Control issues
Our annual pizza party is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand it’s the best party of the year; on the other I have to host it. There’s a recurring dream I have for weeks before the event where I’m standing naked in the kitchen in front of hundreds of guests — none of whom I know — trying in vain to get my dough to rise. What does it mean, Doctor?
This year the party almost didn’t happen. We’re in the middle of a severe heat wave and the thought of firing the oven seemed a little insane. We sort-of invited people and told them not to get too excited, that we’d let them know. But our great friends, Bruce and JoJo, were returning to Umbria for the summer after living for two years in Laos and Bruce is the supreme pizzaiolo. It seemed a waste not to take advantage of his talent, so we finally committed to the party.
We decided to make the dough on the day because when we’ve made it the day before, there was never enough refrigerator space to store it plus the thousands of containers of the various toppings. So we started making and kneading the dough at noon and we didn’t stop working until about two the next morning. That’s the pizza party.
The crowd was an eclectic mix of friends and strangers — it always turns out that way — and there were also some close friends missing because of our utter lack of organization. Purtroppo.
But the pizza? The pizza was ottimo — the best — the best I have ever tasted. The dough was made of a combination of one-third “00” flour and two-thirds “0”. This ratio of Italian flours has been developed over the years by Bruce and myself; it’s been tasted and tested by our severely critical friends and it has proven to be the perfect blend for pizza. Then each ball of dough gets a nice knuckle of biga, that Jill made a few days before. This is a starter that we use as a supplement to the yeast and it gives the dough a satiny feel and a deep yeasty flavor.
It’s not ALL about the dough.
The toppings were garden fresh, the mozzarella fresh and creamy — all that was good. But the star of the show was the forno, the 16th century wood-burning oven that stands outside our kitchen door. Bruce cranked her all the way up this year. I’ve never seen a hotter fire. He’s now perfected his method of moving the fire back and to the sides as it’s growing so that the center of the oven — the cooking space — is almost completely surrounded by intense heat, which I believe is the secret to great pizza. When the fire was at its peak. Bruce decided wait an hour so as not to incinerate the first ten pizzas. We didn’t start cooking until around 9:00, but when we did, the pizzas cooked brilliantly in around a minute to a minute-and-a-half. There’s a moment of alchemy when a pizza hits the 750 degree heat. The dough gets sanctified by the fire. It becomes other than it was — and it happens in an instant. I think if it takes more than a minute and a half to make a pizza, it’s not a great pizza.
Bruce brings the forno to bear.
In New York, a number of “authentic Naples” pizzerias have opened. They have a pizzaiolo fresh from Naples; they have the bufola mozzarella, the San Marzano tomatoes; they have a document proclaiming them the real McCoy from the Pizzamakers Federation of Naples. They have it all — except their ovens aren’t hot enough. I don’t know what it is — maybe there are ordinances in New York that don’t allow infernos in mid-town Manhattan or Brooklyn; maybe because they want their ovens to be part of the decor, they have to tone them down so as not to burn all the hair off their patrons during dinner. But the ovens aren’t hot enough. The pizza I’ve tried in these places is, alas, often mediocre. The oven at Pepe’s in New Haven is hot enough; the oven at Pepe’s in Fairfield isn’t. And that makes all the difference.
Between all the great photographers at the party, not one of them got a shot of the pizza. They were all otherwise engaged.
Photos by jim Fornari and Barbara Tucker
Sounds wonderful Michael! Care to share your pizza dough recipe? I have a gluten sensitivity here in the states but have no problem eating pasta, pizza and bread in Italy. Apparently wheat here has been genetically altered to increase production/profits. Europe doesn’t allow it. After returning home this past trip I ordered a case of Caputo 00 flour and am looking forward to making some pizza dough.
Now I am homesick….missing the BEST pizza in all these years!!!! I can hardly imagine.
Miss you guys but can tell the Umbrian party goes on.
A presto.
What a paean to pizzza! Perfect!
“sanctified by the fire”–what a great line, Mikey
Hi Mike…
Well, yesterday, (while at work as it was so slow) sadly I finished reading “Living In a Foreign Language”……..I really didn’t want the book to end as then my “time in Italy living with you guys” would be over. (Or so I thought) In the last several pages, you finally fired up the forno, and had your first pizza party!
