My name is Lillie Dignan. I'm a designer and maker, living and working in the Bay Area.
Last Saturday, I made pizza dough for the first time, and it was a delicious success! Not sure how I’ve gone so long and made so many pizzas never having made the dough from scratch. (In the past, I’ve been a big fan of Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough.) But now, I can imagine it becoming a weekly staple.
For this first time around, I used a basic recipe and methods combined from my three go-to cookbooks of the moment: Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, Isa Chandra’s Vegan with a Vegeance, and the standard Joy of Cooking. The ingredients don’t vary much, but I like getting a few different opinions on techniques and timing–especially when it comes to yeasts.
Once the dough was prepped, I headed to the refrigerator to gather toppings from what we had on-hand. First, a pie with herbed potato, carmelized onion, and goat cheese with a thin spread of tomato. And second (inspired by Antonio’s in Amherst), a spicy Mexican pie with black beans, avocado, diced jalapeno, and goat cheese with a splash of hot sauce!
Any suggestions for your own favorite (and maybe unusual) seasonal pizza toppings?
Tasty, tasty pizzas prepared by a talented girl!
(y’all should be jealous of this yummy food)
I read this and instantly knew what to make at my next dinner party. Thanks for the inspiration!
Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Suppers” is also a great cookbook. Everything I’ve made from it has come out wonderfully!
Usually when I make a pizza I use feta, red onions, and green peppers as toppings.
I’ve never made my own dough before, I’m afraid of yeast. Not yeast itself
, but using it. Maybe now I’ll give it a try.