Good morning. We’ve entered the frozen, breathless second half of January. Devoid of next month’s Super Bowl festivities and burgeoning optimism that warmth will somewhat return, this barren, two-week period can crater the best of us. Unless, of course, you enact winter’s most potent antidote: Pizza night. Here’s our three-step plan for transforming your kitchen into a bustling (one night only) pizzeria:
1. Make some dough. Our seven best pizza dough recipes run the gamut in terms of effort and style. Meaning, no matter the age, size, or maximum temperature of your oven, we’ve got a dough that’ll work for you. And, yes, making dough from scratch requires some foresight (you’ll need at least a few hours for rising), but the planning pays off by way of crust you’ll actually enjoy.
2. And one of those pizza place salads. Like April Bloomfield’s Caesar. Or Merrill Stubbs’s Greek salad with fennel. And Kenzi Wilbur’s chopped kale salad with cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Just don’t rest your salad on top of a fresh pie, like every pizza place ever.
3. Bake big, chewy, chocolate chip cookies. The best pizzerias always sling molten, parchment paper-packaged, sea salt-topped, chocolate chip cookies—so you should too. Options include: Emma Laperruque’s wrinkly chocolate chip cookies, Phyllis Grant’s chocolate chip cookies, or Ashley Rodriguez’s salted chocolate chip cookies.
