Left: making pizza at Canal House; right: a woman carrying a pizza to the local communal oven in the mountainside village of Castel Vittorio, in Liguria

pizza · pizza · pizza

PIZZA DOUGH

makes four 10-inch pizzas

This pizza dough can be made early in the day and left to slowly rise in the refrigerator until the evening; you can even leave it overnight. Use this dough with any of the following recipes or with your own pizza toppings.

1 envelope active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)

3 tablespoons really good extravirgin olive oil, plus more for the crust

4 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading

2 teaspoons salt, plus more for the crust

Cornmeal

For the dough, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup warm water in a small bowl. Stir in 1¼ cups water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor. Pour the yeast mixture through the feed hole in the lid while the processor is running and process until the dough comes together and forms a sticky ball, about 1 minute. Turn the dough out on a floured work surface and briefly knead into a smooth ball. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Roll the dough around in the bowl until coated all over with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces on a lightly floured surface and shape each into a ball. Place the balls at least 5 inches apart, loosely cover them with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and let them rise until nearly doubled in size, 30–60 minutes.

Place a pizza stone on the upper rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°. Working with one ball at a time, stretch the dough into a 10-inch round on a floured surface, letting it rest and relax if resistant. Lay the dough out on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel or a rimless cookie sheet. Prick the surface with a fork, drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Arrange the pizza toppings of your choosing on the dough. Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. Bake until the crust is puffed and golden around the edges and the topping is bubbling hot, 6–8 minutes. Use the peel to remove the pizza from the oven.

GRILLED PIZZA MARGHERITA

It’s too hot in the summer to be trapped indoors making pizza with the oven blasting away at 500°. Take it outside! Fire up a charcoal grill and make these smoky grilled flatbreads (an ancient method, after all). This is our favorite grilled pizza, but try your hand at other toppings too.

Follow the instructions for Pizza Dough (see Pizza Dough) through the second step. Prepare a medium-hot hardwood charcoal or gas grill. Meanwhile, turn the pizza dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Tear or cut the dough into six pieces and shape each into a ball. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough relax for 5–30 minutes. Stretch the first ball of dough into a ½-inch-thick free-form disk, letting it rest and relax if resistant. Let the dough relax briefly, then stretch it out further until it is about ¼ inch thick and 8–10 inches in diameter. Slide the dough onto a floured pizza peel or rimless cookie sheet and prick all over with a fork.

Slide the dough onto the grill (don’t worry, the dough will not ooze through the grate!) over the medium-hot coals. Grill until the crust is set and the bottom has dark brown grill marks, about 1 minute. Using long tongs, transfer the crust to a clean surface, brush with some oil, and turn grilled side up. Repeat rolling and grilling process with the remaining balls of dough.

To assemble and finish grilling the pizza, spoon a thin film (about ¼ cup) of Raw Tomato Sauce (see Raw Tomato Sauce) over the crust, cover with 4–6 slices of fresh mozzarella, drizzle with really good extra-virgin olive oil, and scatter some basil leaves on top. Slide the pizza back onto the grill. Cover with the grill lid and grill the pizza until the cheese melts and the bottom of the pizza is crisp and browned, about 2 minutes.

Serve the pizzas hot off the grill, allowing them to rest briefly before slicing them into wedges.—makes 6 pizzas

Top to bottom: Prosciutto Lemon & Olive Pizza; White Clam Pizza; Potato & Onion Pizza; Escarole, Fontina & Black Olive Pizza

PROSCIUTTO, LEMON & OLIVE PIZZA

Arrange 3 ounces torn fresh mozzarella and 8 paper-thin lemon slices over the prepared pizza dough. Scatter 6–8 halved, pitted green olives and the leaves of 1 sprig fresh rosemary on top and sprinkle with a pinch of Aleppo pepper. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 6–8 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Drape 3 thin slices prosciutto over the hot pizza, drizzle with a little really good extra-virgin olive oil, and cut into wedges.—makes 1 pizza

WHITE CLAM PIZZA

Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until everything begins to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup drained, canned baby clams and a splash of the juice from the can, and season with salt to taste. Set aside. Using a vegetable peeler, make long shards of cheese from a 1-ounce hunk of parmigiano-reggiano. Scatter the cheese over the prepared pizza dough, then spoon the seasoned clams evenly over the top. Brush the edges of the dough with more olive oil. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and the clams are bubbling, 6–8 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and cut into wedges.—makes 1 pizza

POTATO & ONION PIZZA

Use a mandoline to thinly slice 2 Yukon gold potatoes. Wash the potato slices in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain the potatoes, toss with a generous pinch of salt, and transfer to a colander to drain and soften for about 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl. Add 1 small onion, sliced lengthwise. Add 2 tablespoons really good extra-virgin olive oil, season to taste with salt, and toss with your hands until the potatoes and onions are well coated. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Arrange the potatoes in overlapping circles over the prepared pizza dough, tucking slices of onion in between. Sprinkle a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes over the pizza, then brush the edges of the dough with more olive oil. Bake until the potatoes are tender and the crust is golden, 6–8 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and cut into wedges.—makes 1 pizza

ESCAROLE, FONTINA & BLACK OLIVE PIZZA

Rinse ¼ head of escarole. Coarsely chop the wet leaves (you should have about 4 cups). Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the wet leaves, season to taste with salt, and cook, stirring often, until they are limp, 2–3 minutes. Drain the escarole, then scatter the leaves, about ¼ cup grated Italian fontina, and a small handful of pitted, black oil-cured olives over the prepared pizza dough. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted, 6–8 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Drizzle with a little really good extra-virgin olive oil, and cut into wedges.—makes 1 pizza

PIZZA WITH HARISSA MUSSELS

Drizzle some really good extra-virgin olive oil over the prepared pizza dough and sprinkle with ½ cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Spoon a half recipe of Harissa Mussels (see Harissa Mussels) and their flavorful juices over the pizza. Cut into wedges.—makes 1 pizza

RAW TOMATO SAUCE

This recipe makes 4 cups of sauce and since you only need about ¼ cup for each little pizza, there will be leftover sauce. Don’t worry, it is money in the bank. The sauce keeps nicely in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, freezes beautifully, or use it to make Hot Spaghetti Tossed with Raw Tomato Sauce (see Hot Spaghetti Tossed with Raw Tomato Sauce).

Halve lengthwise 1½–2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes. Grate the cut sides of the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl, discarding the skin. Add 1–2 finely chopped cloves garlic, ½ cup passata di pomodoro, strained tomatoes, or tomato purée, and 4–6 tablespoons really good extravirgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.—makes about 4 cups