Berkeley and Los Angeles · 1980
California
Thin, wood fired, and topped like a salad course
Scale this formulaA thin, blistered, wood-fired crust used as a plate for whatever is in season. The dough is a mild, slightly sweetened bread dough with a little whole wheat, cold fermented for flavour and stretched small so the toppings dominate.
Method
- Mix, knead lightly, bulk, ball, and cold ferment a day.
- Stretch thin and even, with only a modest rim.
- Dress after the crust is partly set if you are using anything delicate: goat cheese, herbs, greens, egg.
- Anything raw and green goes on after the bake, not before.
Fermentation
| Stage | Time | Temperature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk | 1.5 h | 22°C / 72°F | |
| Cold ferment | 24 h | 4°C / 39°F | |
| Warm up | 2 h | 22°C / 72°F |
Times are a guide. How to read the dough instead of the clock →
The bake
Oven340°C644°F
Time3-5 minutes
Surface. Wood oven or steel
Hot and fast so the base blisters before the toppings overcook.
On top
- Sauce
- Often no tomato at all. Olive oil, garlic confit, creme fraiche.
- Cheese
- Goat cheese, fontina, mozzarella, or a mix.
- Toppings
- Roasted vegetables, smoked salmon, figs, rocket after the bake. The style is defined by license.
You got it right when A thin blistered base that stays crisp under wet toppings.