The Anatomy of a Pizza

Here’s a statement about myself that some may already know: I like to make dough. While this can easily be interpreted to imply that I like to make lots of money, it (unfortunately, I suppose) means exactly what it states. I’m of course referring to the foodstuff, not cash, and it seems I’m much better at making the former than acquiring and retaining the latter.

The same way a person may say they can make a soup or pasta dish out of almost anything, this can also be said of pizza. This was the case recently when I opened my refrigerator at lunch time to find just a scant few ingredients.

Cheese Pizza Yield: 1 (16 inch) pizza 1 ounce olive oil 1 recipe pizza dough 1/2 recipe pizza sauce 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese 2 ounces grated Romano cheese Preheat an oven to 450F. Oil a pizza pan, then push the dough flat. Spread sauce across the dough, then top with the cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool five minutes before slicing. Pizza Dough 1 1/4 cups water 3 teaspoons yeast 3 cups unbleached bread flour, divided 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon cornmeal Combine the water, yeast, and one cup of flour; stir to form a batter. Allow to ferment for one hour. Add the remaining two cups of flour along with the olive oil and salt; knead for eight minutes. Place the dough in a bowl at room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to ferment 1-2 hours. At this point it may be pushed out for pizza, or refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to six months. Pizza Sauce Yield: 1-1/2 cups 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons oregano 1 teaspoon basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1-1/2 cup tomato puree Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pot then add the diced onion. Sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add the oregano, basil, salt, pepper and tomato puree. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to a very lower simmer and cook the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid scorching.

After surveying my fridge, I checked my tiny freezer and was glad to find a small package of smoked salmon and half a bag of broccoli. I contemplated a salmon and broccoli omelet, but wasn’t in the mood for it. I thought these ingredients would actually make a better dinner than lunch; I also wondered why the hell I wait so long to go grocery shopping. At any rate, these ingredients are perfect for an interesting pizza, so I mixed together a cup of whole wheat flour and water with a little yeast—the preliminary stage of a dough that would be ready for dinner. Then I went out for lunch.

When you think about it, pizza is really nothing more than flattened bread dough with stuff on it. What Americans think of as “traditional” pizza is dough topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and sometimes pepperoni. But the options really are endless. Pizza really can be a well-balanced meal. Incorporating whole wheat flour into the dough and vegetables into the topping the nutrients add up. Spinach pizza, for example, with no sauce (just olive oil and garlic) is one of my favorites. But the other day there was nary a leaf of spinach in my house, so I used what I had. It was delicious and its preparation barely interrupted the rhythm of my day.

Sometimes I take for granted the ease at which dough is made. It’s neither difficult nor cumbersome; it takes little more effort than getting coffee ready in the morning. (Okay, maybe a little more effort than that.) There really are only a few steps involved, and there is a lot of leeway between each step. The key is to work the dough into your day rather than your day around it. Try to think of it in these terms: The dough almost makes itself; you simply guide it along and provide the right conditions.

To understand this more fully, let’s look at the dough a little closer.

Firstly, know that until your dough is baked it is alive. Yeast is a living thing, albeit dormant in its dried state. When it becomes hydrated, or when you “proof it,” it comes to life. Proofing is a carryover term that was used in the early days of commercial yeast production; the baker needed proof that the yeast was in fact living. Nowadays this is rarely a problem. With the consistency of yeast today it would, in fact, be more difficult not to have your dough rise if basic rules were applied. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.

Once the yeast is hydrated and becomes active it will, like any living thing, quickly exhaust itself if not given food; this is where flour comes in. When you add flour to water it also becomes hydrated: The gluten absorbs the water, forming a sort of paste. (On a little side note: In French, Italian, and Spanish the word for dough is pâte or pasta, translating to English as paste.) But even more importantly, when flour comes in contact with yeast a veritable smorgasbord (micro-orgy?) ensues. Yeast consumes carbohydrates which are converted into sugars.

But the best part is the byproduct. When yeast consumes it also gives off gas (a natural function many living things, I suppose). It also creates a form of alcohol, but mostly gas, mainly carbon dioxide. And when this gas is released it has nowhere to go because it’s trapped in the dough, so it forms bubbles. As these bubbles enlarge and multiply the bread rises. The symbiotic relationship is easily apparent, but it gets better.

Think of the gluten content of flour as the dough’s muscle, the higher the gluten the stronger the dough; it’s what gives rustic breads and pizza their chewy texture. Gluten is actually microscopic strands of protein, and when dough is kneaded these strands align and cling to one another forming long strings. Without this strength dough would rise and quickly fall; the developed gluten is what supports the dough and gives it texture.

I know you probably think it can’t get any more interesting, but it does: The other essential ingredient is salt. Salt is a sort of police officer; it keeps the yeast in check—too little salt and the yeast will go crazy and exhaust itself, and too much salt will keep the dough from rising.

The last ingredient, although nonessential, is olive oil. Olive oil adds richness to dough but also makes it supple. Fat coats the strands of gluten which makes them unable to entirely cling together; the strands are shortened. It’s for this reason certain dough that are high in fat are called short dough or shortbreads, and is also the origin of the word for the hydrogenated fat known as shortening.

This now brings me back to the beginning, where I mixed flour, water, and a little yeast. By doing this you’re actually making a sponge or batter, a pre-dough, or pre-ferment in more technical terms. This simple step will increase the quality of your dough enormously. What happens is you are activating the yeast, feeding it, and the large loose bubbles are working (kneading) the dough in a very preliminary way. If left to sit for a length of time the dough also begins to ferment (thus the alcohol aroma), which gives the dough more flavor.

When you’re ready to make the dough simply add the remaining flour, a little more yeast, and the salt and olive oil. The following is a quick scenario on how to make pizza without interrupting your life (too much). You’ll need the following items: bread flour, yeast, water, salt, olive oil, an upright electric mixer, and a pizza pan.

Combine one cup flour with 1-1/4 cups cool water and two teaspoons yeast in the mixer bowl, then mix just until combined. Leave to ferment for at least an hour, but it can rest for up to 12. So while the sponge is maturing you’re able to go about your business, or even go to sleep for the night.

When you’re ready to make the dough, add another two cups flour, along with another teaspoon yeast, a tablespoon olive oil, and two teaspoons salt. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit it with a dough hook. Knead the dough on medium for eight minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and wipe the inside of the bowl with oil, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic, set it on the counter, and go on with your life for the next couple of hours. If something comes up or you get called away on an emergency put the bowl in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Oil a pizza pan, place the dough on the pan, and gently push it out, starting at the center and working towards the edge. Top the dough with whatever ingredients you like and allow the dough to rest while the oven preheats. Bake the pizza for about 25 minutes. Let it rest for about five minutes before slicing…it’s a good time to marvel at what you’ve just made.