Clare eats: I will try the overnight dough idea- it will actually make life a lot easier to make it in advance anyway

Santos: Didn’t know that about the Rainbow! I actually think the pizza there is just ok…not really my style. Thanks for all the tips- you’re right about letting the yeast ferment in the water for awhile- I got impatient and didn’t wait.

you’ll want the dough to have time to ferment to develop the flavour. proof the yeast, you’ll get good results: dissolve one packet of dry yeast in a quarter cup of tepid water (if you stick your finger in it, it shouldn’t feel any warmer or colder than your finger), and a bit of sugar to feed it. i try to use a glob (maybe a couple of teaspoons?) of quality european honey with herby or florally tones for pizzas; i’m not entirely sure if it’s because of this type of honey or because it’s so humid and hot here that i get a really nice fermentation which produces an almost sourdough-like flavour within a short period of time. let the yeast sit out in a warm place for 10 minutes until it’s superbubbly, then mix that into your flour. if you have the time, do what clare suggests and let it rise in your fridge, but if you don’t, allow for about an hour or so in the warmest, most humid place you can find–i usually zap a cup of water for a couple of minutes in the microwave, take it out, then place the dough in an oiled bowl into the still warm, steamy chamber and shut the door.

i don’t know where you’d find smoked tomatoes in los angeles (maybe surfas or sorrento’s market near lmu??), but you could always add a tiny drop of liquid smoke to your tomatoes. it is also near impossible to find fresh yeast in la (it’s also called compressed or cake yeast) on a retail level. if you know someone at your local artisanal bakery, they might be able to sell you some, but i’m under the impression that regular active dry yeast was made to replace compressed yeast, and on a commercial basis, liquid yeast was formulated. if you proof your yeast as above, you’ve pretty much got liquid yeast

hope that helps!

If you make the dough the night or morning before and let it rise in the fridge it will be even better (8 hours at least)