Upside Down Pizza - by Noah Tanen
I’m not sure how well-known this style of pizza is, and I’m genuinely curious. If you simply google “upside down pizza,” you are returned truly upside down monstrosities, literal pizza pies. That is not the upside down pizza I know.
Like many good things in my life, I first encountered it in Philadelphia. Santucci’s was my first, but later I became a fan of Pica’s on West Chester Pike. Deli-sliced mozzarella is buried under a thick layer of a sweet and bursting tomato sauce, the flavor of which is markedly different from that of a classic New York slice. Stronger, richer, and slightly caramelized from direct heat. The cheese, being smothered, has no such flavor, and leaves room for the sauce to shine.
Upside down means something slightly different in New York. Since I moved to Brooklyn, I’ve eaten many upside-down Sicilian slices. This pizza is similar in spirit, but the sauce tends to be a little less sweet (which I miss) and the crust tends to be a bit thicker and crispier (which I welcome).
So, therefore, this recipe is a combination of both styles. The sauce reminds me so much of Pica’s but I make sure to let the crust fry to a luxurious crisp in olive oil. Somewhere in between, this is probably how they do it in Jersey.
Ingredients:
500g flour, just bread flour will work, but I use a 50/50 blend of white bread flour and bolted hard wheat from Castle Valley Mill <3
10 g sugar
7g instant yeast, or one packet
350g water, room temp
10 g salt
18 g olive oil
28 oz can of whole tomatoes
a handful of fresh basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp sugar
Big pinch of salt
Small pinch of red chili flakes
12 slices of low-moisture mozzarella cheese
Pecorino cheese, at will
Begin by mixing the flour, sugar, and instant yeast in a bowl. Professional bakers will tell you that the sugar and yeast should not come in direct contact with each other. Add the water and mix just until a dough forms. Cover with a towel or plate and let sit for 30 minutes or so.
In that time, the dough will start to form gluten by itself. Add the salt and oil, kneading to incorporate. Continue kneading until a soft, smooth, and stretchy dough forms. In a stand mixer, this will take probably 8-10 minutes. It may be longer if kneading by hand but go by feel. Form into a ball and it should spring back to the touch. Stretch out a portion in your hand and you should be able to see light through it like a window pane. All the old tricks. Take the dough as a ball and oil it before setting it into an oiled bowl. Leave covered in the fridge overnight to rise.
The next morning, grease a half-sheet tray with an excess of olive oil. Drop the dough into the pan, smooth side up. Press and stretch the dough towards the edges of the pan. It will not stretch all the way immediately, it needs to relax and begin to rise. Come back every 15 minutes or so and stretch it a little more, until air is filling the dough and the dough is filling the entire pan. Be patient, this process could take around 2 hours.
To make your sauce, simply combine the canned tomatoes and basil into a large bowl or container and blend smooth with an immersion blender. Optionally, you could use a regular blender, or food mill, or just chop the basil and squeeze the tomatoes. Add the olive oil, oregano, and sugar. Season to taste with salt and a little chili flake. Mix to combine and set aside.
Build the pizza once the dough has filled the pan, and begun to puff up slightly. Lay down the 12 slices of mozzarella into a 3 x 4 grid, leaving about an inch of space for the crust. Spread the tomato sauce in an even layer on top. The pizza will hold this entire batch of sauce, but use your best judgment. You may want it lighter on the sauce. Grate over some pecorino cheese.
I hope you remembered to preheat your oven to 500°F, with a pizza stone or even two inverted cast iron pans sitting on the bottom rack. The headline is: we want the pizza pan to immediately hit a very hot surface. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through. It is done when the pizza is nice and golden brown on the crust and bottom, with a little light blistering on the surface of the sauce. Dust with a little more pecorino and remove from the pan immediately to a wire rack. Keeps the bottom crisp. Slice up as desired and enjoy!
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