Great New York/Neopolitan crust

[taxlady]

OK. I hear what all of you are saying. And all pizza is good. Some are just plain amazing. There are great thin crust, thick crust, Neapolitan, Chicago style, Sicilian style, etc. But unless you come to Sault Ste. Marie, MI, and try the pizza pasty served up at UpperCrust pizza, you are missing a unique and amazing pizza. You just have to try and make some for yourself. Take your favorite pizza crust, sauce, and toppings. Build your pizza. Now, before you bake it, fold it and press the edges together to form a half circle. Now bake it, let it cool just enough to handle. Pick that baby up with both hands and eat it. The cheese is so gooey, and every bite is intense, juicy beyond belief (make sure you have good napkins available), and just a bite of pizza heaven.

The pizza pasty is a pizza lovers holy grail, IMHO of course. I've lived in many states, and eaten pizza from both coasts, and Chicago. For me, there just isn't a better pizza made, period. And you can get it with your favorite toppings, all steamy and good. It should be on "The Best Food I Ever Ate". It's that good.

If your ever up in the Eastern U.P., you've got to try it. It does for pizza what grilling does for a PBJ.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Isn't that the same thing as a calzone?

 

[nestlund]

Calzone has ricotta inside and also the sauce is on the side for dipping. I live in chi and we have pizza puffs over here which uses pastry dough.

 

[roadfix]

Great looking crust on that pie!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Nestlund, your pizza looks great! I'm curious if you could tell us more about your toppings. Of course mushrooms... I can't tell for sure if your sauce is tomato based or otherwise what? Oh, and do you deliver?

I'm with Addie on the thin crust, and for similar reasons. I love pizza but I often feel that I'm eating too much bread, and the large quantity of bread makes me feel yucky. That's one of the reasons that motivated me to making my own pizza, so I can control how much crust (bread) I eat. Quantity of trust is my limiting factor on how much I can eat, and I'd rather have the limit set by the toppings. And I particularly like lots of vegetables on the toppings, because diet wise eating vegetables is almost free!

I can respect why some people like thick crust pizza. They are probably people whose metabolism handles eating lots of bread better than mine.

 

[Addie]

Nestlund, your pizza looks great! I'm curious if you could tell us more about your toppings. Of course mushrooms... I can't tell for sure if your sauce is tomato based or otherwise what? Oh, and do you deliver?

I'm with Addie on the thin crust, and for similar reasons. I love pizza but I often feel that I'm eating too much bread, and the large quantity of bread makes me feel yucky. That's one of the reasons that motivated me to making my own pizza, so I can control how much crust (bread) I eat. Quantity of trust is my limiting factor on how much I can eat, and I'd rather have the limit set by the toppings. And I particularly like lots of vegetables on the toppings, because diet wise eating vegetables is almost free!

I can respect why some people like thick crust pizza. They are probably people whose metabolism handles eating lots of bread better than mine.

I grew up when the second wave of Italian immigrants came right after the war. The first wave came when Boton was building 'up.' They were the bricklayers that built most of the buildings in Boston. They flooded the east coast with their native foods. And pizza was one of them. There was a pizza place on every corner. And they were all thin crust. The owners of these little pizza places were former POWs that were held here in East Boston at the prisoners' camp. They never went home when they were released. They had their ingredients imported from Italy. Eventually, there were stores where you could buy eveything Italian for homemade pizza.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Hrm... In any case I love pizza but I always reach my crust/bread limit before I reach my topping limit.

The best homemade I can imagine is that which I made at home. I would make it myself! (duh?)

Is this a proper topic to ask about pizza with no tomato sauce? Or encourage me and I'll start a new topic.

 

[Addie]

Hrm... In any case I love pizza but I always reach my crust/bread limit before I reach my topping limit.

The best homemade I can imagine is that which I made at home. I would make it myself! (duh?)

Is this a proper topic to ask about pizza with no tomato sauce? Or encourage me and I'll start a new topic.

This is the place. The pizza is called a 'white pizza.' My youngest son orders them all the time. He doesn't like anything tomato. Silly child. Some days I wonder if he is mine.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I like tomatoes and I like tomato sauce pizza, but there is something lacking that I would like some not tomato pizza too. I hope somebody will be inspired to post or discuss such recipes, perhaps not in this topic.

