If there was ever a reason to buy Mario's newest book, this is it!! Mario's pizza dough is definitely the star of Molto Gusto.I would go so far to say that pizza is probably the central focus of Molto Gusto, taking a full 30 pages of the book (pictures and recipes combined). If you're wondering whether Mario's pizza is swoon-worthy, have no doubts. It is superb!
Mario calls for "00" flour which I have a very hard time finding in these parts. I ordered both the Perfect Pizza Flour and also the Pizza Dough Flavor from the King Arthur website. There was definitely a difference in the pizza flour. It was ground very fine and was very soft, making for a very smooth and malleable dough. It was a joy to work with.
The coolest thing about Mario's pizza dough is that one batch of dough makes 8 little (personal-sized) pizzas which are first parcooked stovetop using a hot griddle. After the pizzas are parcooked on the griddle they are topped with the toppings of your choice and placed under the broiler for around 7-8 minutes each, or until desired doneness. The exciting part about this is that the parcooked pizzas keep very well in the refrigerator making it very easy for you to make homemade pizzas in less than 10 minutes. Genius!!
First up and extremely delicious is Mario's Pizza Bianca. The Pizza Bianca is a wonderful way to really appreciate the pizza dough itself. The pizza dough is parcooked on the griddle and then placed under the broiler for 1 -2 minutes, until lightly toasted. It is drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt.
Pizza Bianca is absolutely delicious on it's own. I love the way the dough bubbles up creating air pockets-yum! We loved this version so much that we enjoyed 3 out of 8 pizzas this way. It's the perfect example of simple and delicious.
The next pizza was Mario's Margherita D.O.P topped with Pomi strained tomatoes, 1 small ball of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. You can't beat those classic Italian flavors. This version was my pick for my personal pizza and I loved it!
Lastly, we have Mario's Pepperoni Pizza topped with some huge slices of pepperoni I found at a deli in Lexington. It was everything we wanted it to be and then some. We made a total of four pepperoni pizzas!
Notes/Results: This is an awesome recipe for pizza dough and I highly recommend buying the book. (I would love to share the recipe, but it is a full 3 pages long and would make for quite a long post). Mario has a wide range of pizza toppings in the book, from fun to adventurous. Molto Gusto is probably one of my top three favorite cookbooks this year. It is a very approachable book with gorgeous pictures and very tasty recipes. This pizza dough rocks and will be my new go-to pizza recipe. I simply can't get over the fact that you can parcook the pizzas and store them in the refrigerator. They are perfect to have on hand for after school snacks, perfect for family or game night, perfect for entertaining. I will be making another batch soon.
Wow...3 pages long for a pizza dough recipe. Does that mean it's quite complicated?
ReplyDeleteYour pizza's look great. I might have to add this book to my amazon.com wishlist!
ReplyDeleteYou know how many things I have cooked from this cookbook? Zero. Shame on me. Everything you make from it looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteif i had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, without question it would be pizza. i love that you ordered the flour and flavoring online, done like a true foodie! i reeeeally want to try it, i've never been that crazy about my pizza dough. they all look so good!
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds wonderful. I love the idea about starting the pizza on the stove top, because i find it so hard to get a nice crisp base.
ReplyDeleteDoes the book have a lot of pictures?
I'm going to keep my eye out for this one. I love mario batali.
*kisses* HH
HH - Yes, I'm pretty sure the book has a picture of each recipe.
ReplyDeleteWhat excellent timing, I come back and Pizza is on your blog. Like a fish to a lure. lol.
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing!! I recently discovered that flour/technique does make a difference, I used to be quite arrogant about it, thinking it made no difference.
Love, love, love the idea of parcooking. I'm on board with make-ahead anything!
ReplyDeleteLucky kids to have an after school snack like that. Best mom ever :)
You just can't go wrong with Mario. The pizza looks pizza-perfect. I've been eyeing the book. Guess it's time to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteI'm putting this book on my wish list too. I love the idea of little personal pizzas. They look so good Kim, they're making me hungry and I just had my lunch!
ReplyDeleteKim,
ReplyDeleteGosh, thanks for posting these pizza ideas. Looks like another cookbook is about to be purchased by me (hubby will be so mad!). Also, I wanted to give you a head's up about a new blog hop going on over at my blog. I would like to know if you'd like to be my co-author/sponsor/teammate with this weekly gig. I think that you share a similar philosophy as I do regarding good things for us (not just good food). Please stop by and let me know. Thanks, Roz @ la bella vita
Pretty little pizzas! Makes me want to make an Amazon purchase!
ReplyDeleteI loved his pizzas too - yours all look great! Now I want pizza..
ReplyDeletesounds like a good book to look into. I'm with you, I would want the tomato, basil, and cheese pizza. Looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteKim, your pizza rocks. Wow, you even ordered the special flour too. Like you, I would not have been able to find the flour here in Tallahassee.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that the pizza was delicious. Served up with a a glass of wine and a salad, ooohh-lala.
I love the idea of individual par-cooked pizzas to take and go! These all look absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! This is totally something I should do at my house...we are pizza lovers! Back to the library for me (you cause that reaction in me often, LOL)!! =)
ReplyDeleteThese look delicious, I've started making my own pizza dough recently, it's always a fun thing to do :)
ReplyDeleteHey Kim - I couldn't find your email address anywhere, but you won the Macaroni Grill giveaway on my blog! Email me at tasteandtell @ gmail . com!
ReplyDeleteOh, how I'd love one of those for lunch right now! 3 page recipe...yikes!!
ReplyDeleteThat DOES look like great dough! It looks like something straight out of a restaurant. yummy!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Your pizzas all look delicious--although the 3-page recipe freaks me out a bit lol! ;-) I love the simple Bianca one, although the other look really good. That is some big pepperoni. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh wow--I have never ever heard of pizza flour or the other flavoring. I bet it yields incredible results. All your pizzas look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI've been grilling a ton of pizza this summer outside, when colder weather hits I'm heading indoors with these wonderful ideas. I haven't used this technic before but it sounds like and looks like a perfect pizza.
ReplyDeleteIf I had know you were reviewing Mario I would have worn my orange Crocs before reading this, lol.
ReplyDeleteHe was one of the reasons I started watching the Food Network many many years ago. I bet this is a great cookbook. I like the make ahead technique, perfect for busy nights.
Love his idea of cooking them on the stove top first! I think you just sold a lot his books for him - I'm going to check it out again - and will either buy it or put it on my Xmas list.
ReplyDelete