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Stone Makes Big Difference In Quality Of A Good Pizza

Nick Malgieri Los Angeles Times Service

Why do dads like to barbecue? Does it come from some primal urge to return to their prehistoric roots as the hunter and food provider?

Maybe. It certainly motivated me to celebrate a few Father’s Days with gifts of charcoal, followed up with gas grills.

But this year I’m giving my dad a different gift that’s fit for a baker: a pizza stone.

Hey, why not try something a little different? Maybe I’m doing this because my dad does a little less outdoor grilling nowadays, but it’s also because a great pizza is easy - and fun - to make.

For a good pizza, all you need is dough and toppings. Along with a basic dough recipe, I’ve included some suggestions for easy toppings, both traditional and innovative types.

Pizza stones are now widely available in kitchenware and department stores. Using a stone makes all the difference in the quality of your pizza. The stone simulates the inside of a professional pizza oven right in your own (or dad’s) home.

In a pizza oven, the bottom of the crust rests directly on the hearth, which eliminates any possibility of an underdone bottom and ensures even crispness. You can’t ask for anything better than that.

The pizza stone, which is really a large ceramic tile, should be placed on the bottom rack of the oven and allowed to heat for 30 to 60 minutes before the pizza is baked. In some ovens, the bottom rack will make the stone too hot; experiment with a couple of crusts before deciding which rack you want to place the stone on.

If you are using a pizza stone, sprinkle cornmeal or semolina on a piece of stiff cardboard or a wooden peel (a flat, thin wooden shovel made especially for loading pizza into the oven). Instead of putting the dough in a pan, place the formed crust on the cardboard or peel and allow it to rise or not, according to recipe directions. Add toppings.

Poise the cardboard or peel over the stone. Then, with a sharp, deft backward pull, slide the pizza onto the stone. The cornmeal or semolina will provide the traction to make this easy. The heat retained by the stone accelerates the baking process, so begin checking the pizza for doneness after about 15 minutes.

By the way, for best results, just provide your dad with the pizza stone and recipe. Don’t get into the kitchen with him to make the pizzas - not unless your dad taught you to drive without losing his temper even once.

Pizza Dough

Use this dough for a thin-crusted pizzeriastyle pizza. If you double the recipe, do not double the quantity of yeast.

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for crust

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups warm (110-degree) tap water

1 envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 (12- or 14-inch) round pizza pans (not necessary if you are using a pizza stone)

Place flour and salt in 2-quart mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Make well in center.

Measure water and pour into small bowl. Sprinkle yeast on surface and allow to soften 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk together yeast and water, then whisk in 2 tablespoons oil. Pour mixture into well in flour and stir with rubber spatula to form soft, sticky dough

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Gently knead dough, folding it over on itself, and scraping it off surface with spatula or plastic scraper if very sticky. Avoid adding more flour; that will produce a tough pizza. Knead until dough is smooth and no longer so sticky - about 5 minutes.

Rinse and dry bowl. Coat inside of bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Form dough into a ball and place in bowl. Turn ball upside down, so the top surface is oiled. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk - about 1 hour. (For advance preparation, cover and refrigerate dough several hours or even overnight.)

To form pizza crusts, generously flour work surface. Flour hands and scrape dough from bowl in one piece, without stretching or folding it, onto work surface so that what was on top in bowl is now underneath. Cut dough into 2 equal portions.

Scatter about 1 tablespoon flour over each piece of dough. Press down on it with palm of hand, being careful to keep an even, round shape. If dough is freshly made and resists slightly, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest about 5 minutes, then continue. If dough has rested a long time, either in refrigerator or at room temperature, it will respond easily.

Form your right hand into a fist and begin to press dough in a circle, about 1/2-inch in from edge, with middle joints of fingers (as though knocking on a door). Pull gently with other hand on edge of dough, opposite where it is being pressed. Continue around the crust 2 or 3 times in this manner to flatten and widen it.

Spread 2 tablespoons olive oil onto a 12-inch round pizza pan. Fold crust in half and transfer to pan. Unfold dough and press it into place with palms of both hands, gently stretching from center outward. If dough resists, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest about 5 minutes, then resume process. When properly stretched, dough should be about 1/8-inch thick and have a 1/2-inch-wide border that is slightly thicker. Repeat with second piece of dough.