Honestly I don't have any facility to cook pizza anyway. I was pushing it when I had my house and stove/oven. In my current mini-oven I'm lucky to be able to warm bread. Cooking pizza is out of the question, but perhaps one day soon...

 

[Addie]

I like tomatoes and I like tomato sauce pizza, but there is something lacking that I would like some not tomato pizza too. I hope somebody will be inspired to post or discuss such recipes, perhaps not in this topic.

Honestly I don't have any facility to cook pizza anyway. I was pushing it when I had my house and stove/oven. In my current mini-oven I'm lucky to be able to warm bread. Cooking pizza is out of the question, but perhaps one day soon...

Someday just might be tomorrow. Somtimes wishes do come true.

 

[powerplantop]

16oz. 110 degree water
1 tsp. dry active yeast
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (king arthur is the best)
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp salt

Let yeast and water proof together for 5 mins

Add oil then flour then salt. Kneed for 3-5 mins in kitchen aid mixer with the hook attachment. Dough will be on the wetter side. Pour into bowl and let rise for 3 hrs. After 3 hrs punch dough down and layout on a floured bench. Cut into 4 equal doughballs. Lighty coat with vegetable oil and put into separate zip lock bags to further ferment to aquire a better tasting crust. Put doughballs into fridge for 24-48hrs. When rdy to make a pie let dough sit at room temp for 1-2 hrs before shaping the dough.

Nice looking pizza!

 

[powerplantop]

Giordanos is my favorite stuffed pizza. Malnatis is my fav deep dish. I love a giant 18in. new york slice as well. Thin crust is good to but i hate the cracker crust kind with the stiff cheese. If any of u guys are pizza fanatics go check out the forums at pizzamaking.com .

I also love all kinds of pizza.

I took this pic in Orlando, Fl of all places.


Giordano's Stuffed Crust Pizza by powerplantop, on Flickr

 

[Addie]

Just a friendly suggestion. Dough should never be "punched" down. It is a living thing. When you punch it down, you lose a lot of the gas by breaking the bubbles in the dough. You should handle it gently once it has risen. It is the gas that gives the dough life. This advice comes from several bread makers.

We have a bakery called "When Pigs Fly". The owners are renowned bread makers and have made bread several times with Julia and Martha. They have always emphasized, "do not punch the dough."

 

[Steve Kroll]

I also love all kinds of pizza.

I took this pic in Orlando, Fl of all places.


Giordano's Stuffed Crust Pizza by powerplantop, on Flickr

Now that's what I'm talking about. I think I just drooled on myself.

I love that they put the cheese on the bottom.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Now that's what I'm talking about. I think I just drooled on myself.

I love that they put the cheese on the bottom.

<<<<<< Towel...Bib!

 

[powerplantop]

Now that's what I'm talking about. I think I just drooled on myself.

I love that they put the cheese on the bottom.

This place was next to the hotel I was at in Orlando. Yes traveling for work has its down side....

Had a place serving a nice thin crust from a coal fired oven 3/4 of a mile away


Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza by powerplantop, on Flickr

They both were great in different ways.

 

[powerplantop]

<<<<<< Towel...Bib!

I made a few friends with the hotel staff that night!!!!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

This place was next to the hotel I was at in Orlando. Yes traveling for work has its down side....

Had a place serving a nice thin crust from a coal fired oven 3/4 of a mile away


Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza by powerplantop, on Flickr

They both were great in different ways.

Arrrgh!!! That is killer pizza....love that crust!

 

[Addie]

Arrrgh!!! That is killer pizza....love that crust!

Now that is my idea of a pizza crust. I could out with that pizza!!

 

[ChefJune]

Thin crispy crust for me. Chicago can keep their deep dish pizza. We have a barroom that makes a thin crust pizza. One size only. In the summer the line is around the corner and still growing. It was voted the best pizza in New England by our Boston Food Critic, The Phantom. About six years ago, I had a pizza party for six out-of-town vistors. Not one slice left.

Addie, Chicago also has thin, crispy crust pizza.

Don't you like Santarpio's?

 

[nestlund]

Heres one i made today. Couldn't resist eating half it before taking a pic.

Chef greg - for my sauce i use a cans of 6-1 tomatoes (whole ground) made by escalon. They are fantastic. I just add salt, garlic powder and a little oregano and put in fridge for 24hrs. No cooking.