I'll get straight to the point: This pizza was AHHH-MAZING! For the throwdown we invited about ten of our professional taste tester friends over for a pizza party, one of them being The Big Guy's buddy, Mike, who is a real Dough Boy.
He arrived with pizza stones and pizza peel in hand and I loaned him my very cool chef's hat and we got to work making pies.
Per the recipe the dough needs about 18 hours to rest so I made it the day before and then watched it do its thang and its thang is to turn into a heavenly bowl of dough that is as soft as a baby's bottom. Chef Dough Boy lovingly patted it into shape then everyone took turns making their own creations with toppings that included prosciutto, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, red sauce, white sauce, pesto, pineapple, tomatoes-sun-dried and fresh, roasted red peppers, kalamata and black olives, fresh basil, arugula, oregano and the kitchen sink.
And then there were the cheeses! We had mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar, and Karen brought some fancy burrata. Sticking to the cover recipe, I ordered the stracciatella (from Alma Gourmet ) and it was soooo freaking fresh and good that I just wanted to eat it with a spoon. This I know: Water buffalo milk mozzarella kicks cow's milk mozzarella any day and I'm now I thinking I want a water buffalo for a pet.
The first pie I put together I put on the sauce of imported Italian tomatoes, which I squeezed by hand just like the BA bully told me to do. That was pretty much when I stopped paying attention because I then put the mozzarella, stracciatella, oregano and crushed red pepper on it and Chef Dough Boy slid it into one my blazing 500 degree ovens. When it came out of the oven the stracciatella was pretty melty and runny and it wasn't a very handsome pie. Hmmmm...Then Karen read the recipe and said that you were supposed to put the stracciatella, oregano and red pepper on the pizza AFTER it comes out of the oven. Duh! So I did that on the second one and forget handsome, this one was down right pretty.
The Lowdown on the Throwdown:
There were two reasons this pizza was was so fabulous: the crust and the cheese. I'm certain the secret to the wonderful crust was the 18 hour resting period and the fact that you barely handled it. No kneading involved so it remained soft, and tender and baked up into an airy and crispy crust, soft yet chewy. Unlike other pizza doughs that you have to whip into shape, this dough went right where you told it to go and behaved like a well trained husband.
My professional taste testers and I believe this may have been THEE best pizza we have ever eaten. Thanks, BA!
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| For the recipe click here |
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