Pizza in Seattle

Queen Margherita Pizza in Magnolia

When you think of Seattle, pizza is probably and rightfully not the first thing that comes to mind. Sure we have salmon, we have oysters galore, we have what is described as "northwest cuisine... I am guessing that is just another way of saying it has seafood in it. Seattle is almost synonymous with coffee - we are the home of Starbucks after all.  But surprisingly Seattle does have some pretty amazing pizza! This coming from a former East Coaster with Italian heritage. How hard is it to make a good pizza pie? It's really hard if you don't know how to make a good crust. The crust is like the foundation without a good foundation it doesn't matter what's on top.

 For those of you who believe Domino's and Pizza Hut is good pizza, stop reading.

From New York Style, to my personal favorite Neapolitan, thick crust, thin crust, even vegan - there is really no reason to waste the calories or money on some mediocre "factory" made pie. 


Here is just a sampling of some pizza places around town that are worth every last bite. 
Seriously Good Seattle Pizza 

Making pizza is one of those things I really like to do. It's something that everyone, for the most part likes, and I can adjust it to accomodate my vegan friends very easily. It's an easy crowd pleaser for the kids and adults.  Here is my dough recipe - I make a dough variation of Peter Reinhart's recipe from "American Pie"

Makes 1 pie.
1 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour
1/8 cup of vital wheat protein
1 teaspoon of yeast
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
lukewarm water*

I add my water 1/4 cup at a time incorporating the olive oil with the water. I knead the dough by hand until it has an elastic quality. I then place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for about for a couple of hours. Generally I make this dough in the afternoon for dinner that night. I cook my pizza at about 450 degrees on a pizza sheet. In the summer I use the same recipe and make the pizza on the grill.