Pizza Night

There is a very rare thing in a blended family – or any family, for that matter: the dinner that pleases everyone.

And I don’t mean a dinner that merely appeals to a wide spectrum of tastes, although that is certainly a big part of a happy family dinner. The bigger part is the dinner that brings everyone together and leaves no room for grouchiness. Because anyone with a family – blended or biological – knows that, in the way that moms are only as happy as their least happy child, family dinner is only as pleasant as the least charming family member.

So, how in the world to achieve that elusive combination of tastiness, compatibility, and joviality, short of a big platter of Chick-fil-A nuggets (although there is definitely a time and place for that)? It’s called Pizza Night.

Pizza Night at our house had an improbable beginning. One Saturday this spring, before either the sun or I was up, my husband went deep into pizza oven research, prompted by an ad he saw somewhere he probably can’t remember. By the time I had gotten dressed, my husband had announced that we would be making a same-day trip to Wimberley for the Ace Hardware store there, because that was the only place within 100 miles of San Antonio (where we mostly live) that held in stock the exact pizza oven he wanted (Gozney) in the exact color (green) at that exact moment. No ordering and waiting for us, thank you very much. A plan that thought-out would have given me too much time to analyze and protest, which of course would have ruined everything.

Formerly the master of the grill, Marshall Dilling has taken to pizza-making.

So, as with much of our life, I was along for the ride. Whether or not we wound up with a pizza oven wasn’t too concerning to me. But we did wind up with a pizza oven. And that one bulky, imposing overbuy transformed Sunday nights for our family.

What was once a forced-march of grilled steak and corn (the only “vegetable” anyone could agree on; and did I mention I really don’t like steak?) became a make-your-own buffet come to life with endless tweaks to toppings and pizza crust doughs and oven temperatures. All of that tinkering became a project that not only gave all seven of us something to work on, but also resulted in something delicious that we could compare and critique. Which crust did we like better, the one from the prepared case at Central Market or the one I made with super-fine “00” flour? Did pizza cooked over a wood-burning flame taste better than one cooked using propane? Which tomato sauce did we prefer – a simple, oregano-spiked tomato puree or Carbone’s pizza sauce or Rao’s marinara? Would fig preserves spread on the crust of a fig-and-prosciutto pizza burn under the heat of the oven?

The pizza questions and combinations are as infinite as the moods of our five (grown) kids and two parents, one of whom will always be “step” to certain of the children. And it is those endless new attempts, and the analyzing of such, that provide the backdrop for a lively and relaxed, if not unduly messy, family dinner that may or may not include friends. (If it does include guests, get ready for compliments: Five young women joined us one Saturday night a couple months ago, and they are still telling their own families that they ate the best pizza of their lives at our house.)

All of that is to say this: If we can bond over Pizza Night, so can anyone. Do you have moody teens or tweens? Sibling rivalries? Rough work weeks? Or are you just bored with the same chicken-steak-pasta-insert-your-own-standard-dinner? Pizza Night is your answer.

If a pizza oven isn’t in your backyard or on your wish list, not to worry. Pizza stones and pans are widely available at stores like Williams-Sonoma and even (of course) on Amazon. In a story we published in October 2020 (Cooking Through It: These guys have a new quarantine hobby), Wayne Kearney shared his passion for pizza-making and his own Friday Pizza Nights. Along with a “72-Hour Pizza Dough” recipe, Wayne recommended a pizza pan from BakingSteel.com, which he described as a steel version of a pizza stone. “The theory,” Wayne said, “is that it holds heat more consistently than a stone.” There’s a lot of research out there to sift through if you’re so inclined.

Darby Buras and Claire Frankfort survey the many pizza-topping options, including sliced Italian sausage, bell peppers, figs, pesto, tomato slices, and more.

Similarly, dough recipes are limitless: Some promise thin, cracker-like crusts; some are made for deep-dish pies; others claim to straddle the chewy-crunchy divide. My goal this summer is to master the sourdough version of a crust (which involves first mastering – or let’s just say learning – basic sourdough). Or, you can always just pick up some pre-made dough at Trader Joe’s or Central Market. 

We’re still figuring Pizza Night out, but I have learned a few things: 

1. Nobody needs ground beef, pancetta, pepperoni, crumbled Italian sausage, and sliced Italian sausage all in one night. Rein it in.

2. Likewise with the cheese. Zero in on one or two options: shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, grated parm, shaved parm, fontina, goat cheese, whatever. Just keep it simple.

3. Ingredients look more appetizing when served in bowls or ramekins. Also, they look the opposite of appetizing after pizza #2 has been assembled and someone starts complaining that the pepperoni now has onion in it.

4. In our family (but you might need the reminder, too), someone needs to remind my husband, who gets very excited about his pizza topping options, not to forget to put cheese on his pizza. Every time. 

5. Very importantly, plan pizza nights carefully: Don’t do this the night before an occasion that calls for a squeaky-clean house.

However you make Pizza Night happen, I can promise it will be a solid and very delicious conduit for connecting. Buon appetito!

Store-bought pizza dough versus homemade, both with pepperoni.

Crispy-Chewy Pizza Dough

This is the dough version we have had the most success with for thin-crust pizzas. For us, it made four small pizza crusts, but you might want to make one big pizza or two medium pizzas. Please share your own successful crust recipes with us. Comment on this story or email [email protected]. 

1 packet active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

3 cups pizza flour (00 flour)

Place the yeast, water, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir to dissolve the yeast and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, until it is bubbly.

Add the salt and olive oil and mix. Add the flour ½ cup at a time, mixing on the lowest speed. When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium. If it is crumbly, add water 1 tablespoon at a time; if it is wet, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix using the dough hook for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead it for another 5 minutes, forming a ball. Coat the mixing bowl with a little bit of olive oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl, turning it to coat it in olive oil. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, until it doubles in size. 

When you are ready to make pizzas, punch the dough down and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Use a rolling pin and your hands to stretch it into a thin circle before adding toppings. Bake in a 500-degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or bake in a pizza oven according to the oven directions.

Pizza topped with fig preserves, fontina, figs, prosciutto, and arugula.

Pizza topping ideas:

Tomato sauce

Shredded mozzarella

Pepperoni slices

Olive oil

Fig preserves

Shredded fontina

Thinly sliced fresh figs

Arugula

Prosciutto 

Balsamic reduction (add the arugula, prosciutto, and balsamic reduction after the pizza has been cooked)

Tomato sauce

Shredded mozzarella

Browned hamburger meat

Chopped green bell peppers

Chopped or thinly sliced white onion

Olive oil

Pesto

Thinly sliced tomatoes

Sliced fresh mozzarella

Olive oil

Pesto

Cubed or sliced grilled chicken

Sliced fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves (add after cooking)