Make This Dough Tonight, Enjoy Your Pizza Tomorrow

Plus: A Free Virtual Cooking Class with Me 🍕🍕

Hello Pizza Friends,

When it comes to airing grievances about a recipe, Instagram commenters hold nothing back. A few weeks ago, the Reel I posted about how to make Detroit-Style Pizza, which I described as “surprisingly easy,” sent many viewers into a tizzy.

Wait 4 days for pizza? I’ll order Domino’s instead!

Might take less time to go to Detroit and order Buddy’s!

I’ll be 95 years old before I can eat!

My family will starve to death by the time it is ready!

Oh boy 🤣

If only I had more than the 90 allotted seconds to explain all the reasons I love using the refrigerator when it comes to making pizza dough:

• Convenience! Make the dough ahead, stash it until you need it.

• Flavor! During a long slow proof, enzymes in both the flour and the yeast break down the starches in the flour into simple sugars, which contribute both to flavor and browning.

• Texture! During a long cold proof, dough relaxes, making it easier to stretch into rounds or fit into pans.

But since being wounded by all of those comments (kidding kidding), I’ve experimented with skipping the fridge proof, which shortens the timeline: I mix the dough at night, get it into the pan the following morning, let the dough rise until I can tend to it; then bake it.

The crust with this shortened timeline is as light and airy as ever (photo above) and planning your pizza’s arrival requires a little less math: Make your dough tonight, enjoy your pizza tomorrow.

Today, I have another salad-pizza recipe to share with you. A few months ago a friend sent me a Reel of a “chopped salad pizza” made with a ready-made Trader Joe’s pizza crust, which looked fantastic but which I knew would be even better on homemade dough. Find all of the details below — it’s become a favorite!

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Let’s Make Pizza… Together!

Friends, on Thursday, April 11th, I’m teaching a free virtual cooking class for anyone who pre-orders Pizza Night. Find all of the details here: Free Pizza Class

During class we’ll make: 

• Neapolitan-Style Pizza Dough

• Asparagus Pizza with Crème Fraîche and Whipped Ricotta

• Mixed Greens Salad with Parmesan and Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

You’ll also receive immediate access to bonus recipes not included in Pizza Night. Hope to see you all in class!

Pizza Night will be published on April 16th and includes:

• 4 Simple Dough Recipes

• 52 Pizza Recipes

• 52 Salad Recipes

• 5 Simple Desserts

• Dozens of Recipes for Sauces, Dressings, and Spreads

If you’ve already preordered the book, you just have to sign up.

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Video: Chopped Salad Pizza

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Recipe: Chopped Salad Pizza

For this pizza, you’ll need mozzarella, basil pesto, and tomatoes for the base:

And iceberg, radicchio, red onion, and pecorino (or parmesan) for the salad:

Like the Detroit-style pizza, this one relies on a focaccia-like crust and a parbake:

Unlike the DSP, after this one is parbaked, it’s placed on a sheet pan (as opposed to back into the 10x14-inch pan), then topped and baked for another 12-15 minutes:

Out of the oven, on goes the salad:

Followed by a generous grating of pecorino:

Cut and serve:

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Any topic you’d like covered? Please let me know. See you next Friday 🍕🍕