For many years I’ve nurtured a small business fantasy: opening a little brick oven pizza place somewhere. Chances are I’ll never do it — I have no illusions about how hard it is to run a business successfully, and my husband, who once owned a large clothing store in Philadelphia, is adamantly against the idea. He knows too
much. But I am blissfully idealistic, and it gives me pleasure to think about being an entrepreneur. And I love to make pizza. I like my pizza with a really thin crust, a little sauce, a medley of cheeses and a variety of toppings, some added before baking, some
after. And a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil before serving. For me, it’s all about the best ingredients, artfully combined and perfectly cooked. I also love to make foccaccia, pizza’s puffier cousin. Focaccia is a great base for a multitude of toppings and add-ins, from cheese to caramelized onions to herbs and olives. A
wonderful snack, it makes a great sandwich bread—just slice it in half and fill it with something wonderful, like prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and arugula. I’ve added some semolina flour to the dough in this version, but you can make it with 4 cups of all-purpose flour instead, if you like.
