The Cheese Board (46 page)

All of our pizzas are variations on a theme. We build most of our pies by layering the ingredients in the following order: Mozzarella, onions, other vegetables, more Mozzarella, a different variety of cheese, and, after baking, the application of a flavored olive oil and an herb garnish.

Follow the steps below for a successful and simple pizza.

The Cheese Board pizza is made with a sourdough crust that is very similar to the baguette dough. For convenience and variety, we have also included a recipe for a yeasted dough that is quicker to make than the sourdough recipe. Both pizza crust recipes are pretty forgiving; they can sit for a while after being stretched out and built if you are getting behind in the baking step. There are two key factors for successfully shaping pizza rounds: you need a soft dough that is wetter than a bread dough, and you must let the loose rounds rest a sufficient amount of time before shaping. In shaping pizzas, this resting step is 20 minutes, longer than in most of our bread recipes.

To shape pizza dough, transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 pieces. Form the dough into
loose rounds
and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rest for 20 minutes. Scatter fine cornmeal or flour onto 3 inverted baking sheets. Sprinkle more flour on the work surface and pat each round out into a disk. Starting about 2 inches in from the edge of the disk, use your
fingertips to work the dough out toward the edge, almost like you are typing but with a very firm touch (
fig. A
).

If the dough is resistant or springs back immediately, allow the round to rest for another 5 minutes. Once you have made it around the circle of dough, move toward the center of the disk and work the dough out in the same manner. Sprinkle the work surface with more flour, flip the disk over (
fig. B
), and continue to pat out the entire disk into an 8-inch round.

Next, flour the back of your hands and place your right hand, formed into a loose fist, under the flattened round. Lift the disk off the work surface and place the back of your left hand under the flattened disk as well (
fig. C
).

Rotate the disk a couple of times by alternating your fists with a slight pulling out motion. Place the disk on the prepared baking sheet and pat and push it into a finished 10-inch round (
fig. D
).

The disk should be about ⅛ inch thick at the center and slightly thicker at the edge. Repeat the process for the other 2 rounds.

The total amount of Mozzarella doesn’t vary much from one type of pizza to another, though there is some variation in how much goes in the first layer and how much goes in the second layer. More Mozzarella is placed under
wetter vegetables such as tomatoes, and less on top, to keep the crust from getting soggy by sealing it and letting some of the moisture cook off during baking. In the case of a partially cooked vegetable (such as roasted eggplant, peppers, or potatoes), we distribute an even amount of Mozzarella on the top and bottom.

We choose vegetables by what is seasonally available and what suits our fancy. We typically use one or two varieties of vegetables per pizza recipe, plus onions. Some vegetables are used fresh, some are roasted first, and some are tossed with various condiments (salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil). If using vegetables that are full of moisture, such as tomatoes or cabbage, you will need to bake the pizzas for about 5 minutes longer.

The top layer of cheese is most often a fresh goat cheese that is moist and tangy (as opposed to a harder, aged variety), or a salty Feta or Gorgonzola.

For the home baker, we have developed a pizza-baking method that approximates what we do at the pizzeria. This involves keeping a close eye on the bake and rotating the pizzas to different levels in the oven. We recommend using a
baking stone
for two reasons: it ensures that the bottom of the crust will be crisp—the hallmark of a Cheese Board pizza—and the stone gives you an additional level for your bake, which means you can produce pizzas more quickly for your hungry crowd. If you do decide to use a baking stone, be sure to preheat your oven with the baking stone on the oven floor for 45 minutes before you bake. Before removing the pizza from the oven, peer underneath at the bottom of the pizza; you want a crisp, well-browned crust with a golden brown top.

The olive oil hitting the hot crust just after it has been taken out of the oven creates the perfume of the pizza. The flavoring of the oil (usually garlic) imparts an aroma that suits the components of each pizza.

The garnishes are usually fresh herbs; sometimes we use pesto made from basil or sun-dried tomatoes. We also sometimes use tapenade.