Pizza as the pizza Gods meant it to be

[Boat Bum]

First off, I don’t mean to impugn anyone's pizza sauce. I would only make pizza if my wife had a sauce made. This all started when I wanted to make a simple margherita pizza, which around here is simply tomatoes (not sauce), buffalo mozzarella, and basil, I added the garlic. So, I didn’t have to have a sauce available to make a pizza and now I have freshly made sauce for pizza anytime I make it.

I was turned on to San Marzano tomatoes by an old Italian woman who told me to use no other. I learned that these tomatoes are often imitated and not authentic, some are grown here from the Italian seeds. Make sure the San Marzano tomatoes you choose are certified; DOP/PDO or other, yes, they have certifying bodies for these tomatoes. Let me save you some time, I have tried many and like the Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes.

Warning, as you may have started to note, what follows is going to get verbose in order to properly communicate what I do and my reasoning.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

First off, I don’t mean to impugn anyone's pizza sauce. I would only make pizza if my wife had a sauce made. This all started when I wanted to make a simple margherita pizza, which around here is simply tomatoes (not sauce), buffalo mozzarella, and basil, I added the garlic. So, I didn’t have to have a sauce available to make a pizza and now I have freshly made sauce for pizza anytime I make it.

I was turned on to San Marzano tomatoes by an old Italian woman who told me to use no other. I learned that these tomatoes are often imitated and not authentic, some are grown here from the Italian seeds. Make sure the San Marzano tomatoes you choose are certified; DOP/PDO or other, yes, they have certifying bodies for these tomatoes. Let me save you some time, I have tried many and like the Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes.
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Warning, as you may have started to note, what follows is going to get verbose in order to properly communicate what I do and my reasoning.

What do the certs stand for?

 

[Boat Bum]

I use a strainer/colander fitted into a larger pot to strain the tomatoes. Depending on how big of a pizza or whether it’s thin or regular crust will influence how much I drain the tomatoes but I usually swirl them around until just the tomatoes remain. What is drained off is saved for sauce.

Then using two sharp knives with a scissor motion I separate one tomatoe at a time and slice it the long way and the opposite to get small chunk consistency; the tomatoes will explode and continue to drain as you cut them.

Resist the temptation to blend these tomatoes in any way to expedite the process, cut them to size.

I then thinly slice whole garlic cloves (3-4 depending on size YMMV), I don't like them minced.

Then using fresh basil, hand tear small pieces in, we like lots, again YMMV. I used to chop it but find tearing it much better.

Then mix it around and let it "book" while you prepare your dough.

I agree with Jamie Oliver that too many places make great dough cheaply to bother making from scratch. I get a great beer dough at my market; they have garlic and other flavors.

Now, you guys are way ahead of me as I use an electric stove to cook my pizza. Because of this I have developed a "twice baked" way of cooking my pizza. I didn't like the way my pizza was sometimes soggy in the middle because of toppings so I experimented with par cooking the dough before adding anything; this is what I do.

I hand stretch the dough to size (thick/thin crust) and then aerate the dough with a pizza tool for doing so.

I then cook for 10 minutes at 475, I flip the dough for the last two minutes. I pull it out and spoon the sauce on and then spread as evenly as possible making sure the garlic isn't stuck to one another.

OK, so now my wife is telling me I am going on way too much and been at it too long so I'll summarize.

I'll add cheese and a topping if it's a topping night, this was all-natural pepperoni night. I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes reducing the temp to 440. The last two minutes I switch it to broil and watch closely as it browns the top of the pizza. We didn't have buffalo mozzarella so shredded had to suffice.

 

[Boat Bum]

What do the certs stand for?

• DOP certification ensures that a product is grown, produced, and packaged in a specific region of Italy

DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta

 

[Kevin D Pem]

• DOP certification ensures that a product is grown, produced, and packaged in a specific region of Italy

DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta

Ok, mind translating.

 

[Jim]

Nice writeup @Boat Bum, and the pizza looks awesome! I'll pick up the ingredients next trip to Publics and give it a whirl!

 

[team bradfield]

I make a masa based yeast crust, cholula salsa, ground bison, strawberry onions, chili powder, anjeo powder, smoked paprika, jalapeños, cheddar, topped with fresh tomatoes black olives, tabasco and lettuce, no pineapple, heavenly