Okay, here’s my run at Shakey’s from the 70’s. I didn’t work there, but I’ve never forgotten what the greatest pizza in the world tasted like and I’ve been chasing it ever since. I started with the Chef Boyardee kits when I was a kid (I’m 41 now) and been working toward recreating Shakey’s ever since. This recipe is the product of recommended experimentation, question-asking, Internet and other research, and just plain guessing over the course of about 30 years or so.
A little disclaimer here: I’m not a pro and nowhere near as advanced as a lot of you here. I see these percentages and stuff you talk about and it’s all over my head. You’ll probably see some things in my method that makes you shake your head. If so, know that I welcome all pointers to a better pizza. That said, here’s my amateur attempt at Shakey’s…
Here’s my dough recipe:
10 ounces of warm water (run the tap ‘til it feels warm – fill the measuring cup)
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups of flour (I use bread flour – whatever I can get my hands on)
2 teaspoon active dry yeast
This is for a regular oven and makes two pounds or two 16” pizzas. I use a bread machine to mix the dough and I load it in the above order. I put the sugar and salt in opposite corners of the bread can and I make a little impression in the flour mound to pour the yeast. I set the machine to the dough setting and let it run its course. After that, I remove the dough, separate it into two equal portions, and put each ball in its own mixing bowl. I pre-coat the bowls with a light spray of Pam olive oil, then cover each one with plastic cling wrap, and let them set on the counter at room temperature for at least 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours. In fact, if I don’t use it within a few hours after the 24 hour mark, I’ll go ahead and store it in the refrigerator.
When I’m ready to cook, I’ll pre-heat my oven to about 550 degrees (the knob is only marked at 500 and I set it between that and broil). I sprinkle some flour out on a clean counter, lay out a ball, and roll it out as thin as I want, adding enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the roller or counter. I usually have plenty hanging over the pan to use for other stuff, like bread twists or whatever. I grease my cutter pan with a little bit of Pam and sprinkle some corn meal on it, distributing the meal buy bumping the edge of the pan with my hand. I’ll usually toss the pan in the oven then while I get the other ball rolled out.
After about 4-5 minutes, I take the pan out and lay the first sheet (skin?) on it, press it in with my hands, lightly dock it with a fork, and trim excess with my roller. For the docking, I give the pan a descent spin and poke around for about three full turns. I then set it aside for 20-30 minutes and get the other one ready. I put each one back in the oven after this time for just a couple of minutes, but I do not allow the crust to change colors or bubble up. It should be pulled out just as it tries to bubble or a split second before. There’s no science to it, just a feeling.
When the first pan is ready, I brush on the sauce with a big BBQ brush nearly to the edge, sprinkle Kraft mozzarella by hand, making sure I can still see scattered red, and lay on my toppings.
Here’s the sauce and it must be made at least a week in advance, tightly covered, and stored in the refrigerator – a couple of weeks ahead is even better:
28-ounce can of pureed tomatoes
1 table spoon of bell pepper (the green one)
1 teaspoon of yellow onion
1 big clove of garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon of salt
This is just enough to make a thin film on the skins. You can double the amount for a little more sauce and still have some left over to use as a starter for a new batch. This is handy to have if you’re making pizzas, but didn’t get your sauce made far enough in advance. Just make the above recipe fresh (or as far in advance as the time you have allows) then mix it with the starter and store as above. Make sure you liquefy the tomatoes in a blender before mixing them with the other stuff. Also, the bell pepper, onion, and garlic must be as finely chopped as you can get it. I’ve got this little hand-chopper thing and I try to chop it all fine enough to make a bread spread. The thyme and oregano are store shelf spices, not fresh, and I pour them out on a cutting board and mash them with the back of a spoon before adding it to the sauce. I know they’re ready to go in when I can smell them pretty strong just standing over the board. I cook the whole thing for about 30 minutes over heat low enough that the sauce never boils. After that, cool it, store it in Tupperware with a good lid, and stick it in the fridge. You’ll see it again in a week or two.
After you build your pizza (that oven’s been at 550 degrees now for 30 to 45 minutes), toss one in on the middle rack for about 10 minutes or so. About halfway through, I’ll crack the oven and turn it some. I watch it close, though, because the cooking cycle goes like this: Not Ready > Not Ready > Not Ready > Almost Perfect > Perfect > Completely Ruined. I let it cool for a few minutes, then slide the whole thing off on the re-cleaned counter, cut it, and go to work – all the while getting the other one ready and cooked, too. It'll be pretty crisp with some bubbles in it and a strong flavor. The sauce is pretty good, too, and sets the whole thing off. This is a home-baked pizza, so I can lay it on the counter if I want to. If I had two more cool pans, I would probably slide them off on those.
This is as close as I can get considering I’m a non-trained, non-precision amateur. Sorry about the long post.
Hoyt
Thanks for giving me something to start with. I'll pay it forward after a couple months of trial and error.
Billy
