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Pizza Tips FAQs

Real Food Living FAQ series
PIZZA TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The Real Food Living FAQ and reprints are provided as information only. The comments contained in the FAQ are the opinions of our readers. Before making any radical changes in your diet, please talk with your personal health care provider.

Vickilynn Haycraft, Editor

1.  Do you have a pizza stone or a pizza pan? Which one do you prefer?
2.  What should I look for in a pizza stone?
3.  How do you season a pizza stone?
4.  Do you have to pre-heat a pizza stone? How do you use one?
5.  Does a stone have more than one use? (I need to justify the expense!)
6.  Should I buy an unglazed stone, or a glazed one?
7.  My pizza crust came out all soggy. What did I do wrong?
8.  My pizza crust came out like a *GIANT* pita pocket bread. DH called it "The Pita That Ate New York"! It was great for snacking on in little pieces, but we were counting on pizza. What did I do wrong?
9.  What is the difference between regular crusts and foccaccia?
10.  Can I freeze pizza dough? Baked or unbaked?
11.  Do your pizza tops (cheese) get too brown for the amount of baking to get the crust brown?
12.  Any other make-ahead tips you can give me?
13.  One last request for recipes, please!

1. Do you have a pizza stone or a pizza pan? Which one do you prefer?
A. Here is a compilation of various responses:

• We own three pizza pans with perforations (one with large holes, the other with small holes and one that's a deep dish with small holes) and we like the results just fine.

• King Arthur flour's catalog and the Bosch catalog sell 'tiles' for the same purpose which come with a wire tray that holds them. They say these are perfect for pizza and bread, but they are square, whereas my pizza stone is round.

• I have pizza pans with holes (the big ones). We've never had problems with it, always crispy on the bottom. One hint though - you need to stretch out the dough *before* you put it in the pan or else the dough will go through the holes, as you try to spread it out on the pan, and make it *much* harder to get out once it's done. (Ask me how I know! ) Mine is made by Rosco (they also make bread pans). I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I don't remember how much it was but I do remember it was cheaper than the stones.

• I got my pizza stones at a "Pampered Chef" party, but I have seen the same ones (I think) in the Lehman's Non-Electric catalogue and maybe at Wal-mart. The people at Lehman's are very helpful and you could call and ask if these are the light, no-pre-bake stones.

• I have two steel pizza pans, the old-fashioned kind. They are not coated or non-stick, but I've used them so much they don't need treating any more! <G> My deep dish pizza pan comes with a clamp on handle (like the ones you see at restaurants); my regular pizza pan has a small lip on it. During the holidays, it is pressed into service as a cookie sheet, too! I use my deep dish pan to make granola in, too. I got them both at - I'm sure you won't be surprised! - GARAGE SALES!

2. What should I look for in a pizza stone?
A. Here are suggestions from WFD readers:

• Be sure to buy one that has its own rack or handles so that you can get your pizza out of the oven without "mushing" it.

• Don't buy one that needs pre-heating! Then you have a hot stone, and you're trying to spread dough and toppings on a hot tile!

• The heavier they are, the harder they are to lift out of the oven. Sounds obvious, but my first pizza stone was so heavy I didn't like using it. I *love* my new, lighter stone!!!

• I have one and it doesn't have a wire rack to help get it out of the oven, but we usually just pull our oven rack out and then slide the pizza off onto another pan for cutting/serving. It's really heavy too.

• If you have one of those heavy stones that need pre-baking, store it in your oven and buy a pizza peel to use to slide the pizza on to the hot stone

3. How do you season a pizza stone?
A. Check for the directions that come with the stone. If you don't have them, try this:
The 1st time you use a stone, wash it with plain warm water (no soap) let air dry and *lightly* spread olive oil or lecithin onto the stone. Smooth in with your hands, let it sit about an hour then use. You shouldn't need to do this more than once to "season" your stone.

