Pizza Dough

Dear Devon,

In recent weeks, my craving for a good slice of pizza has almost brought me to a standstill. I didn’t think I was the type who would miss a hamburger, everything bagels, and a crispy slice of New York pizza, but it turns out I am. My sister had asked me to post something on pizza. Renee is one of the few people in the entire world that I will indulge. Anyway, I wanted pizza.

My New York self six months ago must have anticipated that pizza would bring my daily routine to a halt, because I packed a photocopied pizza dough recipe from Cindy Mushet’s The Art and Soul of Baking. Although I had never tried this recipe, I have found success with many others from her book. Once I succeeded in converting English to metric, I was ready to start kneading pizza dough.
Mushet’s The Art and Soul of Baking is one of my all time favorites, but her dependence on the classic KitchenAid stand mixer disappoints me. I do not have the counter space, storage facilities, or the resources to call this irreplaceable tool my own. It would certainly be handy for making bread and whipping egg whites, but until I own that sprawling California kitchen, I’ll make do with good old arm strength.

After two anxiety attacks, I adapted the recipe to a non-mechanical process. A few practice rounds later, I streamlined the process, making fresh pizza dough a simple morning task.

Mushet’s recipe makes enough dough for 2 large pizzas. I highly recommend making the recipe in full. The dough is relatively easy to make and the results are fantastic. If you halve the recipe, which I did at first, you will regret it as soon as you finish that last bite. After dividing the dough into halves (or thirds, in fact), I make one pizza for the oven and wrap and seal the remaining dough in a ziplock bag destined for the freezer. Defrosting the dough is simple and takes only a few hours in the fridge. I also like to date whatever goes in the freezer. Sometimes, things go in and don’t come out. I don’t recommend eating that two-year-old lamb curry in the back corner of your freezer.

Fresh Pizza Dough
(adapted from Cindy Mushet, The Art and Soul of Baking, p. 77-78)
makes 3 pizzas

¼ cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast, or 1 ¾ tsp instant yeast
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
3 ¼ cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt


In a bowl, mix together yeast and warm water. Add a pinch of sugar and whisk until well blended. Wait five minutes until the mixture gets a bit frothy and milky. Add water and olive to the bowl, mixing to blend (as best you can). The mixture should smell like fresh yeast, sweet and pungent.

On a clean surface, dump out measured flour and salt. Loosely blend with your fingers. Pull the flour together into a roughly pyramidal mound. Make a large well in the center, pushing flour outwards to create a roughly 8-inch “bowl.”

Pour the yeast mixture into the center of the well. Using a fork, slowly incorporate the flour into the mixture, continuously whisking to get rid of any lumps. Continue adding flour with the fork, moving around the base of the flour mound. When the mixture becomes too difficult to mix with the fork, begin breaching the flour walls by adding flour from the top of the wall. Work quickly or the loose dough will run all over the board. Continue to add flour until a rough dough forms. It should be sticky, pungent, and roughly textured. Work into a lump and set in a bowl to rest for 20 minutes. Cover with a lint free cloth.

On a well floured surface, turn out dough. With floured hands, knead for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed. It is a fairly resilient dough. A touch more flour will not affect its final outcome. Set in a lightly oiled bowl to rise for 40 to 60 minutes. Cover with a lint free cloth.

At this point, the dough can be frozen or refrigerated for future use. If destined for the freezer, be sure to divide the dough into halves, wrap in plastic wrap and place into an airtight ziplock bag. Mushet says the dough will stay good up to one month in the freezer. I recently made an eggplant and olive pizza using the frozen dough. It turned out great, just plan a few hours for defrosting and you’re all set.

Double Vanilla Pound Cake

Dear Devon,

13 May 2010
Jet lag is brutal. I'm going to bed at 9:30 PM and waking up at 6:30 AM. It is very unsettling. This morning, I actually exercised before going to work! Does that ever happen? I'm in the process of picking through my hundreds of France photos. I will try to send you some images soon. Until then, here is something I prepared before my trip which unfortunately I did not have time to send before leaving for France. Enjoy!


25 April 2010
I'm slowly falling into a routine where each Sunday I bake something to last for the week. Perhaps it is my sentimental side or maybe it's my desire to spoil myself with freshly baked treats? This week, I chose a simple double vanilla pound cake. Convenience was a major factor in the selection process. I had all the ingredients in the pantry, including a cup of heavy whipping cream that needs to be finished and plump vanilla beans. When the fates align, it would be foolish to ignore the signs.

The recipe comes from a marvelous cookbook called The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet. With some subtle hinting, I tipped the hands of fate and received the coveted book as a birthday present last year. I am really impressed with this cookbook. With its clear and concise writing and luscious photographs, the book is a constant source of inspiration. Ordinary pantry-found ingredients like flour, eggs, baking powder, butter are called for with a selection of exotic flavorings (kumquats, kiwis, coconut) but nothing too wild or difficult to locate. I, generally, steer clear from recipes that call for super exotic ingredients. It's always difficult to figure out what to do with your kafir lime leaves after you've made that one recipe you need them for (mine are still in the freezer, six months later).

Pound cakes are normally molded in a loaf pan. This works out well because currently the loaf pan is the only cake mold I have available. The recipe is the basic butter cake recipe with the added twist of two types of vanilla flavoring: vanilla extract and vanilla bean. On their own, both are potent flavoring techniques, so what happens when they are combined? The nicely browned cake smelled of a heady mix of butter and vanilla. The cake was dense and intensely flavored. I toasted a thick slice, creating a slightly burned edge and slathered the top with a generous mound of rich whipped cream. The intense vanilla flavor seemed to call for a cup of darkly brewed tea, if not a small snifter of brandy.

I like vanilla but a little can go a long way. For future double vanilla pound cakes, I am going to reduce the amount of vanilla extract to 3/4 tsp vanilla and throw in a bit of lemon or orange zest. The zest will brighten the flavor and cut some of the sweetness from the extract. The cake will definitely serve as a great base for trifles, baked Alaskas, or a compote of mixed berries.


Double Vanilla Pound Cake
The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet (p. 311-312)

6 oz (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
3 eggs, at room temp
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups cake flour
1/3 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together three eggs.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in sugar. Split open lengthwise one vanilla bean. Using the back of the knife (or a spoon), scrape out all the seeds. Add to sugar and whisk liberally. Beat in butter using an electric mixer, until pale yellow and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Alternately mix in dry and wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour batter into butter loaf pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a metal rack. Serve with a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream.