Many of you know that I’m a huge advocate of celebrating milestones, big and small.  I’ve already mentioned my innate tendency to over-hype things, even to the point of inventing special occasions – so you can only imagine what happens when a real reason to celebrate comes along.  If you even so much as hint at some good news, I’ll stand and tap my glass with a fork, asking whether I may have everyone’s attention please, so that I can extol your many virtues.  To me, it’s part of what life is all about – holding hands during the lows, and singing praises during the highs.

I’d already made plans to write about homemade pizza this week, at the request of my good friend Ryan.  (College student + proud new Kitchen-Aid owner + pizza dough recipe = one immensely popular guy.  Not that he needs any help…)  But the topic really began to take shape Thursday night, when Meredith called to say that she’d sealed the deal on a huge promotion at work.  As in, look-out-world-here-I-come, huge.  As in, remember-the-little-people-when-you-get-to-the-top, huge.  And guess what one of Meredith’s favorite foods in the world is?  Pizza, baby!

We compared calendars, and we made plans for her to drive down just two days later, with her two beautiful girls in tow.  I felt like Hannibal from the A-Team… I love it when a plan comes together.

Time to get to work.  Pizza for dinner, but now, it needed to be more than just interesting enough to write about here.  I needed to  jazz it up enough to celebrate Meredith’s impending domination of the corporate world, and it had to be kid-friendly enough to not resort to PB&J for the girls.  Considering the short lead time and the fact that our weekend was already a bit crammed, it also had to be relatively simple.

Let’s do this! (I was almost pumped enough to start jumping and chanting “pants on the ground!”, but since there were no mullet-bearing defensive ends nearby, I was able to contain myself.)

To up the ante on the celebration side, I picked up a bottle of Prosecco, which is an Italian sparkling wine and a natural match for the pizza. (It’s similar to Champagne, but Champagne is named after the region in France where it’s made – so by definition, it’s French.)  I am a total sucker for bubbly of any kind, so I got all giddy at just the thought of breaking out the Riedel flutes.  (Celebration element: check!)

Cate's masterpieces.

To mix it up on the pizza front, I decided to try grilling it for the first time.  Four-year-old Cate happens to enjoy cooking with Auntie Laura, so she helped me roll out small individual size portions of the dough as thin as possible* and rub them with olive oil.  Matt tossed the crusts on the grill**, oil side down, for 2-3 minutes over high heat, just long enough to crisp up one side and let it release from the grate. Then we took them off the fire, flipped them over, and Cate topped them with a thin layer of sauce and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (cheese pizza = kid-friendly and simple.  Check and check!).  They went back on the grill until the cheese was melted, the sauce was hot, and the bottom was crispy.***

Back in the kitchen, the pizzas that were destined for adult consumption were topped with arugula and a few shavings of Parmesan.  (Arugula on pizza?  Interesting enough for the blog.  Check!)

And so it came to be that we celebrated Meredith’s accomplishment in true WFI fashion.  We clinked glasses, enjoyed a twist on one of her favorite meals, caught up on each other’s goings-on, and played with our kids.

Now, to all the rest of you ne’er do wells – get to work!  I need another excuse to drink more Prosseco.

* I actually prefer a thicker crust on my pizza, but I figured out that when grilling, it’s important to keep it thin so that it can cook through before charring.

** I haven’t yet shared the story of why I don’t personally grill anymore.  It has to do with me setting the grill on fire – not once, but TWICE.  I’m not talking about a cute little “oh look, honey, the fat from the butterflied chicken is flaring up!” fire… I’m talking oh-crap, somebody-grab-an-extinguisher, flames-licking-the-side-of-the-house kind of fire.  (Did I mention that I did that twice?)

*** During this experiment, I realized that one of things I love most about pizza is the browned cheese.  I’m that girl that picks the stray over-browned cheese from the edge of the crust – it’s my favorite part.  Unfortunately, being that a grill only provides heat from the bottom, grilled pizza does not result in any browning o’ the cheese: a significant drawback from this particular cooking method.  Be warned.

