the perfect sourdough pizza

I am obsessed with pizza. If I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life it would be this specific pizza combo:

• sourdough crust
• san marzano tomato sauce
• fresh mozzarella
• a boatload of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
• thinly shaved prosciutto
• a handful of arugula
• hot honey drizzle

This recipe is my perfect pizza. I love a Neapolitan-style pizza so that is what I am going for with this recipe. I like to use my homemade sourdough pizza dough, but any pizza dough will do. Make sure you take it out of the fridge a few hours before baking to let the dough room temp before shaping. Also, place a pizza stone in the oven and turn it on to the hottest setting it goes about an hour before baking. A really hot oven is key.

While the oven is heating, make a quick tomato pizza sauce with a can of good-quality whole peeled san marzano tomatoes, a lot of garlic, some oregano, a glug of olive oil, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Remove the whole tomatoes from the sauce and place in a blender. Blend until you reach your desired consistency, preferably very smooth.

Shape your pizza on a floured surface. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal and place your shaped dough on top. The cornmeal is crucial for not having the dough stick. Spread a thin layer of the sauce over the pizza dough, less is more here. Too much sauce will make the crust soggy. I top the sauce with small hunks of fresh mozzarella, spaced about an inch or so apart, which is key. Too much cheese will make the cheese layer too thick and it will not blend into the tomato sauce well. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, and a drizzle of olive, then slide the pizza in the oven.

Bake on a pizza stone in an oven heated to the hottest setting it goes. I never time it, I like to just go by what I see. The cheese and sauce will be bubbling, the crust will start to darken in spots. If you find that annoying, about 10 minutes or so. You can also turn on the broil setting for a minute or so to really help the crust get some charred spots. Remove from the oven with your pizza peel. Let the pizza cool for a couple of minutes before adding the toppings.

Making pizza at home is not for everyone. It can be hard to execute. I’ve had a lot of pizza failures before now. The dough wants to stick to everything, the oven never gets as hot as it needs to be, you may not have a pizza stone or pizza peel, and the right ratio of sauce and cheese can be hard to achieve, which may make that take out delivery pizza a little more enticing. But don’t be tempted. Fast food pizza is not the same. You won’t ever get this kind of pizza from Domino’s. This is a fancy restaurant recipe. Though, it won’t be the same as a wood-fired pizza, it’s damn close. If you are blessed with a pizza oven this is what you need to be baking next.

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