If you want to learn how to make amazing pizza you should learn from one of the best. I think we just did that, on July 1st, 2013 when a group of friends and I attended “OneSpeed Pizza 101”. It was a class at the OneSpeed Pizza restaurant in Sacramento and taught by owner/chef Rick Mahan and his staff. Rick is well known in Sacramento as the owner/chef at the Waterboy Restaurant, an upscale bistro that has served European and California cuisine for several years. The class was held at his newer establishment, OneSpeed Pizza, and was both a demonstration and hands-on interactive for the participants.
We were shown a step-by-step process for putting together simple yet very flavorful pizzas. We enjoyed appetizers and wine, complimentary with the class, while listening to Rick’s ideas about “pizza perfection.” Rick and his staff also made a few pizzas for us to sample along with the appetizers. They were great.
After a few glasses of wine, we got
our chance for the hands on part…it’s funny how that worked out…….that he actually trusted us to work in his kitchen after we had tipped the bottle a few times! In groups of two, we stretched out our own dough by hand, added the sauce and chose our toppings from among fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, pepperoni, sausage and roasted peppers and mushrooms. Then the tricky part came, sliding the whole pizza off the pizza peel into the oven. Rick instructed us to make sure we had enough flour on the peel so the pizza slid freely into the oven.
What I really found informative were the tips he gave us so we could actually make restaurant quality pizza at home. Rick changed his dough recipe slightly so it would work in our ovens at home. Most of us home cooks do not have an oven that can reach temperatures as high as a commercial pizza oven. I have tried the dough recipe and techniques in my own kitchen and you can see the results for yourself in “Homemade Pizzeria Style Pizza“. He also referred us to the discussion in Peter Reinhart’s book, American Pie (2003, Crown Publishing/Random House) about the importance of distribution of heat in the oven as the key to a perfect crust. Rick and Reinhart both mention that use of a pizza stone in a home oven helps bake the crust more evenly on the top and the bottom at the same time.
Rick recommended making the 
dough a day ahead and refrigerating for 24-36 hours. “The refrigerator is our friend,” he said. If you have to make it the same day, he said to make it in the morning and leave it at room temperature all day.
He said that, if using a mixer to make the dough, put the wet ingredients in the bowl and then start the dough hook to blend in the dry ingredients.
He believes in hand-stretching the pizza dough only. “You will never need to use the word ‘rolling pin’ again,” he said. Let the weight of the dough stretch it out into a circular shape.
He recommended using only pre-cooked toppings since the pizza is in the oven such a short time. You want to make sure the meat toppings, in particular, are thoroughly cooked.
Rick had lots of other tips for home
cooks as well, but I don’t want to give away his entire presentation. It was well worth the money spent. I’d recommend his class to anyone who is even thinking about making great pizza made from scratch at home. If you don’t have time to take the class, at least go in to try the pizza…..it is that good.
Since the class I have been back to OneSpeed for lunch, where I came across another “food find.” I had the special of the day which was Bolognese Sauce over pasta, and it was incredible. The milk in the sauce made it very creamy and the spices used in the meat added a wonderful savory flavor. It turns out that that the Bolognese was removed from their menu a while back and now they just run it as a special once in a while. Bring back the Bolognese, please!!
Update: January 18th 2014 – Stopped in for lunch. The Bolognese is back on the menu!! This time it is served with gnocchi.