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I realize that this recipe looks ridiculously long at first glance.  Fear not!  It includes three methods for preparation (mixing by hand, by stand mixer, and by food processor) and two methods for cooking (oven and grill).

Also, If you’re using a baker’s peel or a pizza stone, I assume that you know how to use them and I do not include the specific instructions here.

Basic Pizza Dough
Adapted from Beth Hensperger’s Bread Bible

1 cup warm water (105 to 115)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon sugar or honey
2 ½ to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
(for wheat crust, sub ½ cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup wheat bran for ¾ cup of the flour)
2 to 6 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as oregano, basil, rosemary, and/or parsley (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Cornmeal or semolina, for sprinkling (optional)
Pizza sauce and toppings of your choice

1. Measure the 1 cup of water in a 2-cup measuring cup.  Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of flour over the surface of the water and stir with a fork (which mimics a small whisk and helps break up the flour) until dissolved.  Let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Mix the dough.

To Mix By Hand:  In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, 1 cup of the flour, the herbs (if using) and the yeast mixture.  Whisk hard until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft, sticky dough that just clears the side of the dough is formed.

To Mix with a Food Processor: Place 2 ½ cups of the flour, salt, and herbs (if using) in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Add the oil to the yeast mixture and, with the machine running, pour this mixture through the feed tube.  Process until a ball is formed, about 30 seconds.

To Mix with a Stand Mixer: In the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the salt, 1 cup flour, and the herbs (if using).  Pour in the yeast mixture and stir on low to combine.  Add the olive oil.  Beat for 2 minutes, adding the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until a dough that just clears the side of the dough is formed.

3. Knead the dough.

To Knead by Hand: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to form a springy ball (about three minutes), dusting with flour one tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking.  (If you use the food processor to mix the dough, you can knead it by hand briefly, but I have actually skipped the kneading and gotten great results.)

To Knead by Machine: Switch from the paddle to the dough hook and knead for two to three minutes, until the dough is smooth and springy.  If you press into the dough with your finger, It should hold the indentation.

4. Form the dough into a flattened ball and place into a large bowl greased with olive oil.  Turn it once so that the top is coated with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise at room temperature until tripled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.  Prepare your toppings and set them aside.

5. Preheat the oven or the grill.  20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500.  (Yes, you read that right.  It needs to be smokin’ hot.)  If you’re planning to grill the pizza, fire up the grill to high heat.

6.  Shape the crust by either rolling it with a pin, stretching it by hand*, or pressing it with your fingers.  If you’re planning to grill, you’ll want a thin crust for it to be able to cook through without charring it beyond recognition.  Transfer the crust to the pan of your choice and immediately brush with sauce or olive oil.  Assemble the toppings on the dough. (Aren’t you glad you prepped them back in step 4?)

7.  Cook the pizza.

In the Oven: Bake the pizza until the dough is crisp, the topping is hot, and the cheese is melted.  This can take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes, depending on your pan, the thickness of your crust, and what toppings you choose.  Check the bottom to make sure it’s browned, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into serving pieces with a pizza wheel or serrated bread knife.

On the Grill: Brush one side with olive oil and grill, oil side down, over high heat, until the crust is crisped and releases from the grate (2-3 minutes).  If you try to move the crust and it won’t budge, give it another minute – when it’s done, it’ll move.  Remove from the grill, flip over, and add sauce and toppings on the grilled side.  Return to the grill and cook until the cheese is melted, the sauce is hot, and the bottom is crispy (anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes).

* I have absolutely no idea how to stretch pizza dough by hand.  There are instructions in Beth’s book, but I honestly don’t see much value in learning this skill… if I’m missing out on something, I expect someone to fill me in!

Tags: main dish recipes, party food, vegetarian recipes