
I’ve eaten those fancy 900 degree brick oven virgin buffalo pepperoni pizzas, and they’re good, but with a couple of machines and not a lot of time, I think I make a pretty darn good pizza – without the brick oven.

THE MACHINERY
Breadmaker
Any bread machine will work for mixing the dough. I suppose you could get all fancy-ass with a stand mixer, but why?
Pizza Machine
I use the Forno Magnifico, which has been discontinued, but this one is similar. (Note: The oven won’t do Hawaiian pizza. The temperature is too aloha to melt the cheese.)


THE INGREDIENTS
BREAD MACHINE PIZZA DOUGH
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour (you can use all bread flour if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in the order listed into your bread machine with the kneading paddle attached. Select the dough programme and go. My machine took and hour and a half and this recipe makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough. There was enough for 4 of those pizza maker-size pizzas.
PIZZA SAUCE RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 1 540 ml can Aylmer’s Accents tomatoes (Original or Italian)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large clove of garlic, grated
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 inch squeeze of anchovy paste (optional)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Pinch of kosher salt1 sprig of basil (or 1 tsp dried basil)
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and split in half
- 1 tsp sugar (or 3/4 tsp honey)
- Pinch of baking soda
Directions:
- Purée tomatoes and set aside.
- Combine butter and oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted.
- Add garlic, oregano, fennel seeds, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes, and salt, stirring frequently until fragrant but not browned. (about 3 minutes)
- Add tomatoes, basil sprigs, onion halves, sugar (or honey) and baking soda. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. (about 1 hour)
- Discard onions and basil stems and season to taste with salt.
- Allow to cool. Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.
PIZZA WHITE SAUCE RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup half & half cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions:
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in flour, pepper, salt, oregano, and cayenne. Combine well.
- Slowly add the cream, constantly whisking until desired thickness is reached. (Warming the cream beforehand will help to give a smooth consistency to the sauce.)
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese, a bit at a time, until smooth.
- Use immediately, or cover and chill until ready to use.