And then this morning, I woke up to your blog and you’re having your annual pizza party, and voilé, I’m back in Italy again…… :) It was wonderful…….and so my journey continues too…
I loved the photos you included as well..
I have to say, when I read the line in the book where you needed another “drinkarino”(saying how you just made English words Italian) I literally laughed OUT LOUD…..remember, I’m at work! For some reason, that just stuck me so funny!
I’m so glad I discovered Culinary Wasteland. Can’t wait until the next blog!
HI Mike…can I be one of the strangers at the next party please?…that fire looks incrediable…weren’t you melting in those jeans?…the secret obviously is to have the outside oven…it’s just too hot for inside a restaurant…can’t imagine how long it takes to assemble all the toppings…what a production! Bravo!
So, Mike, what about coal vs wood? In Philadelphia a pizza place with an anthracite coal oven could get hot. Very hot. But in Providence RI Al Forno’s had a stack of mixed hardwood for their ovens – mostly oak and hickory I think. They had their cords of wood in a long line 50 ft. long by 6 wide. Now the Philadelphia place may have had the edge on heat but (could be my imagination) but I never thought the flavor right. I think they tended to slightly overcook – their pizza was always a bit more singed than I’d loved best. The wood burning Al Forno’s may not have had the heat you have achieved, and their focus was more on roasted pasta 4-cheese numbers. But their paper-thin pizza provoked people from Boston to actually drive to deepest RI for that pizza. It was good, but I doubt cooked as hot as you’re, that sounds like it must be of a different order entirely. But Al Forno’s was enfused with that wood, and was so thin it makes me think they may have achieved your 1 & 1/2 rule, but I’ll bet without the heat.
So where are you on coal?
jimmy
@ Jimmy — Pepe’s oven in New Haven is coal and they make great pizza. Also Arturo’s on Houston Street in New York. I actually like their pizza a lot, too. But the taste of wood smoke is better, I think.
As to Al Forno, they also made grilled pizza, which was a totally revolutionary thing. I’ve tried it works great — especially if you have asbestos fingers. But there again the grill has to be very hot. Pizza likes hot.
@ Debbie — You can’t be a stranger at the next party, but we’d love to have you.
@ Gloria — I like getting you in trouble at work.
@ Sherry –
1 cup “00″ flour
2 cups “0″ flour
(or three cups good all- purpose flour)
1 tbsp of salt
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
mix the dry things together in a processor;
slowly pour the water and yeast into it until it forms a ball;
Then turn it onto a floured table and knead it for ten minutes;
(it was at this point that we added an ounce-and-a-half of biga;
Then then it rise;
My mouth is watering! Beautiful post Michael- thanks for sharing. I live vicariously through your blog, having stayed high up in the hills at Karen & Martin’s place last year. I dream of returning…. and of tasting your pizza perfection!
Some friends in the mountains of North Carolina have an outdoor pizza oven built into the side of a hill and have been hosting a pizza party like this for several hundred friends and “new friends” the week of July 4th for almost 40 years. (The fireworks show is also amazing.) As beautiful as the scenery is, alas, it’s not in Italy. I hope to have a place like yours and a pizza oven of my own within a couple of years.
Love this post. How long should the dough rise? Do you punch it down and let it rise again? How about resting the dough?
OK, if Toronto gets to come Vancouver should get to come! I won’t be a stranger but would like to reserve the option to be a little strange ~ in an interesting way. You know us Canadians, always on the edge!
Ciao Michael, Ahhh, Umbrian pizza ovens-the best! We live 20 minutes from Pepe’s in New Haven (my cousin is a waitress there) and love the pizza. Also, saw you at RJ Julia is Madison CT and you were awesome. In addition, we have a second home in Bevagna, Umbria. Kindred spirits I’d say- and your book has been read more than once by us, especially when we are in CT and missing our Umbria.
All the best to you and Jill.
@ Andrea — between Pepe’s and Bevagna — you’re lucky people! We ate at Trattoria Oscar in Bevagna last week and loved it
@ Rita — As for resting, let the dough lead you. If it resists, let it rest a bit.
@ Keith — Pizza for several hundred? That’s a lot of work — but fun!
@ Heather — Thanks. And do come back to Umbria!
Ah, the pizza party!!!! Thinking of you for all sorts of reasons, sending loads and loads of love!