PIZZAZZ PAN RECIPES

Steps:

• Make tangzhong: In a small pot over medium-low heat, continuously whisk together 3 tablespoons flour and ? cup water until mixture is thickened and begins to bubble, 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, and yeast and let sit until frothy, about 15 minutes. Add to bowl remaining flours, the cooled tangzhong, and salt. Using a spatula, mix ingredients until a wet, soft dough forms. Cover bowl and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour. With dampened hands, going around the bowl, pick up one edge of the dough, stretch it upwards and fold it toward the opposite edge. Repeat this stretch and fold motion around the dough, then flip dough upside down so that the smooth side is facing up. Cover and rest at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, performing a stretch-and-fold every 45 minutes to 1 hour, for a total of four sets of stretch and folds.  After the final stretch and fold, halve dough and shape each half into a smooth boule. Grease two small bowls with olive oil, then place a boule into each bowl, seam-side down. Cover and rest overnight in the refrigerator, up to 4 days. (The longer the rest, the more flavorful the dough!) Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients until well combined. Refrigerate until ready for assembly. To assemble the pie: Remove dough from refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 1 hour. When dough has become more pliable, coat bottom of a 10” cast-iron skillet with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. On a lightly floured surface, using the pads of your fingers, flatten dough starting at the center of the ball, working your way outward. Gently stretch dough until it is about 8” wide, then place into prepared skillet and continue to press dough outward to reach ½” up the sides of the skillet. Let dough rest and proof until puffy, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.  30 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 500°. Place your skillet on medium heat and cook until edge of dough begins to sizzle and top of dough begins to puff, 4 to 5 minutes. Top dough evenly with cheeses, then dollop on sauce by the spoonful. Remove from heat and transfer to preheated oven. Bake until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, sauce is mostly set, and edges are caramelized, 11 to 14 minutes. Let pie cool briefly in skillet, then transfer to a cooling rack before serving. 

Steps:

• Make the dough a day or two before you want to bake; the recipe makes enough for three pies. Combine the flour and salt in your largest mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, combine the water, butter, olive oil and yeast. Mix well.
• Use a rubber spatula to create a well in the center on the flour mixture, and add to it the liquid from the other bowl, stirring with the spatula and scraping down the sides of the bowl to bring everything together. Mix it all together until it is a large, shaggy ball of wet dough, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the dough and, with floured hands, knead it until it is uniformly smooth and sticky, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Move the dough ball into a clean mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate, at least 6 hours and up to 24.
• The morning you want to make the pizzas, remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide into 3 chunks of equal size (about 600 grams each) and shape them into oblong balls. Use olive oil to grease three 10-inch cast-iron skillets, 8-inch-by-10-inch baking pans with high sides, 7-inch-by-11-inch glass baking dishes or some combination thereof, and place the balls into them. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature, 3 to 5 hours.
• Make the sauce. Place a saucepan over medium-low heat, and add to it 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until it is golden and aromatic, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and a pinch of chile flakes, and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is glossy and just beginning to caramelize.
• Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Take sauce off the heat, and stir in the honey and salt, to taste, then blend in an immersion blender or allow to cool and use a regular blender. (The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. It makes enough for 6 or so pies.)
• After 3 hours or so the dough will have almost doubled in size. Stretch the dough very gently to the sides of the pans, dimpling it softly with your fingers. The dough can then be left to rest for another 2 to 8 hours, covered with wrap.
• Make the pizzas. Heat oven to 450. Gently pull the dough to the edges of the pans if it hasn’t risen to the edges already. Use a spoon or ladle to put 4 to 5 tablespoons of sauce onto the dough, gently covering it entirely. Sprinkle the low-moisture mozzarella onto the pies, then dot them with the fresh mozzarella and the pepperoni to taste. Sprinkle with the oregano and lash with a little olive oil.
• Place the pizzas onto the middle rack of the oven on a large baking sheet or sheets to capture spills, then cook for 15 minutes or so. Use an offset spatula to lift the pizza and check the bottoms. The pizza is done when the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.