Bread Machine (151 page)

The Toolbox: Equipment for Pizza, Focaccia, and Other Flatbreads

Since flatbreads are shaped and baked outside the machine, the following equipment is helpful for making them.

• Wooden board or marble slab (about 18-by-18-inch) for rolling out and shaping
  
• Metal dough scraper for cleaning the work surface of excess dough
  
• Heavy ball-bearing or thin wooden rolling pin
  
• 2- to 3-inch-wide pastry brushes for oiling and saucing
  
• Large plastic or metal salt shaker filled with all-purpose flour or rice flour for sprinkling and dusting the dough
  
• Ceramic baking stone (12- or 16-inch round or 16-by-14-inch rectangle) or 12 to 16 unglazed quarry tiles
  
• Baking pans such as heavy gauge aluminum or steel 17-by-12-inch baking sheets, ceramic baking sheets, ceramic pizza pans, power pans (12-inch round pans that have the Swiss cheese-like holes to crisp the crust directly on the hot stone), 14-inch pizza pans, deep-dish pizza pans with both
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  -inch and 3-inch rims, screens, metal cake pan, springform pan, or tart pan with removable bottom (see
  Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Which Pans for Pizzas and Flatbreads?
  for more information about baking pans)
  
• Heavy-duty oven mitts or barbecue mitts from a restaurant supply company that are big enough to protect your wrists and lower arms
  
• Large, wide heavy-duty metal spatula for handling baked pizzas
  
• Pizza wheel (the cutter with a round metal blade), kitchen shears, 10- to 12-inch chef’s knife, or Chinese cleaver for cutting pizzas
  

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RIGATONI AND SAUSAGE       
Makes one 10-inch torta

T
orta rustica
is an Italian savory deep-dish pie. This hearty, satisfying
torta
is as old as the hills of Tuscany, containing pasta as well as meat and cheese. It is ideal for a small winter buffet party or for a summer picnic with salad, fruit, and cheese.

INGREDIENTS

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pound hot Italian sausage

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pound sweet Italian sausage

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram

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teaspoon dried thyme

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cup all-purpose flour

1 cup hot milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

1 heaping cup dry rigatoni, cooked and drained

One 16-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes, drained and chopped

1
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cups grated Parmesan cheese

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cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 recipe
Semolina Pizza Dough

Place the sausages in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until cooked through and firm, about 15 minutes. Cool, then skin the sausages and slice
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inch thick. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and herbs. Cook over low heat until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Using a whisk, slowly add the hot milk and cook, stirring to remove any lumps, until mixture thickens and begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg into the bubbling mixture. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. With a large spatula, fold in the cooked rigatoni, sausage, tomatoes, Parmesan, and parsley.

Ten minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the center rack of the oven, if desired, and preheat it to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with olive oil cooking spray.

Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a circle 20 inches in diameter. Quickly and gently fold the dough into quarters and transfer to the pan. Unfold immediately, letting the excess hang over the sides of the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Gather up the overhanging dough by folding it into the center, and twist the center to make a knob. Spray the top with olive oil cooking spray and prick the top all over with the tines of a fork.

Bake the
torta
for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the springform sides. Let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving hot, or cool to room temperature, but let stand for no more than 4 hours. Cut into thick wedges to serve. Wrap any leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator.

Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Which Pans for Pizzas and Flatbreads?

While every expert has a favorite, almost any type of pan can give good results. I tend to use tin-lined steel or heavy-gauge aluminum round power pans (the pans with the Swiss cheese holes in the bottom) and large round deep-dish pans from Chicago Metallic, or large 18-by-
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-inch baking sheets, with very good results. The steel pans do need to be seasoned according to the manufacturer’s instructions before their first use, and are just rinsed and dried thereafter. If you use black-finish pans, they also will need to be seasoned. You can place a screen under the pizza on the baking sheet to catch the inevitable drips. Never put these pans in the dishwasher; they will rust mercilessly. I also really like the ceramic baking sheets from Sassafras, and red clay pizza pans from Tufty Ceramics. Made of the same materials as baking stones but shaped as standard pans, they eliminate any need for a baking stone. For some pizzas I use an 8-inch aluminum springform pan, such as for small cornmeal-crust pizzas, so that I can build up a 2-inch side of dough to encase the filling.