I decided one of the first steps I should take towards great pizza was purchasing a pizza stone. I read that unglazed quarry tiles can be an inexpensive alternative but I couldn’t find anyone nearby that sold them. That left me two choices. The reviews of chain store pizza stones weren’t good, they were thin and prone to breaking. Now I could buy a better quality one offered online but they are expensive and I’d have to wait until it arrived. I had planned on making pizza that night and didn’t want to spend a ton of money on a stone right away so I decided to chance it and buy one locally. It was only $20 so I figure I can get some practice on it and when it eventually breaks my pizza will be so great I’ll have no choice but to upgrade (that’s the goal anyway).
I put the stone in the oven and slowly raised the temperature over a span of a few hours. That way any moisture inside will have a chance to evaporate slowly as opposed to all at once which could crack it. I plan on leaving it in the oven from now on, although if you remove the stone for any length of time or if somehow the stone could have picked up moisture it’s best to repeat this step just to be safe. After patiently waiting this was my first pizza effort. Not bad if I say so myself!
I used this dough recipe which can be made and baked immediately. Considering how convenient it is I’m delighted with the result. Nothing will compare to a properly aged dough but this is the best recipe I’ve found so far for pizza in a snap.
Thai tofu pizza
- firm tofu
- soy sauce (to cook tofu in)
- olive oil (for crust)
- tomato garlic (or any complimentary) seasoning (for crust-optional)
- mozzarella cheese
- provolone cheese
- asiago cheese
- chopped peanuts
Cook tofu in soy sauce. Stretch out dough and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning around the perimeter of crust. Add cheese, scatter tofu on top and add the chopped peanuts. Cook until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
