Pizza Diavola Recipes

PIZZA DIAVOLA

Steps:

• For dough, combine oil, yeast and 2 tbsp lukewarm water in a bowl to dissolve yeast. Combine flour and 1 tbsp salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add 680ml water and yeast mixture to well and mix with your hands to form a sticky dough (3-4 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap to hydrate (15 minutes), then knead on a lightly floured bench until smooth (2 minutes). Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to ferment (24 hours).
• Strain tomato (reserve juice for another use; it's good for Bloody Marys), then press through a colander into a bowl. Add oil, season to taste with salt and stir to combine.
• Preheat oven to 230°C or highest setting and preheat a pizza stone (see note). Portion dough into six on a lightly floured surface. Working with one piece at a time, place lightly floured hands around the dough and pull it towards you along the bench so the leading edge pulls under. Rotate, tucking edges under, and repeat to form a smooth ball - the aim is to create tension in the dough. Repeat with remaining dough, transfer to a greased tray, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and rest at room temperature until doubled in size (1½-2 hours).
• In batches, invert dough onto a floured surface. Heavily flour the top, then flatten to a 30cm round, pushing outwards from the centre using your fingers, without pressing on the edge so you get a good crust. If you have a pizza slide, assemble on a well-floured bench; if you don't, transfer bases to a floured pizza tray with holes to assemble (see note). Brush 2cm around the edge with olive oil for a crisp crust. Spread tomato mixture to reach edge of crust, place salami slices on top, touching but not overlapping, then jalapeños, then scatter with cheese. Transfer to pizza stone with a pizza slide or transfer tray onto stone in oven and bake until puffed and golden brown (10 minutes). Season to taste with salt and olive oil and serve.

SKILLET PIZZA DIAVOLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees with rack in lower third. Drizzle a 12-inch (measured from top) skillet (preferably cast iron) with oil. Wipe with a paper towel to evenly coat and remove excess. Turn dough out into skillet (do not punch down). Starting in center and using both hands, press down and stretch dough outward with your fingertips to edges of skillet, leaving a 1/2-inch border of undisturbed dough. Cover skillet with plastic wrap and let stand until dough puffs slightly, about 20 minutes.
• Lightly drizzle dough with oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread sauce evenly to border and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top evenly with feta, sausage, olives, chile, and oregano.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, mozzarella is melted and bubbly, and sausage is just cooked through, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in skillet 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

SPICY PIZZA DIAVOLA

Steps:

• Follow the Best Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
• Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here's the pizza oven we use).
• Prepare the Easy Pizza Sauce.
• Slice the mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick pieces. If it's incredibly watery fresh mozzarella (all brands vary), you may want to let it sit on a paper towel to remove moisture for about 15 minutes then dab the mozzarella with the paper towel to remove any additional moisture.
• Slice the olives in half. Thinly slice the chili pepper (keep the seeds).
• When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
• Use the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer of pizza sauce across the dough. Top with mozzarella cheese, saving out a small bite for tasting. Taste a bite of the mozzarella cheese; if it does not taste salty, add a pinch or two of kosher salt to the pizza. (The pizza has olives, which also adds saltiness.) Top the cheese with the sliced olives and chili peppers.
• Transfer the pizza to the pizza stone using the pizza peel, then bake until the cheese is melted, about 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in the pizza oven).
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for minutes, then top with torn basil leaves. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

IL DIAVOLO PIZZA

Steps:

• For the crust: In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the warm water. Let sit until it foams. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast mixture with the flour and salt. Mix until a smooth dough forms. The dough should be soft, not sticky (if it's sticky add more flour).
• Take the dough out of the mixing bowl, lay it on a flat surface and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest like this for at least 1 hour. After 1 hour, divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a flat surface. Cover each ball with a small amount of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for another 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to a flat surface covered with flour. Stretch each of the dough balls into a 12-inch round pizza crust.
• For the sauce: In a large saucepan, combine the olive oil and garlic. Heat on medium heat until the garlic is fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, crushed red pepper and salt. Stir together and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Take the sauce off the stove and let cool completely. Once the sauce is cool, add all the dried ground peppers. (Yes, that is a lot of heat!!)
• For the topping: Preheat a pizza stone in the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover each pizza crust with 1/2 cup of sauce. Top each pizza with 4 ounces mozzarella. Cover the cheese with fresh sliced habanero and jalapeno peppers to taste. For more intense heat, pile them on! Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Strap on your seatbelt and enjoy!