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Chef Joe Gatto Wants To Get Parents And Kids Cooking From Scratch Together
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Stoneham-based private chef and culinary instructor Joe Gatto is known for making everything from scratch -- seriously. In his new cooking show, "From Scratch," he milks cows to make his own mozzarella, harvests clams to fry at home, and even creates his own charcoal to roast a hog.
During the pandemic, and on his show, he also prioritizes getting his kids in the kitchen. He's working on a cookbook that he hopes will get families cooking from scratch together, and gave us a preview with a recipe for homemade pizza dough.
Joe Gatto's Beer Pizza Dough
A note from Joe: "I love pizza. I mean I LOOOOVVVEE pizza! I have passed this gene onto my kids, big time. That’s why I created this dough, because when my kids want pizza, they want it now. Rising, punching down and waiting 24 hours is not in a five or two-year-old's vernacular. So I needed fast dough that didn’t take a whole day to rise. When you make it, it’s ready to go! It’s an instant pizza party! It’s also great for calzone, pretzels, and even cinnamon rolls."
Ingredients:
- 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp.) of active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. of sugar
- 1 (12 oz.) good beer - use one you would drink (Use 12 oz. of water instead of beer for regular pizza dough)
- 4 cups (510g) flour (plus more for dusting)
- ½ tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tbsp. salt
Directions:
Crank your oven to 500 degrees. A really hot oven equals a crispy crust.
- In a liquid measuring cup mix the beer and sugar until dissolved and then add yeast - let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until it foams and then add the olive oil.
- In the meantime, combine flour, salt and baking powder in separate bowl.
- Combine the wet with the dry and stir. Just a heads up, the dough will be sticky. Don’t worry, it’s all good.
- Dust your counter with flour. Dump the dough onto it and give it a light coating with the flour.
- Knead the dough for about a minute to make it pliable and smooth.
- Now, take the dough and divide it into 2 equal parts. You are now ready for pizza making! How exciting! I do not like to use a rolling pin for this. Use your hands, it’s fun! The pizza keeps that light, airy quality when you use you hands.
- Start in the center; use your fingers to press the dough to about a 1/2-inch thick. Turning and stretching the dough as you go. You want your pizza around 12 inches around.
- Pinch the edges to form the crust. Place the dough on a pizza peel. Add sauce and toppings. Homemade bacon, pepperoni, veggies — really anything goes awesome!
- Launch onto your pizza stone or baking steel. Cook for 4 minutes, give it a 180 degree turn and cook it for another 4 minutes until the bottom is crispy.
- Remove it onto wire rack. Let it cool for a minute, slice it up and chow!
This segment aired on August 18, 2020.
