CHOW

PIZZA PERFECT

Family-friendly, low-fuss and downright tasty

By Ann Taylor Pittman

Beyond the burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth problem, pizza is straight-up fun in the round. Tell your troops that tonight is homemade pizza night and watch your in-house popularity ascend.

Plus, after an active day outside (or even a long day on the job), pizza simply satisfies. It doesn’t take much to become a pie pro, either. Here’s all you need to know.

THE DOUGH

There was a time when I’d make my own pizza dough, losing myself in the soothing pleasures of kneading to my own rhythm. That was before I had kids, though, and before grocery stores offered ready-togo dough that’s just as good as what I would’ve made.

So unless you’re a kneadaholic, pick up a ball of dough from your local supermarket’s bakery section or freezer case. If the dough is frozen, thaw it for 24 hours in the fridge; poke it to make sure it’s fully thawed.

Refrigerated (including thawed) dough needs a little time to relax, to loosen itself up. Let it hang out for about 30 minutes on the counter as your oven preheats. If the dough isn’t relaxed, it’ll fight your attempts to stretch it to size.

To shape the dough, pick it up and start turning it as if you’re turning a steering wheel—this is a gentle way to begin stretching it and helps it keep a circular shape. Unless you’re a dough prodigy, you’ll need to place the dough back on the floured surface once it stretches to about an 8-inch circle; then finish shaping it by rolling with a rolling pin. If it snaps back too much and keeps shrinking, walk away for a few minutes; that means it needs to rest some more.

THE SAUCE

Here’s where things start to get fun. Pizza dough is a beautiful, blank canvas for all kinds of interesting flavors—it ain’t all red sauce and mozzarella (though that is, indeed, delicious). Get adventurous with your sauces; the recipes here include a ricotta-based white sauce and caramelized onions (granted, not really a sauce but a darn tasty base). You could also slather on pesto, BBQ sauce, romesco or Alfredo sauce, olive oil, even pureed butternut squash or white beans.

THE TOPPINGS

Another opportunity for creativity. Don’t forego the traditional toppers like pepperoni, Italian sausage, olives, peppers and such. But do think beyond what the delivery joint offers, because that’s the fun of making pizza yourself.

Some of my favorite combos, besides the recipes here, include roasted butternut squash, walnuts and blue cheese; fresh corn kernels and shrimp; pulled pork, cheddar and onions; roasted garlic, asparagus and fontina cheese; prosciutto and plum; and pesto, wild mushrooms and toasted pecans. The only word of caution is to watch any topping that’s really wet because it can sog-out your crust. Blot moist ingredients like roasted bell peppers or artichoke hearts with paper towels—or add them at the very end after the pie is out of the oven.

PIZZA TOOLS

Pizza stone: If you like crisp-browned crust that holds up to any topping, you simply must use a pizza stone. (If you don’t have one, you can get almost-as-good results by cooking your pie on a preheated heavy baking sheet.) Go for a stone with a 15-inch or wider diameter. Every stone I’ve ever used works well, and the CHEFS Round 16-inch model comes at a great price. amazon.com

Pizza wheel: The Zyliss Palm-Held Pizza Slicer boasts a great ergonomic design that helps you feel more in control while you cut, and the pieces disassemble easily for thorough cleaning. Available in many discount and kitchenware stores or through amazon.com.

CARAMELIZED ONION, SAUSAGE AND PEPPER PIZZA

SERVES 4

Traditional caramelized onions take more than an hour to achieve their buttery-silky texture and sweet, concentrated fl avor. This version, where baking soda accelerates the process, takes half the time.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 6 cups chopped yellow onion ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough 6 ounces sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed ¾ cup shredded fontina cheese 2 jarred roasted red bell peppers, cut into strips ¹/³ cup chopped, pitted Castelvetrano olives ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in baking soda; reduce heat to medium-low and cook 30 minutes or until caramelized (onion will release liquid, liquid will evaporate, and onion will become caramelcolored). Stir in salt.

Let dough stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Pre-heat oven to 500° (leave stone or pan in oven). Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble; drain.

Shape dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly fl oured work surface. Pierce entire surface of dough liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven; place dough on stone. Spread onions over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle evenly with fontina; top evenly with sausage, bell peppers, olives and feta. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven; brush outer crust with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

WINE PAIRING: Go for the classic pizza wine— Chianti. Its acidity balances the sweetness of caramelized onions and roasted bell peppers.

WHITE PIZZA WITH BACON AND KALE

SERVES 4

Kale is super-trendy and with good reason. It’s a good-foryou green with a hearty texture and sweet-earthy fl avor; add some bacon, and it’s awfully delicious.

1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough 5 applewood-smoked bacon slices, chopped 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ¼ teaspoon red pepper fl akes 5 cups chopped curly kale ¼ cup water ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1¼ cups part-skim ricotta cheese ½ cup shredded fontina cheese ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese 3 tablespoons milk 1 large garlic clove, minced or put through a garlic press

Let dough stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° (leave stone or pan in oven).

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; pour drippings into a measuring cup. Return 1 tablespoon drippings back to Dutch oven; add sliced garlic and pepper fl akes. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add kale and water; cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until kale is tender, stirring occasionally. Drain (if needed); stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine cheeses, milk, minced garlic, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Shape dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly fl oured work surface. Pierce entire surface of dough liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven; place dough on stone. Spread cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush outer edge of dough with some of remaining bacon drippings. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven; top evenly with kale mixture.

WINE PAIRING: A spritzy, acidic white counters the rich, cheesy sauce while standing up to smoky bacon. Go for grüner veltliner, albariño or steel-fermeted pinot gris.