I recently had the chance to eat at a wonderful little restaurant that specializes in wood-fired pizzas. Not my first time enjoying these delicious little discs of dough and cheesy goodness, but this time I got to thinking, "I wish I could do this at home."
After a little research, I found there is a way to recreate this style of pizza yourself. We gave it a try this weekend, and overall were very pleased...and more importantly, full!
As I was searching for wood-fired pizza techniques and recipes, I found TheStoneSoup.com. What a wonderful resource! Not only did I use her pizza dough recipe, I saved several others to try later. [If they are successful, I'll be sure the share.] The pizza dough recipe and tips can be found here, as well as in her virtual cookbook available by signing up on her blog.
This is a very simple recipe, but follow the tips...the extra kneading, good bread flour, rolling it out thin, going light on the toppings, and heat are keys to success.
So here goes...we made the pizza, following all the instructions. We decided to use our gas BBQ with a pizza stone on the grill. We thought it would give us more heat.
Jules at Stone Soup recommends putting your stone right on the bottom of your oven. Our heating element is on the top, so that wasn't an option for us. Preheating your stone is critical, no matter where you'll be cooking.
While the BBQ worked well, my pizza stone may never be the same. Less heat next time, I think. And we'll test the oven next time.
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| BBQ Pulled Pork with mozzarella and red onions |
As an avid pizza topping over-loader, I had a hard time not piling on my toppings. This wood-fired style definitely takes the "less is more" approach.
Our combinations were:
- BBQ sauce, fresh mozzarella, pulled pork, and grilled red onions
- Red sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, salami and roasted garlic
- Red sauce and fresh mozzarella...you know, for the kids.
I hope you give this a try! Now I'm off to try her Sicilian Nut Pesto.
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