4. Do you have to pre-heat a pizza stone? How do you use one?
A. It depends on the stone! The heavier stones often do require pre-heating, or they will crack. You need to look at the directions to see what the manufacturer says to do about pre-heating. Mine don't need to be pre-heated, so I roll my dough out on the stone and then just place the stone in the oven to bake and I remove the stone and the cooked pizza to the counter when finished. NO messing with messy pizza peels coming in or out.

To use a stone that needs preheating: roll out your crust, transfer it to the peel which is well dusted with corn meal (or flour works too) & maybe roll it out a little more, about 1/4" thick, put on the toppings and meanwhile your stone has been preheating in a 450 oven. The longer you preheat the stone, the crispier the crust. Then you open the oven door & do a little Italian-o maneuver with "shaking" your crust FROM the peel ONTO the stone. I forgot to mention, make sure you've sprinkled your stone with corn meal too (can do that right when you're ready). The only problem I've had is when I didn't dust the peel enough & the crust was kind of sticking, so my "shaking" maneuver ended up with lots of mozzarella on the floor of the hot oven (stinky) & a crumpled pizza...it was still delish!

5. Does a stone have more than one use? (I need to justify the expense!)
A. You bet! I have made bread on my stone too. If you like French bread with that ultra thick/crunch crust, it works well for that. I also bake rolls, cookies and bagels on these stones.

6. Should I buy an unglazed stone, or a glazed one?
A. There are no health concerns that I am aware of for using the unglazed stones, but there are some reported with using any glazed stone or tile as some glazes contain lead. As long as the tile you are using is for making food, it should be safe. When in doubt, call the manufacturer! I guess that is why I wouldn't "make my own" cooking tile, because I couldn't be sure that the ceramic medium used was food grade and safe (i.e. lead-free). If you have doubts, you could purchase a lead-testing kit and test your stone.

7. My pizza crust came out all soggy. What did I do wrong?
A. Well, let's see... Did you pre-bake it before adding sauce and toppings? Was your tomato sauce too runny? Did you use a lot of fresh vegys (which add moisture) to the toppings? Was your oven hot enough? Did you use too much oil on your pan? Did you put on cornmeal to make the crust crisper? Hope these hints help!

8. My pizza crust came out like a *GIANT* pita pocket bread. DH called it "The Pita That Ate New York"! It was great for snacking on in little pieces, but we were counting on pizza. What did I do wrong?
A. "The Pita that Ate New York!" LOL!!!! Sorry for laughing, but it sounds like something I would do! Here's the secret: prick the crust with a fork to prevent bubbling once it's on the pan or stone.

9. What is the difference between regular crusts and foccaccia?
A. Foccacia is a thicker bread than pizza crust. You can eat it either as a bread (for sandwiches, dips, etc) or as a super-thick pizza crust. Here's a GREAT recipe!!!

WHOLE WHEAT FOCACCIA
by Vickilynn Haycraft

1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp SAF yeast
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
approx 1 1/2 - 2 cups more flour
3 T dried rosemary-crumbled
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves fesh garlic-minced (opt)

Place warm water, honey and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add 1 1/2 cup WW flour to make sticky dough. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in salt, rosemary and olive oil. Add enough additional flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and sticks to itself. Knead 5-8 minutes by machine and 10 minutes by hand adding more flour if necessary until no longer sticky.

On an oiled surface, roll dough out to 10-12 inch flat circle (like a pizza crust, in fact you can use this as a pizza crust) Transfer to lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush top with 2 T olive oil, and garlic. Let rise uncovered for 10 minutes (no more). Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve slice in wedges or cut in half lengthwise.

I use my large round Tupperware containers for pre-baked pizza crusts. (They are the size to carry cupcakes.) I roll out my crust, being sure to fit the crust size to the Tupperware, bake them for about 8-10 minutes, cool and wrap well before freezing. I can fit two crusts inside the container, which is enough to feed about 8 hungry people in 20 minutes.

