Monday, November 2, 2009

Jim Lahey's Pizza Patate

Oh this is easy...oh so easy. And very delicious. You throw some flour and yeast in a bowl mix it up a few times and let it sit for two hours and you have Jim Lahey's pizza dough. Jim Lahey of the original No-Knead bread fame....Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery. Of course, the potatoes were meant to be sliced ever so thin with a mandoline. Lets just say I need to buy a mandoline... but there was something very satisfying about slicing 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes with my chef's knife in very thin slices. It only took me 15 minutes and the task was well worth it. No cheese on this pizza just potato, salt water soaked potatoes, onions, pepper and rosemary. It was wonderful. I served it with a simple salad of mixed baby greens and a very simple vinaigrette. But even better... the three slices that were left over, we heated in the toaster oven for breakfast the next day and ate with bacon and over easy eggs...that was really delicious. This is meant to be a very thin crust, crispy, pizza. I was a little hesitant making this dough. It calls for a lot of yeast and it was new. But it was a lovely dough and behaved just as the recipe said it would. This makes two pizzas and I made a very simple Margarita with the second piece of dough. Very easy on the sauce...some freshly made mozzarella, pepper and basil. It was pretty darned good on a rainy Halloween night. But the Patate was the star of the show. We just loved it. I got this recipe from the very last issue of Gourmet magazine. It is in the book review section. I am very sad it is gone. It has been a good friend to me since I was 17 years old and starting reading it. The end of an era...



This recipe makes enough dough for two 13 x 18 pizzas. If you do not want to make two pizzas at once then you can make the full recipe and refrigerate half the dough in a lightly oiled freezer bag for one day or freeze it for up to one month,well wrapped. Thaw the still wrapped frozen dough over night in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before shaping the pie.
Basic Pizza Dough
Jim Lahey/My Bread
3 3/4 cups( 500 grams) bread flour
2 1/2  teaspoons (10 grams) instant or other active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt or fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon plus a pinch (5 grams) sugar
1 1/3 cups(300 grams) room temperature ( about 72*F) water
extra virgin olive oil for the pans

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar
Add the water and using a wooden spoon or your hand mix until blended, at least 30 seconds.
The dough is a bit stiffer than most of the other doughs in this book, not as wet and sticky.
Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about two hours.
2. Oil two 13 by 18 inch rimmed baking sheets. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape half the dough onto an oiled pan in one piece. Gently pull and stretch the dough across the surface of the pan, and use your hands to press it evenly out to the edges. If the dough sticks to your fingers, lightly dust it with flour or coat your hands with oil. Pinch any holes together. Repeat with the second piece.
The dough is ready to top as you like.
( I did use the scale to weigh my ingredients...I found that had I used a measuring cup I would have used too much flour in this case)
Correction:When I first posted this recipe I typed it out directly from the November issue of Gourmet Magazine(pg.36-37) and the yeast amount posted there was 2 1/2 Tablespoons ( 10 grams). I have since received the book and the yeast amount is listed as 2 1/2 teaspoons
The 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) is correct. I weighed my ingredients for this recipe so that is most likely why I did not have a disaster. I hope none of you have either. I apologize for the discrepancy. Since Gourmet is no longer with us, I guess there is no one to complain to.
Pizza Patate
From: My Bread/Jim Lahey
Potato Pizza
Potato Pizza is an Italian classic you don't see very often in the United States. I soak the potatoes in salted water first. That causes them to cook more quickly and makes them firmer.


1 quart/ 1 liter lukewarm water
4 teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
1 kilo/about 2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled
1 cup(150 grams)diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) freshly ground black pepper
about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 recipe(400 grams) Pizza Dough(recipe above)
about 1 tablespoon (2 grams) fresh rosemary leaves

1.Pre-heat oven to 500*F ,with a rack in the middle.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the water and salt, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes very thing(1/16 inch thick) and put the potatoes directly into the salted water so they do not oxidize and turn brown. Let soak in the brine for 1 1/2 hours(or refrigerate and soak for up to 12 hours) , until the slices are wilted and no longer crisp.
3.Drain the potatoes in a colander and use your hands to press out as much water as possible, then pat dry. In a medium bowl, toss together the potato slices, onion, pepper ,and olive oil.
4.Spread the potato mixture evenly over the dough, going all the way to the edges of the pan; put a bit more of the topping around the edges of the pie , as the outside tends to cook more quickly.
Sprinkle the pie with the rosemary.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is starting to turn golden brown and the crust is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Serve the pizza hot or at room temperature.
(I used a chefs knife to slice my potatoes, this was not a problem for me...it took me about 15 minutes to peel and thinly slice the 2 pounds of potatoes)

21 comments:

  1. It looks fabulous! I am hyperventilating as I type. Pizza. Patate. 'Nuff said. How beautifully crisp and golden the edges are!

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  2. Girlie...in two short hours it can be yours...a double carb party!
    Actually it is really easy and very good...hope you try it!
    L~xo

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  3. What a great idea! I can see making this for brunch.

