Cracker-Crust Pizza

Over the course of the past few years, I've dabbled occasionally in homemade pizza-making. There have been times when I've come up with recipes that have been decent, and one or two that have been pretty good (and many, many more that have been downright dismal, ending in me violently throwing yeast down the sink--as violently as one can throw yeast, that is--and silent-screaming PIZZA SUCKS, which we all know is just not true).

The moral of my pizza attempts have largely seemed to point to the fact that no matter what, the pizzas that come out of my little home oven with max temps of 480 F would never, ever, ever come close to the fluffy, bubbly, chewy, super-charred-at-the-edges miracle of crust that places like Motorino or Roberta's or Best Pizza turn out so easily (and....deliver to my apartment so easily). Because, really, if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, the truth is that I've turned out some good home pizzas, but they were nothing like the stuff of the NYC/Brooklyn pros. And so, it was with a heavy heart that I slid my little-used pizza stone into the lower dregs of my overflowing pots and pans cabinet.

Until, that is, Amy Thielen came to the rescue with one perfect pizza recipe that wasn't even trying to be that elusive New York wood-fired thing of dreams. No, it's crust was thin, crunchy, flat, and totally different from what I was used to getting at my neighborhood pizzerias. It reminded me a little of frozen pizza (which I have an odd love for), but a million times better. It was entirely it's own thing, and so very delicious for it. (I could go into a life-lesson analogy here, but I'll restrain myself for the sake of your sanity and reader retention).

Apparently, this type of pizza is prevalent in all parts of the Midwest except for deep-dish loving Chicago. Who knew? It's also truly easy to make, as the dough doesn't require any yeast and just about 5 minutes of kneading time. Also, if you're feeling lazy or you're short on time, you can skip the sauce-making and just buy your favorite jarred kind. I've made it twice now in as many weeks, and I have a feeling that this thing is just getting started on the road to kitchen regular status. So many thanks to Lottie + Doof for publishing the recipe first and alerting me to its genius. xo

Cracker-Crust Pizza
From The New Midwestern Table, by Amy Thielen
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough:
3/4 cup cool water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Sauce:

2 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
1 large sprig fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded (3 cups)

Directions:

For the pizza dough, pour the water, oil, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the flour and whisk until smooth. Switching to a wooden spoon, gradually add the remaining flour, stirring until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until it is smooth and supple, about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, shape each one into a rough disk, cover with a cloth, and let rest on a board for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3 hours) before rolling.

For the tomato sauce, heat a wide saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Sauté until the onion is very tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup water, basil sprig, rosemary, sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a few turns of black pepper, and simmer until the sauce thickens and is no longer watery, about 20 minutes. Discard the basil.

Set a pizza stone on a rack on the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.
Roll one portion of dough between two pieces of parchment paper into a round that is about 12-inches in diameter. Peel off the top layer of parchment. Fold over the edges of the crust and pinch the edge into a small roll, as you would crimp a pie.

Brush the dough lightly with olive oil, and then spread the top with one third each of the sauce, the sausage, and the basil. Top with one-third of the cheese. Slip a pizza peel beneath the paper and transfer the pizza to the pizza stone in the oven. Bake until browned on top and slightly charred on the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, swiping the paper out from underneath the pizza. Cut the pizza into small squares and serve immediately. Repeat the process to make two more pizzas.

Clam, Chard, and Bacon Pizza

One of my main goals in life is to one day own a pizza oven. But not just any pizza oven. I want a big monster of a brick, wood-fired oven that sits smack dab in the middle of my backyard. The backyard that is but one beautiful component of the rest of my beautiful house. In said oven, I would also do things like roast perfect little chickens with charred skins, bake rustic loaves of bread, and make wood-fired shellfish. Yeah, I may need to move to California at some point in my life. Either that or realize my dream of buying a bucolic, airy beach house somewhere in Amagansett or the like. We shall see.

For now, my homemade pizza adventures are firmly tethered to the realities of my tiny little oven in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and that's okay(ish). Although, my crusts will never be quite as impeccably blackened in spots as the ones that come out of the ovens at, say, Roberta's or Motorino, my little-oven-that-could does a good job at providing something different, but almost as good. And until I get my dream outdoor oven, I'm certainly not going to deprive myself of the joys of having friends over for a freshly baked homemade pizza. There's something great about setting up a little toppings station on your kitchen counter and watching people go to town coming up with their own special combos. Also, great: watching the excitement percolate as one amazing pizza after another comes out of the oven crisp and bubbling. Yum. This particular combo is one I came across on epicurious.com, and it's a good one, especially for these coming summer months. Because, clams. xo

Clam, Chard, and Bacon Pizza
From epicurious.com
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
1 1-pound ball of pizza dough (I picked up mine from a great neighborhood pizzeria)
1 10-ounce can whole baby clams
2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1"-wide pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center stalks removed, leaves torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500°F. If your dough is frozen, do the following. If not, proceed to the next paragraph: Fill a large bowl with boiling water. Place a baking sheet over; dust with flour. Place dough on baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes to soften. Flip dough; cover and let sit 10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, drain clams, reserving liquid. Cook bacon in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add garlic and shallot to drippings in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and 1/2 cup reserved clam liquid and cook, stirring, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in butter, vinegar, and as many clams as you'd like. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Sprinkle skillet with cornmeal and transfer dough to skillet. Brush top of dough with oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally and turning pan to avoid hot spots, until bottom of dough is golden and crispy, 6–8 minutes.

Spread chard mixture over dough. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Scatter bacon and cheese over; cook just until cheese is melted, 2–3 minutes longer.