Bocce Club Pizza

While I'm on the subject of the old neighborhood, I will mention Bocce Club pizza. I grew up near one of the original locations, the one on Clinton Street, and it was the only pizza I knew for most of my childhood. When I was five, I went as a witch for Halloween, and my parents made me a witch's hat out of a Bocce Club pizza box. As an older teen, I was gleefully offered some Pizza Hut pizza by a friend, and I was excited to try the famed pie. I took a big bite and was immediately struck by how wrong everything was with it! The crust was offensive tasting, the sauce was baked into it and the cheese was solid and nasty. There was nothing good or correct about the Pizza Hut version of pizza. Disgusting. And now, where I live, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Pizza Hut might be considered to be one of the better pizzas available. We have something here called Valentino's pizza, which locals genuinely love. But, my god, it is even worse than Pizza Hut, it is worse than a frozen pizza. It is truly, inedibly bad, with a bitter cardboard crust, bitter, almost nonexistent sauce, and a coating of unparalleled tasteless, granular cheese product. And you can't get green olives.

Ok, so Bocce Club pizza, what is it like? I have not had one in ages, but I think I can conjure it up. A crust that is the correct balance between tender and firm--with a freshly-made wheaty, yeasty taste. Delectable charred bits of cheese cling to the bottom of the crust from the incredibly high-heat oven that the pizza was baked in. The liquidy sauce has a sprightliness to it and a natural sweetness, with a hint of herbs. The cheese oozes like it's almost liquid in places and has a pleasant tangy edge and a lingering creaminess. The toppings are robust and flavorful, and you can get green olives. The anchovy pizza has just the right hint of fish--it's not smothered with them like other places do their anchovy topping.

Apparently, the old Bocce Club pizza place is still there, with the same guy, Rudy, running it. He must be in his 70s now. It's in an inner city neighborhood with many empty lots around and ramshackle houses nearby. My dad, who still lives near there, said that Bocce's is in the news sometimes for armed robbery still, so it makes me wonder if Rudy still wears a gun on his hip, like he always used to.

I used to go pick up the pizza when I was still living with my parents, and the small galley waiting area held maybe ten people comfortably enough. There were no seats, just that galley. And there was a high opening that allowed the waiting people to see the pizza-making action. Rudy worked quickly, without stopping, grabbing a crust, shaping it, slapping on sauce, sprinkling on cheese, placing toppings--quick, quick--in the blasting oven. Taking a pie out as he put one in. Putting it in a box, closing the box, calling out a name. And again, the same. How I loved that pizza.

Now, the best pizza I can get is at a bar called Yia Yia's here in Lincoln. It has a thin crust and some good toppings. But it's not that kind of homemade, charred, oozy, tangy, sprightly thing that I fell in love with as a wee one. The best thing I can do now is make my own, in my pitiful 500 degree oven. I have not yet found a really great crust recipe, but I have used this one, from the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook with some success.

Pizza Dough
Makes enough dough for about 6 pizzas.

SPONGE
2 teaspoons dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2/3 cup bread flour

DRY INGREDIENTS
4 cups bleached white flour
1/4 cup rye flour
1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

To make the sponge, dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup lukewarm water and stir in the 2/3 cup bread flour. Allow this mixture to sit until quite bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Mix together the white flour, rye flour, and salt in another bowl. Stir 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of these dry ingredients into the sponge. Mix thoroughly and let sit for another 30 minutes.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and the olive oil and knead, by hand or in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. It may be necessary to add more flour if the dough is wet, but add only enough flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. A very soft, moist dough makes the best crust.

Put the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. For even better-tasting, more supple dough, let the dough rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator.

Punch down the dough and divide into portions--4-ounce balls for pizzettas, 3-ounce balls for crostatas, or 7-ounce balls for standard pizzas. Form each portion into a nice smooth sphere. Allow the dough balls to rest at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for an hour or so before shaping and baking. Individual dough balls may also be frozen, then thawed overnight.