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  4. This looks so delicious. I'm looking forward to making it this weekend!!

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  5. Purely simple..elegant and I bet great tasting..I saw an older(than me) woman reading the last Gourmet..:( I approached her and told her to keep it..did she know it was the last one?
    As if I could tip off this wise beautiful older(than me) woman!

    She even gets the subscription for her daughters every year and is so disappointed in it's demise:(



    She could not understand it either:(

    Thank you Linda!

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  6. Linda.....

    This looks good! I love anything with potatoes, thanks for sharing.

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  7. Oh Linda, your pizza looks amazing.
    My son's favourite pizza is Potato Pizza Greek style. Little roasted cubes of potatoes seasoned with garlic, lemon and oregano. I'm going to show him your pizza. It could be a new favourite.

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  8. I hope you all enjoy it if you decide to bake one...it is really wonderful. And the dough is so quick and easy. The crust is thin and crisp...I love the texture of the potatoes. I think I am going to order a mandoline though...using one of those this really becomes quick...

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  9. Potato pizza...what a great idea. You've got my curiosity going so will have to give it a try. I'm not one to use lots of sauce so this sounds perfect for my taste.

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  10. This looks EXACTLY like Sullivan St Bakery (and Grandaisy Bakery) pizza! I want a slice please!

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  11. I had that issue of Gourmet sitting right by my computer when I read your post, but hadn't noticed the recipe. And, unbelievably, also was planning pizza topped with left-over caramelized onions for tonight. I am heading right now to brine some potatoes. What excellent timing.

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  12. No need to knead! thats a must try.and the potato pizza with no cheese looks fab...i will have to make this...I can imagine what it tastes like already!:)))

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  13. Hope you all enjoy it....
    thanks for stopping by and commenting!

    Stacey...we are neighbors in NJ!

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  14. Am I too late? I HOPE you saved a slice of each for me, they look mouthwateringly delicious (and I could never choose between the two!)

    Too funny Linda ~ there we go again, gmta! Pizza. :)

    Fabulous photos sweet friend! Very, very nice. xo

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  15. I have got to make this. I love potato pizza and all Jim Lahey's creations.

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  16. I am thinking of making this today. At what point do you add the 1-1/3 cup of oil? Or is it only used to oil the pans and hands? Would appreciate your answer. Thanks.

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  17. Hi there: Excellent piece. Just got "My Bread" for Christmas, and the first loaf was fantastic. Now I want to try pizzas. I am hesitant with the pizza in the book on two grounds. First, it's no-knead dough but only sits two hours (rather than 12-18). I've never seen a dough NOT require kneading if it's only rising for two hours.

    Second, Lahey says to cook it on a baking sheet rather than on a stone. Can it really get crisp and browned cooking it this way? Pizza cooked in pans usually comes out doughy or bready rather than thin and crisp. (And I thought all pizza recipes nowadays required a pizza stone to be authentic. :)

    One question -- the book says to oil the pan before adding the dough, but does not specify how much. In the pictures in the book, it looks like a lot of oil. May I ask how much oil you used? Does the oil make the crust crisper as it bakes?

    Thanks so much
    Mikey

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  18. I am sorry that I did not see the last two posters so I could answer your questions...

    I have been busy over the holidays...
    I will try to be better at looking at all of my posts on a more regular basis...please forgive me...

    For the first question from evolvingtastes...
    there is not 1 1/3 cups of oil in the recipe from the dough...there is 1 1/3 cups of water? There is extra virgin olive oil for the pans.There is also a 1/3 cup of Olive oil which is tossed with the potatoes after they are dried...

    Mikey....thank you for you post, sorry this also comes late...
    I just used my hands to cover the pan with olive oil and it had a thin coating, not too much.You could probably use a brush if you wanted to, but I used my hands . It is hard for me to say because I did not measure it, but perhaps you might start with two to three tablespoons and see how it goes...there is a picture on page 119 of the book, that might be of help to you. I have no problem with the dough being oily or greasy.
    This dough is very thin, so it indeed is very crisp baked on the half sheet pan. I usually bake my pizza on a stone but with this recipe it is not necessary,I suppose you could put your sheet pan atop a stone if you have a large square one. I do not think that would hurt, but it is not necessary.

    Also no worries about the dough sitting for the two hours...it works out beautifully...I have faith in Lahey's recipes, they have always worked beautifully for me...
    The dough stretched out to almost the edges of the pan beautifully ...just have a little patience...I was and am amazed at how good this is...
    Hope that helps...

    Sorry for the lateness...
    If you comment and have any questions and I do not answer, please feel free to contact me via my email address...I try to check that daily...

    wishing you both a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
    (a little late:))

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  19. As to the amount of oil to use in pan for baking potato pizza, if you can can print your name in oil it's enough, if you can't print your name it's to much oil

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  20. Interesting thought anonymous....
    I will try that next time...
    :)

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  21. Oh my, how fabulous that pizza looks! Thanks for the recipe, and the inspiration to get on with the baking...

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