11. Do your pizza tops (cheese) get too brown for the amount of baking to get the crust brown?
A. I have to say that my pizzas do cook up a whole lot better since cooking on the stone. I pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes, take out and top. Then I cook the pizzas for about 10 minutes and my crusts are just right and the top is golden brown.

12. Any other make-ahead tips you can give me?
A. I try during the month or as often as needed, to set aside a kitchen day to make and freeze certain items. One day I will make pizza dough. On a different day I will make sauce and freeze it in bags in the needed amount for pizza. I repeat my kitchen day to replenish the item when it is used. I can't TELL you how much hassle (and money!) this saves us!

13. One last request for recipes, please!
A. Here are 2 that we love:

BASIC PIZZA CRUST
Vickilynn Haycraft

Basic Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts
makes ANY of the following

TWO 15 inch thin crust pizzas
TWO 12 inch thick crust pizzas
TWO 9 x 13 med-thin rectangular pizzas
FOUR 10 inch personal pizzas
SIX 8 inch thin personal pizzas
SIX 8 inch thin calzones
TWO dozen small breadsticks

1 1/2 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 ½ teaspoon SAF yeast
1 tsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tablespoons vital gluten (optional)
4 cups freshly ground hard whole wheat flour
Additional flour if necessary

Place warm water in a mixing bowl and add yeast and honey. Stir until dissolved. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes until foamy. This is "proofing" your yeast. (If using SAF yeast, you may skip this step and add all ingredients together)

Add oil, salt vital gluten and 2 cups of flour. Mix well.

Add more flour, one cup at a time mixing well after each addition until dough clings together and you can turn out on a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and springy about 10-12 minutes by hand or until smooth and springy.

Place dough in a bowl. Rub a little olive oil over the dough, turning to get all sides. Cover the bowl and let dough rise 30 minutes. Punch down, take dough out on a floured surface and divide into desired pieces depending on what size pan and how many pizzas you choose.

Preheat oven to 450 . Roll out pizza dough out on the floured surface one inch wider than your pan. Turn the extra inch over towards the center to form a crust and press down to seal. Prick lightly with a fork over the surface of the crust. Bake empty in a 450 for 5 minutes or until just lightly golden, but not brown.

Take pizza crust out of oven. If freezing, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before wrapping and freezing.

If using right away, spread sauce evenly over crust, BE CAREFUL not to use too much sauce as this can cause the crust to become soggy. Add toppings and cheese if desired. bake at 450 for about 10 minutes or until the crust is brown and the toppings are cooked.

***Note, if you prefer and thicker, "breadier" crust, let the dough rise on the stone after shaping until puffy, then pre-bake and finish as directed.

***If you have 2 stones, you can piggy-back rolling, pre-baking and baking your pizzas.

***This works better if you get the metal handles for the pizza stones, it is easier to grab and not squash the crust.

If using a cake pan, jelly roll pan, round metal pizza pan or pizza screen, you may need to brush lightly with olive oil and dust with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

If desired, divide the dough into "personal" size pizzas ( 6 - 8 inches) and allow each family member to create their own pizza with different toppings.

You can also make this dough in an autobakery bread machine. Place ingredients in the bread machine baking pan in the order according to your machine’s manufacturer. Use 4 cups of whole grain flour. Choose "DOUGH" cycle. Check the dough after 5 minutes to make sure it is forming a ball. Adjust with water or flour as needed. and when the machine beep, remove the dough and shape and bake as described above.

SPINACH PIZZA DOUGH

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, undrained and uncooked
1 T olive oil
1 T honey
1/2 t salt
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water

Dissolve yeast in water, let stand 5 minutes. Combine rest of the ingredients and stir well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Knead 5 to 8 times. Roll into desired size crusts. Place on pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray or spread liquid lecithin / oil mixture. Bake 425 for 5 minutes. Freezes really well.