Pizza Party!!!

Remember how excited every kid was when you had a pizza birthday party?  Hell, if you work in corporate America, it's still pretty likely that you have pizza parties (since that's pretty much the only perk left... cheap bastards).


I can't think of one person I know who doesn't like pizza, if not love it.  My husband is a frozen pizza aficionado, although I use that term loosely since $1 G&W pizzas made on some matzah-like cracker are his favorite (the link takes you to a male grad students' blog - this should explain the G & W demographic).  Ew.  Anyway, I got heavier on pizza shipped from Lou's or Edwardo's when we lived in SC.  Nearly every Saturday growing up, we had pizza from wherever Dad liked (oh, those unfortunate Little Caesar's years...).  And recently, we discovered Salerno's, which actually seems to make the perfect crunchy thin crust.


However, frozen or delivery, stuffed or thin, pizza is not the most healthful choice.  But it could be!  Just make your own!  Sure, Domino's is cheap, but you can spend about the same amount with your own high-quality ingredients.


For a long time, I thought pizza dough was difficult to make - it turns out I was just afraid of making anything with yeast. (What if it doesn't bubble? What if it doesn't rise? aaaarghhhh!)


Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
*makes 3 10" thin crust pizzas


1 tsp active yeast
1 cup plus 3 tbs water between 105 - 115 degrees
3 1/2 to 4 cups AP flour
2 tsp salt


Again, I use my food processor with a dough blade, but you can knead it by hand as well - just as long as it looks shiny in the end.


1. Using an instant thermometer, bring 1 cup of water to temperature.  I do this in the microwave so it usually gets hotter than I need it to be, so I cool it down to 110 degrees with the other 3 tbs of water.  If you can hit the perfect temp without adding cooler water or started all over, then Godblessya!


2. In the food processor, dump flour, yeast, and salt.  Start mixing and drizzle water through the feeder tube.  Once it's all combined, let it go for 60 seconds past the point when the dough pulls away from the walls into a ball.


3. This is a very very sticky dough so you have 2 choices for the rise.  1) you can liberally flour a quart-size freezer bag and seal it with enough room for it to double OR 2) brush olive oil on the walls of a tall bowl, drop the dough in, and turn it so it all gets coated, then cover it with plastic wrap.  Either way, it needs to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.  Did I mention how sticky the dough is?


4. After it's risen, you can use it right away or you can put it in the fridge for up to 36 hours (just let it come to room temp before you use it; takes about an hour).


Assembling your pizza


First, get that oven going!  About 30 minutes before you start making your pizzas, get your pizza pan or stone (I have a cast iron pizza pan which makes the crust really crisp) in a cold oven and preheat to 380 degrees.  You could go to 400 if you're using pre-shredded mozzarella but I find a significant smoking "Is-that-the-fire-alarm?" problem.


Place dough onto floured surface and divide into 3 (or 6 if you're making individual pizzas) sections.  Return all but 1 section to bowl.


There are several different ways to stretch your crust.  If you roll it out, flour the rolling pin and the dough well.  If you use your fingers to push it out into a circle-esque shape, make sure you flour your hands.  I prefer a beginner's attempt at tossing.  For this technique, flour your hands and pick the dough up by the edge.  Make fists, hold your hands closely together, pinch the dough between your thumb and the base of your index finger, letting the dough hang down over your knuckles. This prevents tearing the dough.  As you inch it through your thumbs/fingers, the dough's weight will stretch it to a proper crust size.  Remember, it's STICKY!


Remove the hot pan from the oven and sprinkle about 1 tbs of cornmeal on it.  The cornmeal keeps the pizza from sticking to the pan.  Don't forget, the pan has been heated to at least 380 degrees - don't let it burn you or some one or thing in your kitchen!


Place your stretched dough on the cornmeal.


Using a pastry or basting brush, apply a very thin coat of olive oil to create a sort of moisture barrier.  Now's the time to sprinkle herbs, if that's your thang, and a little extra sea salt (important when using fresh mozzarella).


Dock (poke with a fork) the dough to give the steam an escape valve, unless you want a bubbly crust.


Bake for about 10 minutes on a rack in the middle of the oven.

Remove from oven, brush a thin coat of pizza or marinara sauce (too thick and it will get soggy) on top, sprinkle on 1/2 or 2/3 cup shredded fresh mozzarella, and any other toppings, like pepperoni, then turn the broiler on High.


Place the pizza about 4 inches below the broiler and bake for another 4-5 minutes.  Watch it pretty closely because cheese can go from melty and semi-browned on the edges to unsalvageable in the blink of an eye.  No, it doesn't look as pretty as restaurant pizza, but it's supa-tasty! Pepperoni pleases the husband.

Notes on toppings


When it comes to homemade pizza, less is more.  More toppings = pizza soup.  Yuck.  If you use veggies, saute them a little on the stove to pull out some of their moisture because 5 minutes under the broiler will do only that - it won't actually cook them to an edible doneness.  Sausage is obviously great, but make sure to cook it through before putting it on the pizza.


How to make pizza fun & healthful


I've already talked about toppings (less is more), but let's talk about cheese.  I behold the power of cheese.  I can go days without chocolate or bread, but a day without cheese is downright depressing.  That being said, cheese is also a big source of unnecessary saturated fat and sodium.  If possible, go with fresh mozzarella ~ it has a milder flavor, a better creaminess though not as stringy as regular mozzarella, and is more healthful.  


Do something funky with your pizza - try flavor combos you normally wouldn't. Make a white pizza with alfredo, chicken, and broccoli or a pizza margherita with sliced tomatoes (instead of sauce), fresh basil leaves, and cheese.  Make a nacho pizza with ground turkey taco meat, chihuahua cheese and pico de gallo.  How about a BLT pizza with no sauce, mozzarella, bacon & tomatoes (add lettuce when it comes out of the oven)?


Feel like having a less-douchey dinner party?  Pre-bake a bunch of individual pizza crusts and have your guests make their own.


Need an activity for kids on a rainy or cold day?  Get the dough ready and have everyone get involved with stretching the crust and putting on the toppings.


Save room for dessert! Omit the olive oil and add about a cup of sugar to the dough, maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg and bake the crust.  Break up a Hershey bar and let it melt on the crust when it comes out of the oven, spread it out with a spatula, and place sliced strawberries and whipped cream for a less messy way to eat chocolate dipped strawberries.  Or make a fruit pizza - bake the crust, brush orange juice or orange liqueur on top, spread some sweetened marscapone over it, then add sliced bananas, strawberries, mangoes, whatever!


Okay, this may sound pretty gross, but I swear it's freaking delicious.  Bake the crust, let it cool to room temperature.  Spread 3/4 cup cream cheese, spread 3 tbs cocktail sauce on top, and then arrange cooked sliced shrimp on top of that.  You can use baby shrimp from the tuna aisle at the store, but those are pretty slimy.  You can get 1 lb of frozen uncooked, deveined, tail-off shrimp for about $10 at Market Day, thaw them, bring a pot of water to boil and dump the shrimp into the water.  Immediately turn off the burner, let sit for  3-4 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, remove to paper towel, dry, slice lengthwise.  It's a great appetizer or snack.  You're just going to have to trust me on that ;-)