…Like a big pizza pie, that’s a bore, eh. Homemade pizza should be delicious, but whatever we did this week fell a little short of expectations. It wasn’t awful. We still ate it, but I can not, in good conscience, give our meal a glowing review. Making it was fun, though.
We mixed up the dough in the afternoon, and let it rise for a couple hours.Both Phil and I worked at pizza places in our younger days in Newton, Kansas. Ben always requests that I toss the dough in the air, and this dough flinging seemed to really tickle Ben’s funny bone..Once for my birthday, Sophia took Ben shopping with her so they could each buy me a present. She is a great sister and daughter. He apparently attempted to purchase any number of things that he thought I might enjoy…giving to him. Sophia eventually steered him towards a gift that was perfect for me, but was also in his price range. The day before my birthday, while I was making dinner, Ben asked repeatedly if it was time for presents, and was told any number of times that presents wouldn’t happen until my actual birthday. In his zeal, he tried one more time. “It’s time for presents! Remember, Sophie? The pizza cutter?” “Ben, you brat!” Sophia scolded, “Presents are supposed to be a surprise!” “I didn’t hear a thing,” I assured. At this point, Ben turned to me and said in a loud, clear voice, “PIZ-ZA CUT-TER.”So, how do you serve an item sliced with a PIZ-ZA CUT-TER? On a pizza plate, of course.
Like usual, we used the recipe that came with our first Kitchen Aid mixer. Phil mixed up some sauce. We used toppings we all like. But somehow, the whole was way less than the sum if its parts. I was the first to declare it a little “meh” and Phil said the crust was a like a cracker. I asked Ben if he liked this better or Marco’s pizza, and he diplomatically replied, “Both.”
Ultimately, if you want a good pizza, call Marco’s, or if you’re early enough, Leo’s. Consider my omission of our recipe to be a public service. You’re welcome.
I’m pretty sure I know how to fix our pizza failures, but if you have a sure-fire recipe or technique, we’re all ears!
The cranberry pistachio biscotti was good! This is one of Phil’s holiday favorites, but Ben prefers more decadent desserts. It was a nice ending to our allegedly Italian meal, though Ben had nothing to do with its production or consumption.
We may have lost our homemade pizza mojo (it’s, frankly, been on the decline for years) but we are all Christmassed up around here, and feeling pretty jolly!
I enjoyed tonight’s entry (for the book) even without a recipe. This was real too. I liked the pizza plate and especially the response to, “ I
Didn’t hear a thing” !! When I was teaching in Elimsport, I said, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse”. They looked at me in horror, no laughter.
Thank you all for Bensdaywednesday. My favorite photo is the last one !!! Ben is Christmas !!!
“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!” would be the wrong idiom to use in Elimsport! Thank you for reading the blog and for sharing!
Rachid loves to make pizza on Friday evenings and has even been known to do his happy dance when contemplating the prospect. It helps to have the freezer stocked with a grated cheese blend bagged in two-pizza portions and well-seasoned sauce made with garden tomatoes (someone else’s garden). However, we have recently upped our pizza game with a different dough technique. We were always very satisfied with the Kitchen Aid recipe, until I read this in the newest Joy of Cooking: “Home pizza baking has taken a turn for the better over the past ten years or so. Instead of quick-rising yeast doughs, many home pizza bakers now prefer slower rising doughs that are allowed to sit overnight in the refrigerator, offering up a chewier crumb and better flavor.” Chagrined at our ignorance, we tried the slow rising recipe (we make it early in the morning) and must admit that the flavor is superior. Rachid had to be convinced that thinking ahead and making the dough while the coffee is brewing was worth it but is now a convert. The next frontier may be a pizza steel (more ignorance on our part), which the Joy of Cooking authors claim produces “pies that seem to defy what we once thought of as homemade pizza.” You can read about this yourself in the new Joy, pp. 613-14. The dough recipe only uses 1/4 t. of yeast!
I have done a 24-hour version with very little yeast, and it was a great success, so I don’t know why I didn’t think to do it this time. I have been doing a “rustic” homemade bread using the same technique, so I definitely need to revisit for pizza.I think the sauce was another weak link in the operation. What is your plan when you don’t have a delicious sauce from home grown tomatoes? We welcome dead-of-winter guidance since we don’t have any sauce from home grown tomatoes sitting around!
I enjoyed tonight’s entry (for the book) even without a recipe. This was real too. I liked the pizza plate and especially the response to, “ I
Didn’t hear a thing” !! When I was teaching in Elimsport, I said, “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse”. They looked at me in horror, no laughter.
Thank you all for Bensdaywednesday. My favorite photo is the last one !!! Ben is Christmas !!!
“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!” would be the wrong idiom to use in Elimsport! Thank you for reading the blog and for sharing!
Rachid loves to make pizza on Friday evenings and has even been known to do his happy dance when contemplating the prospect. It helps to have the freezer stocked with a grated cheese blend bagged in two-pizza portions and well-seasoned sauce made with garden tomatoes (someone else’s garden). However, we have recently upped our pizza game with a different dough technique. We were always very satisfied with the Kitchen Aid recipe, until I read this in the newest Joy of Cooking: “Home pizza baking has taken a turn for the better over the past ten years or so. Instead of quick-rising yeast doughs, many home pizza bakers now prefer slower rising doughs that are allowed to sit overnight in the refrigerator, offering up a chewier crumb and better flavor.” Chagrined at our ignorance, we tried the slow rising recipe (we make it early in the morning) and must admit that the flavor is superior. Rachid had to be convinced that thinking ahead and making the dough while the coffee is brewing was worth it but is now a convert. The next frontier may be a pizza steel (more ignorance on our part), which the Joy of Cooking authors claim produces “pies that seem to defy what we once thought of as homemade pizza.” You can read about this yourself in the new Joy, pp. 613-14. The dough recipe only uses 1/4 t. of yeast!
I have done a 24-hour version with very little yeast, and it was a great success, so I don’t know why I didn’t think to do it this time. I have been doing a “rustic” homemade bread using the same technique, so I definitely need to revisit for pizza.I think the sauce was another weak link in the operation. What is your plan when you don’t have a delicious sauce from home grown tomatoes? We welcome dead-of-winter guidance since we don’t have any sauce from home grown tomatoes sitting around!