The Search for the Perfect Pizza!

We love pizza! We always have and we always will. This has led us into the quest to develop the perfect pizza - a pizza with rich, complex flavors, a crisp texture, and yes, one that is sublimely healthy - a melage of vegetables, a little bacon and cheese for flavor, and a crust that satisfies the craving for the carb. Over a period of seven months, trials by pizza stone, and a hours of research, B and I have been working on this recipe. We believe that we have created, perhaps not the perfect pizza, but rather one damn good runner-up. For those of you that love Chicago-style pizza, you can stop reading this post. This pizza will not even be in the running. This pizza is crisp and thin - it is a great meal with a big salad and it is always a hit as an appetizer. While each person has his or her preference on toppings, I will describe our favorite, which again is based on trials and combinations to create the perfect flavor.

A few technical words. I (C) have been baking for a long time. In my research, most bakers swear that great bread should be weighed - not measured. This cannot be more true! Ultimately, great baking is about the ratio of liquids to solids. It really makes a difference. Thus, the recipe below preferably should be weighed. However, I do include the measurements as well. I strongly encourage any serious Foodie to invest in a scale - Salter makes great scales for around $50.

The Crust

We believe the crust is the most critical aspect of a good pizza. It should be thin and crisp - a feat that seems to be easy. However, we quickly learned that this is much harder than one would think. We finally found the perfect recipe in The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I (C - I am the designated pastry chef) follow the measurements but I don't follow her directions. So here it goes:

678 g flour [3 cups] (preferably artisan flour)
3 teaspoons instant yeast
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar
474 g [2 cups] warm water

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the water. With a fork or your hands, work the dough. The dough will appear a bit dry - this is normal. Drizzle olive oil over the dough to coat the dough (the recipe calls 14 teaspoons - yikes!) - I doubt that I put more than a tablespoon. Cover and let rise at room temperature for one to six hours (longer is better).

The secret to thin, crisp crust is the pre-bake (B found this at www.pizzamaking.com - a valuable resource). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide the dough into four pieces (this will make four 12-inch crusts). Roll out each piece into a 12-inch disk - this takes time and patience but you can get it that thin (and yes - I haven't mastered tossing my dough). Transfer the dough to a 12-inch round pan. I found that misting the edge of the pan with water allows me to keep the dough from losing its shape in the pan. Poke the entire shell with a fork. Bake for 3 minutes (Do not bake it more - it will dry out your crust). These can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.

The Sauce

The dirty little secret: Chef Boyardee. Don't laugh - B brought it home one day and I said to her, "OK - I love Chef Boyardee, but it isn't really gourmet." Chef Boyardee was a childhood favorite and a comfort food. But really, it is cheap! B responded, "It was the only one without sugar. I looked at every label on every can - they all have 'high frutose corn syrup.' I loathe sweet pizza sauce!" We both loathe sweet sauce, the worst thing you can do to a pizza in our mutal opinion.

The Cheeses

Cheese is another critical component. We use a combination of Kraft parmesan cheese (the cheap, mealy, crumbly stuff) and Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio. This provides a rich, complex flavor. If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, I guess mozzarella will do . . .

The Toppings

Mushrooms
Red pepper
Green pepper
Bacon (AKA "the food of the gods")
Onions
Banana peppers rings (see above - we take banana pepper rings seriously*)
Crushed red pepper
Basil

* If you are serious about your banana peppers rings, Sam's Food Club has one gallon jars for about $5.00 - If you hate Walmart, try COSTCO (We're sorry - we don't have a COSTCO yet)

The Assembly

Place one of the pre-baked shells on a pizza paddle. Spread the sauce on the shell. Next, put the diced mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, and bacon on the shell. Lightly sprinkle the pizza with parmesan (see below). Add a layer of Quattro Formaggio. Finally, add the onions, banana peppers, crushed red pepper, and basil.

Place the rack on the upper third of the oven. Bake pizza at 400 degrees for 20 minutes directly on the rack. Enjoy the sin of gluttony without the guilt!

We cringe every time we see the ad for the "unnamed gas station" featuring their signature pizza-on-the-go - a disgusting, gloppy inch-thick layer of congealed cheese with some pepperoni wads interspersed across the slice - YUCK!! I (C) used to love take-out pizza (especially Papa John's). Now, I won't touch it (sorry Papa John) - we are spoiled (and thinner).

What do the critics say? As mentioned above, it has been a great hit at our dinner parties. We usually serve it as an appetizer. At our recent party, a friend was so taken by the crust - I sent him home with two (the gay boy can't bake!) pre-bake shells. Another friend who was here today said, "the crust is so thin, I can't believe it holds up." Numerous people have requested the recipe - so here it is. We hope that you enjoy it!

P.S. As I mentioned above, we still think it isn't the "perfect pizza," we anticipate building a pizza/bread wood-fire oven within the next year.