You never really know who might be a foodie. They’re lurking among us, and some fly under the radar more than my food-obsessed self, who will take just about any opportunity I can get to gab about all things gastronomic.
I recently sat down with Superintendent of Schools Eric Olson for a chat, where I learned that, in addition to possessing a passion for educating local youth, he’s also quite the gourmand.
An avid home cook, our school chief is fond of making pizzas, something he and his wife do together. He takes the lead on the sauce, cooking up a from-scratch marinara to top his pies, while his other half is in charge of the dough.
I love that collaboration, and I have a feeling I would love their Detroit-style pizza, which, coincidentally, both the Olsons and I happened to make in the same week recently.
I’m still working on my perfect Detroit-style pie — a rectangular, thick-crusted, pan-baked style known for its super crispy, flavorful edges, a hefty layer of gooey cheese and racing stripes of tomato sauce adding bursts of color and flavor to the top.
In my household, we’re really more thin-crust pizza people. After all, I was raised just outside of New Haven, Conn., which is known for its cracker-thin, super-charred, coal-fired “apizza.”
Fortunately, I have mastered a dough that works with either of these styles, from super thick to extra thin, and everywhere in between.
It is the most versatile dough and it comes together in a snap, with no kneading required. Even if you have no experience making bread or working with yeast, I promise you can make this dough.
I can’t promise you’ll be able to make a good pizza with it, though.
That takes practice, patience and sometimes luck. I remember how awful my first attempts at pizza were, as a little baby chef. It wasn’t pretty, people, but we all have to start somewhere.
If you want to learn to make pizza, it’s far more than I could teach you here in this column. I can recommend a great book to get you started, though.
It’s kind of a mouthful, but Jim Lahey’s 2012 cookbook “My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home” was my pizza-making bible when I was first getting serious about the craft.
Lahey’s dough is so simple and spectacular that it went viral after Mark Bittman shared it via the New York Times. I used it as written for nearly a decade before I started tweaking it to suit my own tastes.
What I’ve ended up with is something of my own creation at this point, but it was heavily influenced and inspired by Lahey’s.
One change I made was to switch from all-purpose to bread flour, as it yields a chewier crust. If all you have on hand is all-purpose (AP) flour, it’ll still work just fine.
I also like to use bottled spring water now, because the chlorinated flavor of my home’s tap water comes through in a noticeably icky way. But if you like the taste of what comes out of your faucet, then save yourself the money and just use that.
Once you’ve got your ingredients on hand, it’s purely dump and stir, no fancy equipment needed — just a big bowl and a spoon (or your hands). Combine the ingredients, which are marked by a small amount of yeast and a fairly large proportion of water, as this is a high-hydration situation. Stir until shaggy, either with a spoon or your hands (I do both).
Then set it and forget it. It’s got a long rise time, so plan ahead. You basically leave it out on the counter for a full day — 18 to 24 hours is the sweet spot, in my opinion. Your patience will be rewarded, as time does all the work for you.
By using such a minuscule amount of yeast, you’re extending the fermentation time, building flavor. And that long, slow rise is also giving the gluten time to develop, which is what usually happens when we knead.
The magic behind no-knead doughs like this is a process known as passive gluten development. You wind up with a dough that behaves as if it had been perfectly kneaded, without any of the labor.
Once it’s doubled in size and looks very different from that shaggy mass you started with, you can use it immediately or keep it in the fridge.
I prefer to use it after it’s hung out in the refrigerator for at least a day or two, because it will continue to ferment and build flavor as it sits. Just make sure it’s covered or it will dry out. I like to move it from the bowl to a ziplock bag, where it takes up less space and air won’t get to it.
The longer it sits in the fridge, the easier it is to work with. After five to seven days, it goes so slack, it practically rolls itself out.
If you do go the fridge route, make sure to bring it up to room temperature before using. On pizza night, I like to take it out a few hours ahead of time and let it sit in its bag on the counter, warming up. This just makes it much easier to work with and stretch, as cold dough snaps back.
I mentioned this dough was versatile, and I mean it. I use it to make much more than just pizza. It’s great for making stuffed breads, like calzones or stromboli; turning into “pizza sandwiches” (Google it); as a base for focaccia; baking off little rolls or bigger loaves — you can even veer into sweet territory and turn it into cinnamon rolls!
Have fun, be creative and don’t sweat it if you screw up. It’s just dough.
Lauren Flaum is the food- and cooking-obsessed managing editor of the Monticello Times. When she’s not busy running the paper, you can find her in the kitchen, cooking, baking, experimenting or cultivating her ever-growing cookbook collection. Do you have a recipe for her to try out and publish? Or maybe a comment on something you tried? Send an email to lauren.flaum@apgecm.com.
No-knead pizza dough
Makes about 2 large pizzas, three small/medium pies or four personal-size
Ingredients:
500 grams bread flour (17.5 ounces or about 3 ¾ cups); can sub all-purpose flour
Scant ½ teaspoon instant or active dry yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups water
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add water and olive oil and mix thoroughly using a spoon or your hands, until a shaggy dough forms.
Cover with plastic wrap or an overturned plastic grocery bag and allow to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 18 hours, up to 24 hours, until about double in size.
Store tightly covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before using.
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