Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (281 page)
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
If you don’t have time to cook this sauce, drain the tomatoes slightly, then mix the ingredients together and let them stand while you stretch the dough.
2 | large garlic cloves, minced |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
1 | (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
Salt and pepper |
Heat garlic with oil in saucepan over medium heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, add tomatoes, bring to simmer, and cook until sauce is thick enough to mound on spoon, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)
MAKES TWO 14-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 4 TO 6
If bulk sausage is not available, just buy cased sausage, remove the casing, and break the meat into bite-size chunks. If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the pizzas on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. For more information on shaping the pizza dough, see
“SHAPING PIZZA DOUGH”
.
1 | tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as needed |
4 | ounces pork sausage, broken into bite-size pieces |
1 | red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | recipe |
1¹⁄ | cups Quick Tomato Sauce for Pizza |
¹⁄ | cup shredded fresh basil |
4 | ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup) |
1.
One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2.
Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, add bell pepper, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3.
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Use fingertips to gently flatten 1 piece of dough into 8-inch disk (keep other piece covered). Using hands, gently stretch disk into 14-inch round, working along outer edge and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to piece of parchment paper and reshape as needed.
4.
Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ³⁄
4
cup tomato sauce over dough, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border around edge. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons basil, half of sausage, and half of pepper over sauce. Slide parchment with pizza onto pizza peel, then slide onto baking stone. Bake until crust begins to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
5.
Remove pizza from oven by sliding parchment back onto pizza peel, close oven door, and top pizza evenly with ¹⁄
2
cup mozzarella. Return pizza to baking stone and continue baking until cheese is just melted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board and discard parchment; slice and serve immediately. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
MAKES TWO 14-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 4 TO 6
If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the pizzas on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. For more information on shaping the pizza dough, see
“SHAPING PIZZA DOUGH”
.
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
2 | large garlic cloves, minced |
1 | pound cremini or white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin |
1 | teaspoon minced fresh sage |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | recipe |
1 | |
4 | ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup) |
¹⁄ | cup grated Parmesan cheese |
1.
One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2.
Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet. When garlic begins to sizzle, add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in sage and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3.
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Use fingertips to gently flatten 1 piece of dough into 8-inch disk (keep other piece covered). Using hands, gently stretch disk into 14-inch round, working along outer edge and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to piece of parchment paper and reshape as needed.
4.
Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ¹⁄
2
cup tomato sauce over dough, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border around edge. Sprinkle half of mushrooms over sauce. Slide parchment with pizza onto pizza peel, then slide onto baking stone. Bake until crust begins to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
5.
Remove pizza from oven by sliding parchment back onto pizza peel, close oven door, and top pizza evenly with ¹⁄
2
cup fontina and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Return pizza to baking stone and continue baking until cheese is just melted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board and discard parchment; slice and serve immediately. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
MAKES TWO 14-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 4 TO 6
If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the pizzas on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. When tossing the arugula with oil, you may also sprinkle on a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar, if you like. For more information on shaping the pizza dough, see
“SHAPING PIZZA DOUGH”
.
1 | recipe |
1 | pound tomatoes, cored and sliced thin |
Salt and pepper | |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
4 | ounces thinly sliced prosciutto |
4 | ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup) |
2 | ounces (2 cups) baby arugula |
1.
One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2.
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic wrap. Use fingertips to gently flatten 1 piece of dough into 8-inch disk (keep other piece covered). Using hands, gently stretch disk into 14-inch round, working along outer edge and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to piece of parchment paper and reshape as needed.
3.
Arrange half of tomatoes in concentric circles over dough and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 4 teaspoons oil. Slide parchment with pizza onto pizza peel, then slide onto baking stone. Bake until crust begins to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
4.
