Pizza Today - February 2025 - 42

W
Garlic & Olive Focaccia
6 ounces yeast
1 pound, 8 ounces warm water (120 F)
11 pounds, 10 ounces bread flour
3 pounds, 12 ounces water (var.)
1 pound, 8 ounces whole eggs
1 pound, 6 ounces olive oil
5 ounces sugar
5 ounces salt
2 pounds, 2 ounces chopped garlic
2 pounds, 2 ounces chopped ripe olives
Stir yeast into warm water and let rest 4 to
5 minutes.
Add the flour, water, eggs, olive oil and
sugar, and mix into well-developed dough.
Add the salt, garlic and olives and mix only
enough to disperse evenly in the dough.
Allow the dough to ferment to a full rise,
punch down, and continue fermentation for
about one-third the time it took to reach full
rise.
Scale into 12-ounce units and round.
Cover, and rest 10 to 20 minutes.
Sheet or press out into rounds.
Proof, and then slash the top diagonally.
Wash generously with olive oil and sprinkle
on coarse salt.
Bake at 400 F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until
done.
42 / PIZZATODAY.COM / FEBRUARY 2025
ith Pizza
Expo
merely
a month
away, we
have so
much to
look forward
to
in 2025. We're just settling into the new
year, but one thing that never will go out
of style and always remain on point are
great recipes. We're committed to bringing
you even more recipes than ever this
year because our readers continue to ask
for them. With that in mind, I wanted
to kickstart things in this small zone of
" down time " between the Super Bowl
and Pizza Expo with five of my favorite
recipes we've published in Pizza Today.
These run the gamut and are sure to be a
hit with your customers. Try them out as
a limited time offering and experiment in
the kitchen to find what works best with
your demographic.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
The Grandma by Tony Gemignani
16 ounces of cream cheese, softened
12 ounces of chicken, cooked & cubed
¾ cup Ranch dressing
¾ cup hot sauce
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup Gorgonzola crumbles
Beat cream cheese, Ranch dressing and hot
sauce.
Fold in chicken.
Spread mixture into pie plate sprayed with
non-stick spray.
Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.
Add cheddar to top and bake an additional
10-15 minutes.
Top with Gorgonzola crumbles and serve
with tortilla chips.
Spicy Chicken Giardino
1-pound dry rotini (tricolor is optional)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
10 cloves roasted garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
15 ounces quartered artichoke hearts
½ cup Kalamata olives
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (soaked)
10 ounces roasted chicken (pulled or diced)
Dash oregano
Dash thyme
Juice half a lemon
⅓ cup white wine
⅓ cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup cornstarch with ¼ cold water
Crumbled feta cheese, for finishing
Cook and set aside the pasta.
In a large pot, heat the butter and oil.
Sauté the onions, zucchini and red pepper
until lightly caramelized.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the
cornstarch and water mixture (slurry).
Once the wine and stock have come to a
simmer, stir in the slurry, stirring constantly
while adding it.
As soon as it comes back to a simmer, it is
finished and ready to serve.
Garnish with finely crumbled feta cheese.
JEREMY WHITE Is Editor in Chief at Pizza
Today.
8-ounce dough ball
¼ cup olive oil
1¼ cups hand-crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
Dried oregano for seasoning and sprinkling
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces fresh, whole-milk mozzarella
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Grated Pecorino-Romano cheese for dusting
Garlic oil for drizzling
It's best to work with the dough at about 65
F for this pizza.
Pour the olive oil in the center of a 12-inch
by 18-inch steel Sicilian pan.
Place the dough in the pan and flip it over
to coat both sides with the oil. Use flat, fully
extended fingers to press the dough outward
in all directions. Make an even layer.
Let sit, uncovered, in a warm spot for 30
minutes to rest. After resting, push the dough
outward again a second time. Be light with
the dough, careful not to degas it. Get the
thickness as uniform as possible.
In a bowl, toss the crushed tomatoes with
the garlic and a pinch of oregano, salt and
pepper.
Tear the fresh mozzarella in 16 irregular
chunks and arrange them on the pizza.
Sprinkle the cheese lightly with salt.
Next, spoon the tomatoes evenly on top of
the cheese (it won't cover the entire surface)
and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 8
minutes at 500 F.
Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake
for another 7 minutes, until the cheese has
melted, and the bottom is richly browned and
crisp.
Cut into 12 squares.
Finish with a dusting of Pecorino and
oregano and a drizzle of garlic oil.
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