Set racks at lowest and highest levels of oven. Preheat to 450 degrees. Top pizzas with any of the following topping suggestions.

If using a stone, follow directions discussed above. If not using a stone, bake pizzas, one on bottom rack and the other on higher rack, about 20 minutes. Then reverse positions and move pizza from bottom rack to top and vice versa. When done, pizza top should be sizzling gently and bottom should be dark brown.

To serve, cut pizza into wedges with pizza wheel or serrated knife and serve immediately. If pizza has to wait, crust may become soggy, and reheating may make it hard rather than crisp. Be sure that the oven has preheated sufficiently before baking pizza; a pizza with an underdone crust is very unappetizing.

Yield: 2 round pizza crusts, 12 to 14 inches in diameter.

Toppings: Immediately before baking the pizza, place any of these toppings on the dough in the order below. Each suggestion is enough for 2 pizzas. If you wish to make 2 different pizzas, halve the ingredients.

Classic Pizza Napoletana

2 cups chopped, well-drained canned tomatoes

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

Pizza Margherita: This pizza echoes the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). It is perfect in summer when fresh tomatoes and basil are in season.

You will need about 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, either round or plum. Plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and peel them. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out seeds, then chop and drain pulp to make about 2 cups. Spread tomatoes over crust. Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil on top, then 1/4 cup oil. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Pizza Nuda: This is really a focaccia, but it is made with the crust for Pizza Napoletana. Bake pizza crust with drizzle of oil and sprinkling of coarse salt. The result will be thin and delicate, somewhat like a flour tortilla in flavor and texture.

Alternative toppings: Though I am partial to a typically Italian tomato and mozzarella pizza topping, there are many alternatives. The following should inspire you to create your own favorite pizzas, either the thick- or thin-crusted variety. Remember though, too much of any topping makes for a wet and soggy pizza no matter how long it is baked. Each of these toppings is for 2 pizzas.

Variation one: Two cups coarsely shredded assorted cheeses, such as fontina, Gruyere, Gorgonzola or Roquefort (crumbled) and Parmesan or goat (crumbled) cheese, plus a drizzle of 1/4 cup olive oil.

Variation two: Two cups roasted peppers, cut into thin strips, plus a drizzle of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 thinly sliced clove garlic and 2 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

Nick Malgieri is a cooking school instructor in New York City and author of “Perfect Pastry” (Macmillan.)

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Use the barbecue to make pizza Just because you’re making pizza doesn’t mean you have to abandon the barbecue. Grilled pizza is one of the most popular items at Al Forno, Johanne Killeen and George Germon’s charming restaurant in Providence, R.I. In their book, “Cucina Simpatica” (HarperCollins, 1991), they give detailed instructions for preparing pizza, using a partially baked pizza crust, on a covered charcoal or gas grill. To grill a thick- or thin-crusted pizza, allow dough to rise in pan. Bake it on middle rack of preheated 450-degree oven - without the toppings - about 10 minutes, or until dough is set and no longer sticky. Brush oil on surface of dough and immediately turn it out of the pan onto preheated grill. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until well-colored. Turn dough back over on grill and quickly place toppings on already-grilled side. Cover with lid of grill or a foil tent and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Use the barbecue to make pizza Just because you’re making pizza doesn’t mean you have to abandon the barbecue. Grilled pizza is one of the most popular items at Al Forno, Johanne Killeen and George Germon’s charming restaurant in Providence, R.I. In their book, “Cucina Simpatica” (HarperCollins, 1991), they give detailed instructions for preparing pizza, using a partially baked pizza crust, on a covered charcoal or gas grill. To grill a thick- or thin-crusted pizza, allow dough to rise in pan. Bake it on middle rack of preheated 450-degree oven - without the toppings - about 10 minutes, or until dough is set and no longer sticky. Brush oil on surface of dough and immediately turn it out of the pan onto preheated grill. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until well-colored. Turn dough back over on grill and quickly place toppings on already-grilled side. Cover with lid of grill or a foil tent and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve immediately.