'Domestic Daddy' Gives Us a Pizza Lesson
Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Christopher Nordquist of Domestic Daddy makes the case for baking pizza at home.
Photo: Essdras M. Suarez/Getty
Delivery is handy, but there’s nothing better than tucking into a pizza fresh from the oven, waiting to devour it only long enough to avoid burning your mouth. Fortunately, with just a little practice, making pizza at home is quick and simple. And it’s fun, too, whether you’re entertaining families, kids, or a bunch of hungry adults.
Below, find videos for classic, crowd-pleasing margherita pizza (crust in the second video), which is topped with nothing more than the simplest tomato sauce and a bit of fresh mozzarella and basil. The keys to success, I think, are a very hot oven and a light hand with the toppings.
And below, you’ll also find two crust recipes. Pick your favorite!
Whole Wheat Crust
Adapted from Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells
Makes two 10-inch pizzas
3/4 cup (180ml) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (180ml) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed and for dusting
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
3/4 tsp. table salt or fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) lukewarm (about 100F or 38C) tap water
2 tsp. olive oil
Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse to combine.
Combine the warm water and oil and then, with the motor running, gradually pour the liquid into the food processor until the mixture forms a sticky ball. (This should just take a few seconds.) If the mixture is too dry and won’t come together, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons water. If it’s extremely wet and sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour.
Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface and knead for about a minute. Form into a ball.
Cover with a cloth and let rise for at least 10 minutes.
Divide in half and roll out or stretch on a lightly floured surface to a diameter of about 10 inches (25cm). The crust will be thin–about 1/4 inch (5mm)–but it handles easily.
Transfer to a pizza peel or cutting board generously dusted with cornmeal before proceeding. Top as desired and bake in a very hot oven–500F (260C).
Traditional Neapolitan-Style Crust
Adapted from A16: Food + Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelly Lindgren
Makes 4 10-inch (25cm) pizzas
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups (355ml) warm water (about 100F or 38C)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
4 cups (945ml) all-purpose flour
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes, or until you have a soft, frothy paste on top of the water. Stir in the olive oil and salt.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour and yeast mixture and mix together on low speed for about 2 minutes. Then knead the dough on low speed for about 10 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and looks smooth.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes. Then return it to the mixer and knead it on low speed for another 10 minutes until the dough is very smooth and soft.
Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to this bowl and turn it so that it’s completely covered in a film of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, punch down the dough, then fold over the sides and turn the dough over in the bowl. Return to the fridge for at least 24 more hours.
About two hours before you’re ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the fridge and cut into four pieces. (You can also just cut off what you need and return the rest to the fridge. The dough will keep for at least a week.) One at a time, cup each piece in your hands and turn over the sides until you have formed a smooth ball. Place the balls on a floured work surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let them rest for 90 minutes to two hours, or until they have doubled in volume. (If a skin starts to form on the dough, dampen it again—a skin will prevent it from rising properly.)
Pat the dough into a disk and then stretch it into a round 10-12 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Place on a cutting board or pizza peel generously dusted with cornmeal before proceeding. Top as desired and bake in a very hot oven, about 500 F (260C).
More pizza stories:
What pizza looks like around the world
Pizza mistakes you don’t want to make
Do you make pizza at home? Tell us about it below!
