Feral Cooks

Good food shouldn't be tame

You are here: Home / Italian / Pizza, Karl Style

Pizza, Karl Style

April 12, 2016 By Karl 1 Comment

Mushrooms and bacon go so well together on a pizza.

Mushrooms and bacon go so well together on a pizza.

The dough for this recipe is based on the Charles and Michele Scicolone recipe, from the December 1998 Pizza. Serves 2 or 3.

This write-up may make things look complicated, but it’s really a straightforward process that (other than the dough-rise time) doesn’t more than 30 minutes or so. It’s well forth the time and effort.

The way I make the dough for this pizza leads to a crispy and chewy crust. Unlike the original recipe, I use this for one pizza, not two.

What you’ll need for the dough:

1t active dry yeast
2/3-cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
2 cups bleached, all-purpose flour
1t salt
A bit of olive oil

This is one the my favorite meals made at home.

This is one the my favorite meals made at home.

What to do to make the dough/crust for a 12-inch pizza:

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand 1 minute, or until the yeast is creamy. Stir until the yeast dissolves.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt (I omit the salt and use garlic and onion powder). Add the yeast/water and stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Kneading is imperative to get the right consistency.
3. Very lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, and roll the dough so it has a light coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Flatten the dough with your fist. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape the pieces into balls (this is the step that I omit). Flatten the dough slightly. Dust the top(s) with flour. Place the balls (or ball) of dough on a floured surface and cover with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let rise 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. At this point—using a pizza stone—I preheat the oven for 1 hour at 500° F. Do you really need a pizza stone? For me, I highly recommend it.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the toppings.

The mint leaves add a hing of sweetness to offset the bacon.

The mint leaves add a hing of sweetness to offset the bacon. I have since found that using ginger preserve makes a nice “sauce.”

For the pizza shown, I used:

• Olive oil for brushing on crust before the toppings
• 1 medium yellow onion slowly caramelized over low heat
• 8 oz run-of-the-mill mushrooms that I sautéed over medium heat until they stopped shedding water—oyster, shiitake or some more flavorful mushroom would make the pizza even better!
• 3 pieces of thick bacon, cooked till crispy, then cut up
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and cut to sit evenly across the pizza
• 1 diced Roma tomato (put on pizza after cooking)
• Fresh mint leaves (put on pizza after cooking)—adds a nice level of sweetness
• Truffle oil, optional
• If I had it in the house, I would have sprinkled crumbles of a sharper cheese, like feta or blue, each of which packs a punch. Don’t use too much, though, or you’ll overpower the rest of the pizza.

When your dough has risen, it’s time to spread it out on a piece of parchment paper to a 12-inch diameter. Some experts tell you not to roll the dough out, but if your skill level is just not ready for tossed dough, roll it out. I do.

Once the dough is properly sized, poke some holes in it with a fork to prevent bubbles when cooking. Using whatever method works best for you (I use a pizza peel), transfer the parchment paper/dough onto your pizza stone and cook for a few minutes until the dough starts crusting—ensure to keep an eye on it and deflate any bubbles that start forming on the crust.

After the crust gets, well, a little crusty, remove it and place it on a wire rack that allows for plenty of air to circulate underneath it. This prevents sogginess.

Once the crust cools a bit, it’s time for the best part:

1. Brush the top of the crust with a bit of olive oil.
2. Strategically place your cheese evenly across the pizza, but not too close to the edge.
3. Add the bacon.
4. Distribute your onions and mushrooms atop the cheese and bacon.

Now you’re ready to bake it! Assuming your oven is still at 500F, baking should take only about 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. When done, move it to that wire rack and let it cool a bit. After cooling (or not), you can add your tomatoes and mint.

Cut and enjoy!

A little white wine with some truffle oil make the finishing touches to your meal.

A little white wine with some truffle oil make the finishing touches to your meal.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: Italian, Pizza

« I like big butts and I cannot lie…
Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas »

Comments

  1. Olivia says

    April 13, 2016 at 10:26 pm

    I am very intrigued by the fact that truffle oil is an option for this recipe. I wouldn’t have thought to pair it with fresh tomato and fresh mint. I will have to try this out. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Feral Cooks was developed by Karl and Philip, two expats who were introduced to each other by their wives while living in Japan.  Learn more →

Recent Posts

  • Shrimp and Tomato Curry
  • Fried King Oyster Mushroom Medallions
  • Singaporean Lemon Chicken
  • Veggies and Ricotta
  • Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Categories

  • Appetizers & cheese (186)
  • Baked goods (87)
  • Beef (51)
  • Beverages (11)
  • Chicken (85)
  • Cooking tools (14)
  • Dessert (83)
  • Eggs (30)
  • Gluten Free (268)
  • Indian (32)
  • Indonesian (27)
  • Ingredients (24)
  • Italian (41)
  • Japanese (53)
  • Lamb (6)
  • Low carb/Low GI/Low GL (236)
  • Mexican (7)
  • Misc. (31)
  • Pasta (34)
  • Pizza (19)
  • Pork (128)
  • Pressure cooker (6)
  • Restaurants & Delis (3)
  • Seafood (30)
  • Soup (16)
  • Thai (57)
  • Tofu (13)
  • Uncategorized (11)
  • Vegan (103)
  • Vegetarian (249)
  • Vietnamese (20)

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016

© 2025 - Feral Cooks - All Rights Reserved