EATING OUR FEELINGS
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Mix dough ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand until a smooth dough forms. Place in a sealed container brushed with olive oil. Refrigerate for one to three days, until doubled in size. 2. Remove dough from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and preheat the oven to 500°F. 3. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Sprinkle semolina flour on your work area and stretch the dough by hand. Rosenthal has written a 14-paragraph direction for this, and there are a million videos to watch. But they are all governed by the universal wisdom of samu- rai philosopher Miyamoto Musashi, whose every nuanced instruc- tion for defeating your enemy with mind and sword was appended with some version of, “This re- quires thorough training and prac- tice.” It will not work out the first time. But it will still taste good. 4. Place the stretched dough on the baking sheet. Brush the edg- es with oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt on them. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce in the centre of the dough, followed by a handful of cheese. Bake until blis- tered but not burnt, about 10 to 15 minutes.
— the percentage of the dough’s weight that comes from liquid. I’ve been working from a reci- pe by Joe Rosenthal, a Minne- sota-based mathematician, food writer, and devotee of New York pizza, which has a hydration rate between the high 50s to low 60s. “Gluten is formed by a network of proteins primarily made up of glutenin and gliadin, which are water-soluble and water- insoluble, respectively,” writes Rosenthal. “When hydrat- ed, glutenin provides strength and elasticity to a dough while gliadin increases viscosity and provides extensibility, which contributes to rise.” When I started making piz- za at home, I was buying dough, rolling it out with a pin, and shaping it to fit a rectangular baking tray. Over time, seeing how much my family likes piz- za and how often we eat it, it felt worthwhile to get as good as possible at this. I experimented for months, probably making a couple dozen before the pizza was something I was proud of. Along the way, I switched out my tomato sauce for just San Marzano tomatoes, pureed in the can with a pinch of salt. And I’ve made modest in- vestments, like a scale that can measure out 0.001 grams, to get a precise weight on yeast. But I’m still baking on the same bat- tered sheet pans I’ve had for 20 years. It helps to have a family who thinks that your first try (which you consider a flop) is delicious, and is happy to have pizza as of- ten as you make it. Here is my method for one 13-inch pizza.
NEW YORK– STYLE PIZZA SERVES 1–2 DOUGH 194 g all-purpose flour 4.8 g salt 0.5 g instant yeast 2.7 g sugar 4 g fat (olive oil) 120 g water
TO ASSEMBLE more oil semolina flour coarse salt tomato sauce cheese
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FOOD/PROP STYLING/PHOTOGRAPHY MARISA CURATOLO
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