Pizza isn’t just something you eat in New York, it’s part of the landscape. Like the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, it’s an indelible part of the city.

What better way to learn the history and understand what makes NY pizza so good then to go on a food tour?

I found Scott's Pizza Tours through a friend years back and missed my opportunity in 2016. That may or may not have been over served the night before and just couldn't motivate myself to make it out - my own doing and I kicked myself for it many times.

Now we're in 2022 and I finally made it. If you're headed to New York, I highly recommend putting Scott's Pizza Tours on your things to do. It's a walking tour where you hit three different pizza places all with slightly different versions using different ovens, slightly different ingredients and slightly different processes.

I went on the Greenwich tour and was able to try a true NY style, traditional Neapolitan, and one somewhere  in the middle. This is the best way to do it because you can compare and pick your favourite. And back to my thoughts on, is there such thing as the best? No. It's alway going to be a personal preference and that goes for pizza too. Our tour guide Dave had the same thoughts and had this exact sentiment at the beginning of the tour. Dave gets it. Dave is cool.

Of course I was that girl asking all the questions like a kid in their 'why' phase. What flour they use, how long it proofs for, what kind of yeast they use, etc so I can take all the notes to experiment at home. I can’t not be learning when it comes to cooking. And while it's never going to be exactly the same, I get to come up with my own delicious version that’s pretty damn great in my opinion.

So of course I'm sharing all I learned with you. All the things I learned and what to think about to make the best (for you) version of pizza at home without investing in a pizza oven. Because if you’re like me and live in an apartment that’s just not happening so we adapt.

It’s all about the crust!

When it comes to the crust, I like a combination of crispy, fluffy, chewy goodness and that comes down to a few things; the type of flour you use and your fermentation - or how long you let it proof to develop texture and flavour. Now, like anything in cooking this is all a personal preference which is why it was cool to experience the pizza tour. It was the best way to notice the differences eating them back to back.

New York style pizza uses local flour which is higher in gluten (all purpose flour) so you're able to stretch the dough and handle it a little more without it breaking. The result is you get a crispier, firmer crust.

Neapolitan style uses 00 which is lower in gluten so you definitely have to be more gentle when handling the dough. Less is more - pressing it with your fingertips to stretch it rather than lift and stretch with your hands. The end result is a beautifully chewy, mind you less flexible crust. Some say this is the knife and fork pizza which is something I'll never do, but George did start a trend of chocolate bars with a knife and fork so you do you!

Doing it at home, I've come that sweet spot with my dough that mixes both . Again this is something that'll be personal to you so my recipe below is a starting point. You can adjust the ratio of all purpose to 00 and see what you like best.

When it comes to any kind of dough, it is a living thing and there's so many factors that affect it - time, temperature and yes, ingredients. Some let the dough proof for at least 12hrs, others up to a couple days. It's not something that's hard and fast as far as exact times because of all those factors so you have to be willing to play around for yourself to get that sweet spot. The big thing here is to pay attention and notice the differences in time, temperature, etc. And remember this will change at different times of the year.

Stretching the dough:

Here's one thing I've been doing wrong this whole time - rolling out the dough to start. Face palm. When you do this you de gas the crust and lose all that beautiful airy goodness. So don't be like me. flatten the dough with your fingertips in the middle leaving about a half an inch or so around the edges. Stretch it by pulling with your fingers and once it's slightly stretched you can pick it up and stretch until you get the desired thickness. *if you are making traditional neopolitan style, don't do this for the reasons I mentioned above. The dough is much more delicate so just do the stretching on the counter then gently transfer to a pizza wheel before topping.

You also want to make sure the dough is at room temperature, not cold. It'll be way harder to stretch and rips super easily.

Toppings:

Fresh mozzarella vs. low moisture mozzarella - Neapolitan style is all about that floppy centre and part of it is the fresh mozzarella. The fresh has a higher water content which means it'll 'sweat' when it's cooked. Nothing wrong with it just something to be aware of. NY style and most others use the lower moisture cheese which because of the less water you get that perfectly stretchy cheese - you know the cheese you have to pull to release when you grab a slice.

