Photo: 12" Shrimp Pizza/ click on comments for more photos!
I had two fairly large pre-frozen dough ball recipes from Neo-Neapolitan P.R. American Pie. Pre-heated my oven and stone to 550...it was set to come on and be pre-heated automatic for one hour...dough balls were left out to thaw...so when I returned home later that afternoon....everything would be ready for a fast pizza dinner...well under 30 min. dinner ready salad and all. I opened a can of crushed San Marsano Tomatoes...Albertson's carries the brand...also had a package of combination shredded Italian cheeses, provolone, parmesan, asiago, fontina, romano and mozzarella...I know some itailians don't believe in mixing cheese with the sea food...some like it...we like it.. cheese on pasta, pizza, ect..with shrimp! I had a few nice mushrooms so sliced those up..added my spices/herbs/garlic...to my crushed tomato..not a white pizza with the shrimp tonite! I had about a dozen frozen fresh shrimp...Trader Joe's taste great and so handy out of the freezer...picked some fresh basil from my garden. Floured my wooden paddle, laid my dough on it and poked it out into small circle...lifted it and stretched/slapped it back and forth over my hands...using only flour on one side/bottom...I do not add any more flour on my dough...till I had a faily large 12" or so circle...laid it down on the floured brushed wooden paddel....ladeled sauce, added cheese mixture, topped with chopped shrimp, mushrooms, one with a little sliced basil one without the fresh basil...Shook the paddle with little jerks to make sure everything was slidding....sat the paddle front tip down..holding the paddle low from the stone and gave a forward/backward little jerk till the tip of the pizza came in contact with the stone and gently slid the paddle back releasing the pizza nicely onto the stone! Less than 8 minutes everything was done! Lifted the pizza out with the paddle onto my paper grocery sack...keeps the crust crisp, I never put my pizza on a plate to slice..gets to soggy..poured a little EVVOil on top and sliced...
This crust is fairly denser to support the heavy toppings and brown nicely on the bottom...delicious flavor from the pre-fermented dough..with a chewy, crispy crust...Made two pizza's in less than 20 minutes. Just Beginning to Brown.
Comments
The raw shrimp cooked perfect in time with the pizza and other toppings.
Sylvia
Your description of the process and flavors is perfect Sylvia. A tantalizing post if ever there was one!
Eric
Thank you ... I just pictured in my head what I did and tried to write it down as best & I could...I hope I tempted others to try it...it doesn't take long to make a good pizza routine...and the best part is there's hardly any mess..in the beginnng I had flour everywhere!
Sylvia
That crust looks to die for!!! Do you allow your dough to rise a little bit before topping or placing in the oven? Do you just top and straight to the oven? I ihave to try the Marsano Tomatoes. I have yet too.
Excellent!
Eli
www.elisfoods.wordpress.com
Hi Eli, you always give such nice compliments..thank you so much..
I forgot to write that my dough was actually a little cool to touch still when I shaped it...my husband goes to work early and so I make his dinner for him to eat as late as possible before he has to leave...so the dough was a little cool as I shaped and topped it right away as fast as I could and put it right into the oven....I don't let my crust rise any before topping it...it just comes alive the minute it hits that hot stone...it blows bubbles and puffs it's crumb....resting the dough for a minute or so does help the stretching if your having a problem shaping....I didn't rest this one either...it was very supple and easy to shape now that I use this faster shaping method..."the secret's in the handling of the dough" "I think" because...the flipping over my hands/wrists and holding the edges and/or putting my hands under the dough and gently stretching...puts air into the dough and not only makes it stretch out amazing fast and easy...but this keeps the dough from being overworked so this seems to result in a great crumb,crust,flavor of the dough....I have used some recipes with a lot more hydration...and they are a little more delicate to work with but you get the same results...this dough recipe to me seems really sturdy, stronger...it has a lot of strength...it does not tear easily at all! Also I find working with making a larger pizza makes it so much easier if you do want to flip/stretch the dough...you can't really do it with a little 8" pizza!..so your not going to get the air into the crust that the flipping and stretching does! Hard to explain...hope you can visualize or better yet try it!
The San Marzano tomatos from Albertson's I get are California grown San Marzano's...don't tell Italy...but I also have had the canned imported ones..and I like the California ones much more..'a firm,sweet,acidity thats great..crushed ones seem to have just the texture for my sauce'...I've heard it said because California has the perfect climate conditions for growning great tomatoes...I know the crust is the most important flavor...but I love the sauce to be just as good...I'm real picky when it comes to tomato sauce flavor's.
Sylvia