Putting The "Pie" Back In Pizza

 

 

 

 

After many attempts and cross-references I finally hit on my own pizza dough or pane recipe that is likely to work in many of the recipes I enjoy making with a pizza-style dough!

I first had to establish what type of crust I was wanting to make. I interviewed my resident pizza expert and together we determined we wanted a slightly chewy crust with a rustic texture.

Tuscans love their pizza and it is a mainstain of their daily diet-but it isn't my favorite style of pizza dough. Theirs is more of a flatbread style of pizza and when they sit down to eat pizza-they intend to finish it!

One of my fondest memories of Tuscany and first memories of Tuscan-style pizza is from our first trip. Our new friends invited us to a celebration taking place a few villages over, just a few kilometers past Il Boro. The village was in celebration of their signature cookie-a small, delicate anise-flavored cookie. We gathered in a tent before sunset and everyone enjoyed pizza and beer.

Except me-I ordered a glass of wine and was brought the entire bottle of a delicious local sangiovese red wine. I did my best not to embarase myself by only drinking one small glass. All the women laughed when I began to fan myself as my body overheated from the wine!

It was a magical evening filled with wonderful music and dancing under the stars. A large dancefloor was laid out and all of danced under the stars until 2 am. Only in Tuscany.