National Pizza Day is Feb. 9 and if you haven’t had a slice of the pie yet, whip up your own. Food Network chefs Donatella Arpaia and Anne Burrell share recipes for their go-to pizzas. Arpaia serves up Prova Pizzabar’s Margherita Pizza and Homemade Pizza Dough while Burrell dishes on her Grilled Pizzetta with Stracchino, Sausage, Arugula and Chili Oil.
Donatella Arpaia’s Pizza Dough
2¾ teaspoons fresh yeast or active dry yeast
4⅛ cups fresh water
2¾ tablespoons sea salt
12⅓ cups type “00” flour
Olive oil
1. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until the yeast is creamy, about 1 minute. Stir until the yeast dissolves. In a large bowl add the sea salt, then the yeast mixture and the flour; stir until a soft dough forms.
2. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly coat another large bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap and store someplace warm; let rise until it doubles in size, about 6 hours.
3. Shape the dough into 20-ounce ball. Place the ball on a nonstick surface or parchment paper, and then cover with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let the dough rise until doubled, 8-12 hours.
4. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Your homemade dough is now ready to be baked. Remove dough and allow it to come to temperature for 45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to as high as it can go for 15 minutes. Take sheet pan tray and spread thin layer of oil all over. Put some flour on your hand and stretch dough on table, then transfer into tray and press the dough further into shape of pan. Then drizzle dough with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Donatella Arpaia’s Margherita Pizza
1 lb. pizza dough or homemade pizza dough
3-4 tbs olive oil
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes
5-6 basil leaves
1. Preheat oven on low for 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough ball in half. Working one ball of dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to ½-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter—12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can pinch the edges if you want to form a lip.
3. Spread 2 tbs. olive oil over dough.
4. Slice the tomatoes and arrange over pizza dough. Then slice the mozzarella and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Tear basil leaves and place over the mozzarella.
5. Transfer pizza to a cooling rack in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, rotating once 90 degrees halfway through cooking.
Anne Burrell’s Grilled Pizzetta with Stracchino, Sausage, Arugula & Chili Oil
Serves 6
“I love the charred flavor of grilled pizza. You can top it with anything, of course, but this version is one of my favorites,” said Burrell. “It’s crispy and crunchy, kind of like a grilled cracker. Whenever I eat pizza I always give it a sprinkey-dink of crushed red pepper—it’s just better with a little kick. That’s why I make this infused oil for my pizzetta. It’s an amazing way to get a big flavor bump, and while I love this chili oil on pizza, it’s great on lots and lots of things.”
Chili Oil
5 to 6 Fresno chili peppers, roughly chopped
1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
1. Bring the chilies and oil to a simmer in a small saucepan; remove from the heat and let the peppers steep in the oil for at least an hour or until the dough has risen and you’re ready to make the pizzas. This can be done in advance.
Dough
1½ tsp active dry yeast
½ tsp sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
½ tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl and grill
1. While the oil steeps combine the yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water in a small bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes until foamy and yeasty-smelling.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Using a fork, stir until the flour and liquids are well combined. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured, clean work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 6 to 7 minutes. Lightly coat the mixing bowl with olive oil, return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is ready, portion it into six golf-ball-size pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle. If you’re not using the dough right away, wrap each ball individually in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pizza Topping
Extra virgin olive oil
½ lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb. stracchino or other mild, creamy cheese, such as ricotta, Taleggio, or Fontina, at room temperature
1 bunch of arugula, trimmed
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. and preheat the grill.
2. Coat a large sauté pan with oil, add the sausage, and bring to medium heat. Cook the sausage until brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. Brush the grill with oil and arrange each piece of dough on the grill; you might need to work in batches here. Grill until the dough is stiff and crisp and has lovely grill marks on it, then flip and repeat on the second side, moving occasionally so the bottom doesn’t burn.
4. Put the pizzas on baking sheets, schmear each with some stracchino, top with sausage, and put as many pizzas as will comfortably fit in the oven; bake until the cheese has melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Again, you may have to work in batches. Remove the pizzas from the oven, top with arugula, and drizzle with the spicy chili oil.
