As a parent, there are moments in your life when you realize that your child has surpassed you in some way. These moments can occur even when children are very young, and they’re a humbling part of life. For example, your eight-year old might blow you away by explaining the engineering behind the Golden-Gate Bridge, and you’ll get a glimpse of her brilliant gifts. I always love those instances because I want to leave the world better than I found it. This is one way that we progress as a species, and I’m grateful that my children are smarter than I am.
My son, Richard, and his wife, Lindsey, have certainly surpassed me at pizza making. Richard loves pizza, and I used to make it for him when he was little. However, he’s taken it to a whole new level. He’s an artist. His pizza crust is light, crispy, and perfect! … And the sauce … mmmm … the sauce can stand alone. You might be tempted to eat it like soup. It’s rich, hearty, savory, and you could serve it with any pasta. So I asked them to show me how to make it for my blog, and they graciously complied.
Humans have unlimited potential, and I’m grateful that my children help me stretch mine a little bit. Getting to eat the pizza was just a bonus!
Start by making the sauce. You can do this first thing in the morning or a few days before you’ll be making the pizza. The sauce needs time to simmer (ideally 2 hours), and time to cool to room temperature.
Saute chopped onion, celery, and carrots with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 3-quart sauce pan. over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
Add minced garlic, and cook another 2 minutes.
Pulse stewed tomato in blender to crush, but not completely puree. (You want it a little bit chunky.)
Add stewed tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to sauteed vegetables. Stir to combine.
Stir in butter, remaining olive oil, and tomato paste, and bring sauce to a boil.
Reduce heat to just maintain simmer, and allow sauce to cook for at least 30 minutes, but preferably 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
After 2 hours of simmering, the sauce will be thick, delicious, and beautiful. Remove from heat, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Now, for the crust.
In mixing bowl, combine bread flour, sugar, and yeast, and whisk together.
Add water and olive oil then mix to combine. The dough will look dry, but don’t worry.
Add salt, and knead for 10-15 minutes.
The dough will be soft and stretchy.
With your hands, form it into a smooth ball.
Oil a large bowl, (about 1 teaspoon olive oil) and roll the ball around to coat all sides. Cover with a clean, dry, dish towel, and let rise until double. (about 1 hour)
Cut the risen dough into 3 equal parts. We weigh it, then divide by 3 and weigh each portion to be exact. You could estimate.
Take each third, and form it into another ball, tucking any loose chunks of dough into the center of the underside. Keeping the top side smooth, form the bottom into a point to create a pear shape.
The finished ball should look like a teardrop with hardly any visible seams. You’ve completely enclosed them into the dough.
Smash the point of the dough onto a clean surface, and repeat with all three balls. Then cover them with the towel, and let them rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly dust a pizza peel with corn meal. This will allow the pizza to slide on and off.
Place a large pizza stone on a rack situated about 5 inches from the oven floor. Preheat oven to 550 degrees F. (or if your oven won’t go that high, as hot as it goes).
The dough will continue to rise as it rests.
This is what the (formerly) pointy-sided bottom should look like after 15 minutes. Perfect!
Lay it bottom side up on a surface which has been lightly sprinkled with corn meal.
With your fingertips, form a little edge around the perimeter of the ball.
Make it as uniform as you can.
Use your palms to flatten the dough as your fingers push the circle out. Rotate it as you stretch it a little bit at a time.
… a little larger …
… just right! This circle should be between 10-12 inches in diameter.
Hold the crust in the open palm of one hand, and toss it over the opposite forearm, rotating the circle at you “slap” it back and forth. Be careful not to puncture or tear the dough.
Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the circle is 12-14 inches in diameter.
Lay the circle on the prepared pizza peel.
Spread about 3/4 cup of sauce on the crust.
Add desired toppings.
For a Margherita pizza use fresh mozzarella and basil.
Shaking the peel forward and back, slide the pizza onto the stone in the hot oven. Bake 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden.
Margherita pizza
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- 2 tablespoons carrot, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 28 ounce can San Marzano style whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dry basil
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 560 grams bread flour (3 ¾ cups)
- 3 ½ teaspoons yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ cups water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon corn meal
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil
- pepperoni
- onions
- mushrooms
- peppers
- etc.
- In a 3-quart pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium . Saute onion, celery, and carrot for 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and saute one more minute.
- Pour whole tomatoes into blender, and pulse several times. Don’t completely puree.
- Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper, and bay leaf to sautéed vegetables. Then stir in tomato paste, butter, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Bring mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat, and simmer at least 30 minutes, but preferably 1-2 hours.
- Cool to room temperature before spreading on pizza crust.
- Combine flour, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and whisk together.
- Add water and oil, and mix until completely combined. (The dough will look dry, but that’s how it’s supposed to look. Resist the urge to add more liquid.)
- Add salt and knead 10-15 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, and transfer dough, turning the ball over to be sure that it’s completely coated in oil. Cover and let rise until double. (about 1 hour)
- Divide the risen dough into 3 equal balls. You can use a scale to measure the entire weight, divide by 3, and proportion each smaller ball, or you can estimate.
- Form each smaller portion into a perfect ball, place on a floured surface, cover with a towel, and allow them to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Place pizza stone on oven rack positioned about 5 inches from the bottom of oven, and preheat the oven to as hot as it goes. For my oven that’s 550 degrees F.
- Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon of corn meal on a pizza peel.
- Working with one ball at a time, (leave the others under the towel) use your fingers to squish up a little lip all the way around the perimeter of the dough.
- Work in a circular motion and flatten the ball with your palm, as your fingers push the circle outward. Keep working around until the dough is about 10 inches in diameter. Drape the circle over your open palm, and toss it back and forth over your forearms. This is called “slapping” and it stretches the dough. Do it a few times until the circle is approximately 12-14 inches in diameter. Be careful not to tear it.
- Lay the dough on the cornmeal-topped peel.
- Spread approximately ¾ cup marinara sauce on dough.
- Top with fresh mozzarella followed by the toppings of your choice. Don’t load it too much, or it won’t move from the peel.
- Use the peel to transfer the pizza onto the stone in the oven. The corn meal acts as bearings and will allow the dough to move on the peel when jiggled and shaken. Carefully shake the pizza from the peel to the stone.
- Bake 3-5 minutes in very HOT oven. Watch for cheese to bubble and crust to brown.
- Use the peel like a spatula to scoop it back off the stone.
- Let rest 2 or 3 minutes then cut and enjoy!
- Yields approximately 3 cups sauce when simmered 2 hours.
- This recipe will make 3 (12-14 inch) pizzas.
