Sunday, July 18, 2010

Best Pizza Crust. Ever. / Squash Blossom Pizza

I have wanted to go to Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix for ages. Every pizza restaurant review I've read mentions Bianco's as the best pizza in America. Some even claim that it's better than most of the pizza in Italy. When I ran across the recipe for the dough on Martha's site, I made it almost immediately since I've been waiting so long to try a Bianco's pizza. I am originally from Chicago, and we are pizza-people.

The pizza turned out better than I could have imagined. The crust was crisp and chewy and smoky all at once--not dry and tough like some doughs cooked at high heat. I don't really like cooked pizza sauces, so I used fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and squash blossoms as the topping. So good. Perfect, really.

If I can make pizza this fabulous in my (not high-end) GE oven with the wonky thermostat, then I think just about anyone can. I've also used the dough to make grilled pizzas on my cheapo charcoal grill, to rave reviews. This dough is really easy to work with and to shape--the recipe calls for all-purpose flour which has less gluten than bread flour. It's not a huge multi-day process and you don't really need any special ingredients or tools.

I'm not usually an edible flower type person, but I think squash blossoms have such a nice flavor and thankfully, the texture isn't weird or creepy. The taste reminds me of really fresh spinach. Or something close to that. You can only find squash blossoms for a very short time each year, so if you see them, take advantage of your good fortune. My friend Barbara grows squash and she make some yummy things with the blossoms. Check out this post for a great recipe and lovely photos.

If you want to wow your friends and loved ones with a homemade, truly Italian-style pizza, use this crust! You'll be a culinary super-star.

7 comments:

  1. O Yum! I could do with that pizza right now thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That does sound easy enough. I think I will be trying that one. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum, your pizza looks delicious! I've never heard of eating squash blossoms. I will have to give them a try sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OMG, Michele! Squash blossoms on a pizza? You rock my world. I am going to try this this weekend (and that crust you are raving about). Gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  5. P.S. And thank you for the shout-out! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Im so glad you posted this pizza crust recipe! IT looks amazing, I can't wait to make a pizza with it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That looks so delicious! It looks like it came out of a wood-fired oven. I've never had squash blossoms, but I would give them a try.

    ReplyDelete