
· Sliced prosciutto, add after baking
· Basil, add after baking
Dough preparation:
1. Combine the flour, semolina, salt, and yeast together in a boil.
2. Combine the water and olive oil and then pour over the flour mixture.
3. Bring the mixture together with your hands until you form a shaggy, sticky dough ball with no dry flour pockets.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit on your counter overnight.
5. The next day, place your dough into the refrigerator and let it ferment for at least 48 hours and up to 96 hours.
Preparing the pizza:
6. A few hours before you are ready to make the pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator.
7. Allow the dough to acclimate to room temperature, about 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl, divide evenly into two pieces, and then roll each piece into a tight and smooth dough ball.
9. Place the dough onto a baking tray dusted with semolina and then place a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the top and let it stand in a warm place for 1-2 hours.
10. Preheat your oven to 550F with a pizza stone situated on the middle rack. Once heated, let the oven continue to heat at temperature for another 20-30 minutes.
11. Liberally dust your pizza peel with semolina.
12. Gently stretch the dough balls with your fingers into a rectangular shape and place onto the dusted pizza peel.
13. Top your pizza, leaving about ⅛ - ¼” from the edges free of toppings.
14. Gently slide the pizza alla pala from the pizza peel and onto the hot pizza stone in the oven.
15. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the bottom of the pizza is nicely browned.
16. Turn your broiler to high and then brown the top of the pizza as desired.
17. Remove the pizza using the clean side of the pizza peel.
18. Add the burrata, prosciutto, and basil, slice, and serve!
SICILIAN STYLE
Makes 1 baking sheet, 13” x 18” x 1”
Dough ingredients:
· 1 tsp. sugar
· 1 tsp. yeast
· 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus ¼ cup
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· 1 cup bread flour
· 1 tsp. salt
· ¾ cup warm water
Topping suggestions:
· Red sauce
· Broccoli, roasted and chopped
· Spicy sausage or pepperoni
· Fresh mozzarella, grated
· Fresh mozzarella, sliced
· Parmesan
· Marinated red peppers
Dough preparation:
1. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.
2. Add the tablespoon of olive oil.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt.
4. Pour the water mixture into the flour and bring together.
5. Knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes.
6. Roll the dough into a tight ball.
7. Pour the ¼ cup olive oil onto the baking sheet and evenly distribute it.
8. Place the dough ball on top and using some of the oil from the baking sheet, grease the top of the dough ball.
9. Place a piece of loose-fitting plastic wrap over the top of the dough and let proof in a warm place for about 4 hours or until doubled in size.
Preparing the pizza:
10. Preheat your oven to 550F.
11. Once the dough is proofed, remove the plastic film, and gently stretch the dough using greased fingertips to the outer edges of the baking sheet, making sure to work from the center outwards.
12. Place another piece of plastic wrap loosely over the top and let the dough rise again for 20 minutes.
13. Add your toppings of choice, then bake for 13-15 minutes.
14. Turn your broiler to high and then brown the top of the pizza as desired.
15. Remove the Sicilian-style pizza from the oven and cool in the baking tray on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes.
16. Slice and then serve.
17. Alternatively, you can pre-bake your Sicilian pie for 8-10 minutes, remove from the oven, add your toppings, and then return to the oven for another 5-6 minutes. This will yield a sauce with a more vibrant red color.
STRAWBERRY STUFFED ZEPPOLE
The Pizza Napolitana dough recipe will yield about 16 zeppole
Ingredients:
· Pizza Napolitana dough
· 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled, and diced small
· 2 Tbsp sugar
· 2 Tbsp dry white wine
· 1 cup ricotta cheese
· 1 cup mascarpone cheese
· A few basil leaves, chopped
· Oil for frying
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Preparation:
1. Add the diced strawberries to a hot sauté pan.
2. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and let cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the white wine and continue to cook until most of the liquid evaporates, and the strawberries are soft.
4. Take your strawberry mixture off the stove and cool.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta and mascarpone cheese.
6. Add in the cooled strawberries and basil and mix to combine.
7. Roll your pizza dough into golf ball-sized spheres and let rest for 5-10 minutes so the dough is easier to work with.
8. Flatten the dough using your hands or a rolling pin until it reaches a diameter of about 3 inches.
9. Place a teaspoon of the strawberry filling in the center of the flattened dough.
10. Gently gather the edges of the dough together and ensure the filling is sealed in the center.
11. Give the zeppole a gentle roll between your palms to maintain its round shape.
12. In a tall, heavy-bottomed pot, add 2” of fryer oil.
13. Heat the oil to 350F and fry your stuffed zeppoles until golden brown, flipping them and spooning hot oil over them as needed to achieve this browning.
14. In a bowl, gently incorporate the cinnamon into the sugar.
15. Remove the zeppoles from the oil and allow any loose oil to drip off.
16. Toss the hot, fried zeppole in the cinnamon sugar and serve.