I'm betting this will not be the first time someone has tried to seduce you into making pizza at home - meaning homemade dough, from scratch.
So let's assume you already know that homemade pizza is better and quicker and cheaper than what you can buy at the neighborhood pizza place. You know the reasons to make your own, which are as obvious as they are appealing: You can top a pizza with virtually anything (from special ingredients to leftovers) or almost nothing (one of my favorites is little more than a smear of caramelized leeks dotted with taleggio). You can bake it in minutes - it takes longer to heat up the oven than to bake a pie.
And the result makes everyone happy. The average weeknight dinner is suddenly a soiree.
But still, you resist. The trouble is, pizza is sort of a pain. You have to plan for it. Knead the dough. Let it rise. Clean up after it. And if you don't bake it in a day or two, it sits in the refrigerator, scowling at you, growing a tough skin and causing guilt.
This may be the pizza method that finally persuades you. It's a technique that dispatches all the obvious obstacles; a recipe I've spent the last 20 years tweaking and tinkering with in a quest for the kind of artisanal crust you want in as little time and with as little effort as possible.
Originally, the goal wasn't efficiency. It was achieving the perfect combination of a crisp exterior crust and tangy interior crumb. But through much research and many pies, I discovered two allies in the kitchen that can make homemade pizza easier, faster and, yes, a regular weeknight event.
These allies are your food processor and your freezer. They set up pizza making to be nearly as simple as putting a frozen chicken breast on the counter to thaw on your way out the door in the morning. And really, wouldn't you rather eat pizza?
I like this technique (from my book, "Truly, Madly Pizza," out this month from Rodale) because there is no kneading, no counter to clean and no extended rise. You simply combine five ingredients in the food processor and let it run for 2-3 minutes. By the time you've put away the flour and olive oil, the hard labor is done and you're holding a ball of dough, enough for two medium pizzas.
Give the dough a couple of quick folds, dimple it like focaccia and let it rise for 20 minutes. Wash the food processor and put it away, and the dough is ready. Cut it in half, bundle it in plastic wrap and throw it into the freezer until the morning of the day you want to use it. From here on out, you don't have to think about the dough any more than you would think about defrosting a flank steak or pork chops.
The freezing solves myriad problems. First, it allows you to always have dinner on hand. Once the food processor is out, it's nearly as easy to make two or three batches of dough as it is one. Whipping up a few at once means homemade pizza can be a twice- or even a three-times-a-week routine.
And by freezing the dough and then letting the thaw serve as the extended rise, you don't have to baby-sit it. Once it's out of the freezer and in the fridge, the yeast reactivates, the flavor continues to develop and the dough sits tight until dinnertime.
By embracing your food processor and your freezer (admittedly not the sexiest but certainly two of the most useful pieces of kitchen equipment), pizza can become a habit. And why not? It's healthy; you know exactly what's going into it and on top of it. And it tastes good.
If you spend 30 minutes this weekend making a batch of dough, you can freeze it and then transfer it to the refrigerator before you leave the house any day next week while the coffee is brewing and you're getting set for the day. When you come home, you'll be rewarded with the prospect of a homemade pizza dinner mere minutes after the oven heats.
Smear, spread and scatter toppings on the crust; toss a salad, and open a bottle of wine. Dinner is ready.
Quick Pizza Dough
Time: About 30 minutes
Makes: 2 crusts (serves 4)
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup warm water
2 or 3 tablespoons medium or coarse cornmeal
1. Make the dough: Put the flour, yeast and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, pour the oil through the feed tube, then add the water in a slow, steady stream. Continue to process for 2-3 minutes (the dough should form a rough ball and ride around in the processor). The finished dough should be soft, slightly sticky and elastic. If too dry, add a bit more water; if too wet, a tablespoon or so more flour.
2. Lay a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Work the dough into a rectangle on the plastic, about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Press your fingers into the top of the dough all over, making indentations as though it were a focaccia. Fold the left third of the dough over (as you would a letter) and repeat the indentations. Fold the right third over and make the indentations again. Cover the folded dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
3. Cut the dough in half, form each piece into a neat ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. The morning before you want to make pizza, transfer the dough to the refrigerator to thaw.
4. Make the pizza: Bring the dough to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Put a pizza stone in the oven and heat to 550 degrees. (If you don't have a stone, oil a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.) Dust a peel or the greased baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Working with the dough in your hands (not flat on a work surface), gently begin to stretch the dough into a circular shape, pressing your fist into the center of the dough and pulling at the edges with your other hand. With both hands, stretch the dough, being careful not to tear it. Working in a circular motion, pull the thicker edges of the dough outward, letting gravity help you. Continue to stretch the dough until it's relatively even in thickness (the edges will be thicker) and you have the size you want. Carefully lay it on the peel or baking sheet.
5. Top the pizza as desired and either slide it off the peel and onto your heated stone, or place the baking sheet into the oven. Cook the pizza for 6 to 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
© 2015 New York Times News Service