Old World Pizza Recipes

OLD-WORLD PIZZA

Steps:

• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in sugar, salt, oil and flour. Beat vigorously 20 strokes. Cover and let rest about 15 minutes. , With buttered fingers, pat crust into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Cover with pizza sauce. Top with next four ingredients. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until crust and cheese are lightly browned.

OLD WORLD CHICAGO-STYLE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the milk, water, yeast and sugar. Lightly whisk and let sit until bubbly and the yeast is bloomed, about 5 minutes. Add the oil.
• Mix the all-purpose flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Set the mixer to medium-low speed and slowly add the yeast mixture until entirely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything homogenous. Knead on medium low until the dough is glossy and forms a rough ball, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set it in a warm part of the kitchen until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Split the dough into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the balls of dough as THIN as possible with a rolling pin. To get an even "trimmed" circle, use a large round lid to trim a rim around the dough. Sprinkle some semolina flour on a pizza peel. Carefully transfer the round of dough to the peel. Dock the crust with a fork or docker, poking holes all over the surface to keep it thin and crispy.
• Working quickly, add half of the pizza sauce almost all of the way to the edge of the crust, leaving about a 1-inch border. For the pepperoni side, place an even layer of pepperoni directly on top of the sauce on half of the pizza. Combine the skim- and whole-milk mozzarella in a large bowl and top the entire pizza with half of the cheese. Top the pepperoni side with some more scattered rounds of pepperoni. For the sausage side, spread half of the giardiniera on top of the cheese, then dollop with hunks of the Italian sausage on top. Transfer to the pizza stone in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board with the pizza peel. Make another pizza with the remaining ingredients.
• Let the pizza rest for 4 or 5 minutes, then cut into small squares--never triangles. This is called the party cut. Why? Because no matter what's going on, when you're eating Chicago thin crust, it's always a big ol' party.

OLD-WORLD PIZZA MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, olives, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, pepper, onion, soup mix and 1/2 cup pizza sauce. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into a 10x6-in. rectangle and place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; Spoon remaining pizza sauce over top., Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing., Reserve 2 slices meat loaf for Next Day Meat Loaf Pie recipe. Serve the remaining meat loaf.