“The Tucci Table”
Book Gallery / Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Makes two 12-inch pizza bases
Ingredients
1 packet of dry yeast 7 grams
2 cups of warm water
4 cups of all-purpose flour and more to dust
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
Instructions
1. First, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Then, in a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Make a hole in the center and add the leavened water. Add the dough, adding more hot water as you go, until you get a soft dough. You may not need to use all the water – you are looking for the dough just to form.
2. Lightly flour the work surface and unmold the dough. Knead until you get a smooth dough; you may need to add more flour as you go so that it doesn’t get too sticky. Form a ball with the dough, place it in a clean bowl, cover lightly and set aside in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
3. Divide the dough in half. Gently pull and extend each portion on a floured surface, handling the dough carefully and letting it stretch and fall on the back of the hands until it reaches an even thickness.
4. Cover the pasta as desired: spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over the pasta. Top with sliced mozzarella, a good grated Parmigiano and some fresh basil leaves. Place each element at random, placing one ingredient where the other is not.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges of the pizza are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
From “Tucci’s table: cooking with family and friends”, by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt. Copyright © 2014 by Stanley Tucci. Reproduced with permission from Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.