ha.
i knew it.
neighbors, i done did it again.
another 'nother other super-expert pizza party for your face.
well, for my face, anyway.
mmhmmm.
i was all alone in the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress, with the oven cranked up to 480℉,
and the high humidity of a mostly-rainy day saturating the atmosphere
with ambient ultra-sweatiness.
that's not the most fun, but it didn't stop me from making myself something awesome.
uh-huh.
to be fair, i had the dough already going strong in the early a.m.,
so that it was bulked up and burly by the afternoon.
that's my favorite method, man.
word.
and a well-prepared dough will have you well-prepared for a superior pizza.
that's just common sense.
and i'll tell you what- this dough was something extra special.
real talk.
pizza dough is it's own unique thing, and if it's weak, you're weak, too.
i'm strong in the pizza force, and my dough is dope af, too, dudes.
check the teleport:
PEE EYE ZEE ZEE AYY!!!!
that's that siciliano bianco quadrato!
look at the depth, look a the crust, look at ALLL that sexxxy sh!t on top!!!
too much is the right amount, for sure.
i went into that crust with a few minor, but impressive changes to the texture-
here's the adapted recipe for one 9 x 12 deep dish pan of new hottness:
-
*
SICILIANO DOUGH!
-
in your dedicated upright-standing power mixer,
with the dough hook in place, combine:
3 T vegan butter;
1 cup semolina flour;
1 cup bread flour;
1 tsp wheat gluten;
2 tsp sea salt;
1 tsp sugar;
1 pkg regular ol' yeast (~1T);
2/3 cup hot water + 1/4 cup non-dairy milk + 1 tsp bread machine yeast, bloomed.
that's that smoooooothness.
seriously, it's got emulsification oozing out of it's pores.
and when you beat it up for ten or more minutes on low power,
you get a truly magnificent, shiny, smooth, perfect dough ball.
i covered it and let it hang out in the refrigerator immediately,
all dang day, for like 11 hours....that's real.
and it still had a chance to prove up a lil more in the greased pan, m'man.
that's right.
a scoople of vegan butts, to grease up the pan,
and that dough pressed out to fill in the blanks, and pinched at the corners-
to keep 'em intact, with a slight rim formed along all the sides....
that's how you doo-doo the sicilian sh!t like a pro, yo.
and you can see how well it worked, too.
and not for nothin', but look at the edges, bruh:
C'MON!
*
and the toppings?
y'all weren't ready for a sausagless and peppers jaun,
but it's the unrelenting muh-F*ing TRUTH!
that's a thing-
there's daiya mozz, minced for maxxximum meltability, down first-
then caramelized onions, of course.
but also, fennel seeds, and rubbed rosemary.
THAT'S where the spice gets so nice, boi.
y'all ever heard of variegated sweet aloha peppers?
they're red and yellow stripey, and they taste great.
i had one hangin' in the crisper, so i sliced it into strips,
and sauteed it for a minute or two to soften it slightly.
hard peps aren't your friend on a pizza. no way.
-
broccoli rabe? you know i gets it in with that rapini, friends.
blanched for exxxactly 2 minutes, cold-water rinsed, and squeezed to remove all the water.
it's so good. half a bunch yielded precisely perfect coverage for this pizza.
i was pretty psyched.
...and then i ate some, and i was twice as psyched, on the ones.
-
oven roasted, oiled and salted cubed potatoes?
guys, golden goodness with crispy skins is where you wanna be,
and it's where i was presiding over every slice.
i always put 'em on parchment, and roast the while the oven preheats.
i just remove them when they look fine af. keep your eyes on 'em,
and you'll have those spudsies read to rock your socks in no time.
mmmmmmm.
-
anything else?
maaaan, you can clearly see the sliced tomatoes.
i prefer small grape tomatoes to fat dumb slippery slices of bigness.
why?
because they taste better and look better and don't soak the sh!t in slimy tomato water.
i mean, really, folks, big tomatoes are for smashing up into sauces or salsas,
and/or ruining sandwiches, and that's it.
ha.
-
and a LOT of cracked black pepper to give the rim a little exxxtra sumthin'.
and thiqqq-cut fried garlic slice sprankles.
yuuuuuuuuuuup.
rules is rules, and without those, i'm fired.
i turned it 3x to give it all the right convection circulation heat dispersion.
i dunno for how long, but i know it came out lookin' hella luscious.
i don't know how time works. mostly it's too fast or too slow, or not enough.....
but, when pizza is in the works?
it's always exactly right, and everything lines up in a row in synchronicity and serendipity.
pizza is what i love, and pizza is what i always want,
and pizza is probably what i usually need.
that's the thing about pizza:
it's better than the best at being there for you when you're soul-searching for something.
***********
i did two big ol' beautiful black and grey tattoos yesterday.
really, it worked out to be a great day.
good clients, good work, good outcomes, all of that...
and when things are in good working order like that, i get afraid for what comes next-
hahaha.
it's true.
i mean, sure, my first client was super late,
and my sleepy old man body and brain were still catching up
from the onslaught of all-nighter fighting and frightening of the last week's happenings.
so i was running late for my second appointment,
which had me running late for crabtree's dinner and walk.....
so maybe i already payed the tab, and today will be a clean slate,
with no outstanding debt, and extended karmic credit for even bigger, better tattoos?
i don't hate that idea, so i'll stick with it until circumstances prove otherwise.
that's called P.M.A., bro.
and it helps a whole bunch whenever pessimism wants to poop in my soup.
i got some sleep, i'm about to go get some groceries,
and i'm determined to get a good day out of the next 24 hours, even if it kills me.
it's all really happening, and i can say, with certainty,
that i am grateful as heck for the time i have been given;
never quiet, never soft.....
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