Here's a trick I learned; cheese first, sauce second. The cheese sticks to the dough so it doesn't slide off when you eat it! Why didn't I ever think of that?! And I won't grate it anymore. I cut thin slices and arrange them. Both of these things gets the perfect cheese to sauce ratio.

Sauce: Keep it simple. Good tomatoes just crushed up with a little salt. A could good canned ones I love are

And in the summer of course there's going to be nothing better than some from the Farmer's Market.

Extras; whatever toppings you love. Just remember not to over load the pizza. It makes it harder to transfer from the wheel to the stone and if the ingredients are higher in moisture they can 'sweat' too which will lead to a less crispy crust. I like to pre cook things like mushrooms, etc to get rid of the extra moisture beforehand.

Tools:

Pizza stone - this is essential to getting your crust good and crispy. I put it on the bottom rack of the oven so the crust has more chance to crisp before the cheese is browned and melted. Your oven will never get to the temperatures a pizza oven will so this is the trick for that.

Once the pizza is cooked, there's a couple options to get that charred look. One, turn on the broiler, get the pizza on the wheel and hold the edges a few inches from the broiler. This is sketchy but it works to get those charred bits of crust like you would in a wood fired oven. I move it around just the edges because I don't want the cheese to burn. The other option is a kitchen blow torch. You can find the little handheld ones that work great for this and for finishing a smores cake (something I'll be sharing soon), the obvious - creme brulee and even to finish a stir fry to get that restaurant flavour we just can’t get from the heat of stoves at home. Is it required? No. Is it fun to do? You bet.

'Every woman should own a blowtorch.' - Julia Child

Pizza wheel - for transferring to your stone. Put the dough on here once it's stretched and add the toppings. Sprinkle some cornmeal on it before placing the dough so it doesn't stick and makes the transfer to the stone easier. 

Lastly, oven temperature - as hot as it will go and let it preheat for at least 30-45 minutes before putting the pizzas in.

What’s Cooking This Week: Upgraded Pizza Dough

This dough makes approx. 4 dough balls. You can freeze them for later or double the recipe easily. I don’t use sourdough starter but do give the dough a head start on the fermentation but making a poolish which is simply flour, water and a yeast. The dough does take a few days so plan accordingly. As I said it freezes really well so worth it make a double batch and freeze some for quick pizza nights later.

Pizza Dough

Poolish:

• 95 g all purpose flour

• 115g warm water

• pinch active dry yeast

To make the poolish, mix the flour, water and yeast until there is no dry flour. Cover and let stand on the counter for about 12hrs.

For the dough:

• 510 g water

• poolish

• 550 g all purpose flour

• 300 g 00 flour

• 15 g sea salt

To make sure the poolish is active, add to the water before adding the flour. The poolish should float. Mix slightly into the water then add the flour and salt. Mix until combined and there's no dry flour. Cover and let sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, with wet hands, pull the dough starting with the side straight across from you and fold towards you. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process. Do this two more times for a total of four. Flip the dough seam side down, cover and let stand another hour. After the hour, repeat the process. Cover the dough and let stand for 8-12 hours. Place in the fridge overnight. The next morning take the dough out the of the fridge and let sit on the counter until it comes to room temperature and you're ready to make your pizza. Uncover the dough and gently punch down to release the air. Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 4 balls. Using your hands or a bench scraper, gently roll and turn each dough ball to form a taught ball. Sprinkle with more flour, cover and let sit at least 30 minutes before shaping the crust.

To shape the dough, press with your fingertips down the middle, pulling slightly to stretch. Use the edge of your palm and press around the edge of the dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge. Continue to stretch and pull the dough until you get the desired size. You can pick up and stretch it off the counter, just be really gentle using your knuckles rather than fingertips so less less risk of ripping. If it does rip, patch it back together. Place the shaped dough on a pizza wheel sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Add the toppings and bake as desired.

*If you want a stretchier dough, you can use only all purpose flour and omit the 00 or change the ratios slightly. Something to experiment.*

Want more with me? 

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Sourdough 101 - master the magic of sourdough bread - this is the place if you want to learn all things sourdough AND you can even learn to make your own baguettes :)

Happy Cooking :) 

love,

Krista  

Nourished & Whole
Eat well. Live well. Cook often.
www.nourishedandwhole.com