Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (282 page)
CLEANING A BAKING STONE
Chances are you will have cheese or tomato sauce burn fast onto your baking stone. What’s the best way to clean it? To answer the question, we burned shredded mozzarella cheese and a raspberry-sugar mixture (akin to what might bubble out of a pie or tart) onto multiple samples of our favorite baking stone. After allowing the stones to cool completely, we scraped the surfaces with a metal bench scraper to remove as much of the charred mess as possible before testing several cleaning methods, including sandpaper, scrubby pads with both plain water and a baking soda slurry, and S.O.S. pads. They all worked to a certain extent with the scouring pad and hot running water outperforming the others.
However, none of the cleaning methods we tested were successful in returning the stone to its original appearance. Some discoloration over time is natural, but to alleviate this problem, use parchment paper when possible and bake high-fat items such as cookies on baking sheets.
One last note: Leaving your stone in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle might seem like a great way to blast it clean, but there have been reports of stones (especially those that have absorbed oil) catching fire when subjected to these extreme temperatures.
1.
Starting at center of dough and working outward, use fingertips to press dough into flattened disk.
2.
Holding center in place, stretch dough, working along outer edge. Give disk quarter turn and stretch again. Repeat until dough reaches desired diameter.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
With home ovens that reach only 500 degrees and dough that’s impossible to stretch thin, even the savviest cooks can struggle to produce New York–style parlor-quality pizza. We were in pursuit of a New York–style pizza with a perfect crust—thin, crisp, and spottily charred on the exterior; tender yet chewy within. High-protein bread flour gave us a chewy, nicely tanned pizza crust and the right ratio of flour, water, and yeast gave us dough that would stretch and retain moisture as it baked. We kneaded the dough quickly in a food processor then let it proof in the refrigerator for a few hours to develop its flavors. After we shaped and topped the pizza, it went onto a blazing hot baking stone to cook. Placing the stone near the top of the oven was a surprising improvement, allowing the top of the pizza to brown as well as the bottom. In minutes we had a pizza with everything in sync: a thoroughly crisp, browned crust with a slightly chewy texture.
MAKES TWO 13-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. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. You will need a pizza peel for this recipe. It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent it from overheating in the food processor. Semolina flour is ideal for dusting the peel; use it in place of bread flour if you have it. The sauce will yield more than needed in the recipe; extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.
DOUGH
3 | cups (16¹⁄ |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast |
1¹⁄ | cups ice water |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
SAUCE
1 | (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained |
1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | teaspoon red wine vinegar |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | teaspoon salt |
1 | teaspoon dried oregano |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
CHEESE
1 | ounce Parmesan cheese, grated fine (¹⁄ |
8 | ounces whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (2 cups) |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Pulse flour, sugar, 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 is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough sit for 10 minutes.
2.
Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead briefly by hand until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
3. FOR THE SAUCE:
Process all ingredients in clean bowl of food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. TO TOP AND BAKE THE PIZZA:
One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches from broiler), set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer dough to clean counter and divide in half. With cupped palms, form each half into smooth, tight ball. Place balls of dough on lightly greased baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with greased plastic and let sit for 1 hour.
5.
Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured counter (keep other ball covered). Use fingertips to gently flatten dough into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to well-floured pizza peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ¹⁄
2
cup tomato sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¹⁄
4
-inch border around edge. Sprinkle ¹⁄
4
cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella. Slide pizza carefully onto baking stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through baking. Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
MAKES TWO 13-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. You can shape the second dough round while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the toppings until just before baking. You will need a pizza peel for this recipe. It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent overheating the dough while in the food processor. Semolina flour is ideal for dusting the peel; using it in place of bread flour if you have it. The sauce will yield more than needed in the recipe; extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.
DOUGH
3 | cups (16¹⁄ |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast |
1¹⁄ | cups ice water |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
WHITE SAUCE
1 | cup whole-milk ricotta cheese |
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
¹⁄ | cup heavy cream |
1 | large egg yolk |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | teaspoons minced fresh oregano |
1 | teaspoon minced fresh thyme |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
¹⁄ | teaspoon cayenne pepper |
2 | scallions, sliced thin, dark green tops reserved for garnish |
CHEESE
1 | ounce Pecorino cheese, grated fine (¹⁄ |
8 | ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups) |
¹⁄ | cup whole-milk ricotta cheese |
1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Pulse flour, sugar, 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 is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough sit for 10 minutes.
2.
Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead briefly by hand until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
3. FOR THE SAUCE:
Whisk all ingredients except scallion greens together in bowl; refrigerate until ready to use.
4. TO TOP AND BAKE THE PIZZA:
One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches from broiler), set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer dough to clean counter and divide in half. With cupped palms, form each half into smooth, tight ball. Place balls of dough on lightly greased baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with greased plastic and let sit for 1 hour.
5.
Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured counter (keep other ball covered). Use fingertips to gently flatten dough into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns. Transfer dough to well-floured pizza peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ¹⁄
2
cup ricotta sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¹⁄
4
-inch border around edge. Sprinkle ¹⁄
4
cup Pecorino evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella. Dollop ¹⁄
4
cup ricotta in teaspoon amounts evenly over pizza. Slide pizza carefully onto baking stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through baking. Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.
