Tavern-Style Sausage and Giardiniera Pizza

How to Make It

Prepare the Dough

1. Place dry ingredients in bowl of a 10-cup food processor fitted with a dough blade and pulse to mix. Scrape sides of bowl and pour in water and oil. Process (on dough setting if you have it), until dough forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes. Process dough an additional 40 seconds and turn off machine. Let dough rest in food processor for 20 minutes. Remove dough from blade and process another 40 seconds. Remove dough from food processor, divide into 2 equal portions, and shape into balls.

2. Coat dough balls with oil and place each into a 32-ounce deli container and seal (dough will expand during this time, so be sure to leave plenty of room in containers, and “burp” lids daily to release excess gas). Refrigerate at least 48 hours or preferably up to 5 to 7 days.

3. The day before baking, remove containers from refrigerator and roll out into 14-inch rounds while chilled. Dock (or prick) both sides with a dough docker or fork and place each round on a sheet of parchment. Chill dough, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours in refrigerator until dough is cured and noticeably dry on top. (If you have less time, you can do this at cool room temperature, but you may have issues with re-rising. The ideal target is 10% to 12% weight loss from the weight of the dough after it has been rolled out).

Prepare the Sauce

1. Heat butter and oil in a high-sided skillet over medium-low. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until just beginning to color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to darken, about 5 minutes. Nestle garlic in tomato paste to keep it from cooking further. Add tomatoes, fish sauce, Marmite, red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 40 minutes.

2. Stir basil, oregano, and marjoram into skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 5 minutes.

3. Blend with an immersion blender and taste. Finish with additional red wine vinegar and salt, if necessary, depending on tomatoes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let sit at room temperature until ready to build the pizzas. You should have about 3 1/2 cups of sauce.

Prepare the Pizzas

1. Preheat a baking steel on an oven rack in middle position to 525°F for at least 30 minutes.

2. Carefully slide a prepared pizza dough straight from the refrigerator onto a peel. If it’s properly cured, dough will be smooth enough that you won’t need cornmeal to keep dough from sticking to peel. If dough is still tacky on bottom, you can either sprinkle cornmeal on the peel or place dough on a piece of parchment paper (remove parchment paper from oven after 5 minutes of baking). You can also flip the dough over so the dry side is face down on the peel and the tacky side is facing up.

3. Top dough with Sauce and spread all the way to the edges. Press pieces of sausage into the sauce around the pizza. Add half of the Parmesan, then mozzarella cheese, giardiniera, and remaining Parmesan, and slide onto baking steel.

4. Bake in preheated oven on preheated steel until top is well done and crust is noticeably firm and toasted, 8 to 11 minutes. Remove to a wire wrack and let cool for 30 seconds before cutting into squares. Repeat with remaining pizza dough. Reserve remaining Sauce for another use.