Remove pizza from oven by sliding parchment back onto pizza peel, close oven door, and top pizza evenly with half of prosciutto and ¹⁄
2
cup mozzarella. Return pizza to baking stone and continue baking until cheese is just melted, about 3 minutes longer. Meanwhile, toss arugula with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Transfer pizza to cutting board and discard parchment. Sprinkle with half of arugula, slice, and serve immediately. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
THE BEAUTY OF BAKING STONES
Baking stones (also called pizza stones) were created for home ovens to simulate the steady, dry, intense heat of commercial tile-lined ovens. Both electric and gas home ovens are furnished with thermostats that switch on and off to maintain the oven’s internal temperature. This change, coupled with the opening and closing of the oven door, causes the temperature to fluctuate, which can be damaging to baked goods that require extremely high heat like pizza or crusty artisanal bread. A stone prevents the fluctuation by absorbing and storing heat, thereby maintaining a constant temperature. Stones also wick the moisture away from pizza dough to guarantee a crisp crust. For the best results, they should be preheated for one hour to ensure that they are at the ideal temperature.
When purchasing a baking stone, be sure to look for the thickest and biggest possible stone (ensuring that it fits into your oven), which is indicative of a stone’s ability to retain heat. Thick stones are also less likely to crack than their thinner, lighter counterparts.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Authentic recipes for this Neapolitan pizza call for an 800-degree oven and two days of proofing. We wanted real Margherita—a crisp crust with just a thin veil of tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil—without the hassle. Our tests proved that a great pizza crust doesn’t require much kneading; a food processor mixed our dough in just two minutes. We found we could shape the dough right out of the food processor, but the wet, sticky dough was tricky to roll as thin as we wanted. Our solution was using 1 part cake flour to roughly 2 parts all-purpose flour, which also helped make our pizza light and tender. For the topping, we pulsed canned diced tomatoes in a food processor, drained them to avoid a soggy crust, and added just a little sugar, salt, fresh basil, and garlic. Adding the fresh mozzarella halfway through baking preserved its fresh creamy texture and milky flavor.
MAKES TWO 12-INCH PIZZAS, SERVING 4 TO 6
If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the pizzas on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. If desired, you can slow down the dough’s rising time by letting it rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 16 hours in step 2; let the refrigerated dough soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
DOUGH
1³⁄ | cups (8³⁄ |
1 | cup (4 ounces) cake flour |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast |
1 | cup water, heated to 110 degrees, plus extra as needed |
TOPPING
1 | (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
1 | small garlic clove, minced (optional) |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh basil |
Salt | |
8 | ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces and patted dry with paper towels |
2 | teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Pulse flours, sugar, salt, and yeast in food processor (fitted with dough blade if possible) until combined, about 5 pulses. With food processor running, slowly add water; process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 1¹⁄
2
to 2 minutes. (If after 1 minute dough is sticky and clings to blade, add 1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and continue processing. If dough appears dry and crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and process until dough forms a ball.)
2.
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand into smooth, round ball. Place dough in large, lightly oiled bowl; cover bowl tightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. FOR THE TOPPING:
While dough rises, pulse tomatoes in clean bowl of food processor until coarsely ground, 2 or 3 pulses. Transfer tomatoes to fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and let drain at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to release their liquid. Just before shaping pizza rounds, combine drained tomatoes, sugar, garlic, if using, 1 tablespoon basil, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt in bowl.
4. TO TOP AND BAKE THE PIZZA:
Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic. Use fingertips to gently flatten 1 piece of dough into 8-inch disk (keep other piece covered). Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along outer edge and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to piece of parchment paper and reshape as needed. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread thin layer of tomato topping (about ¹⁄
2
cup) over dough, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border around edge. Slide parchment with pizza onto pizza peel, then slide onto baking stone. Bake until crust begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
5.
Remove pizza from oven by sliding parchment with pizza back onto pizza peel, close oven door, and top pizza evenly with half of mozzarella. Return pizza to baking stone and continue baking until cheese is just melted, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to cutting board and discard parchment; sprinkle with half of remaining basil, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and pinch salt. Slice and serve immediately. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
Use 1¹⁄
2
cups cake flour, ³⁄
4
cup whole wheat flour, and ¹⁄
2
cup all-purpose flour in dough.
