Wood-fired California Pizza
Photo: igorovsyannykov · CC0

History

California pizza's modern form drew from Wolfgang Puck's Spago kitchen in the 1980s, which introduced California produce and smoked salmon to a Neapolitan format. The Funk Zone iteration developed in the 2010s when converted industrial spaces became restaurant venues: Lucky Penny opened its wood-burning oven in the penny-tiled building next to The Lark, treating naturally leavened dough as the primary ingredient alongside seasonal Central Coast produce.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes 2 pizzasHands-on 30 minTotal 26 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For 48-hour dough: 500g bread flour, 350ml cold water, 7g active dry yeast, 10g salt, 1 tbsp olive oil
  • For California topping: 1/2 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes, 150g fresh mozzarella, 2 tbsp olive oil, fresh basil, 1 cup seasonal vegetable (zucchini, cherry tomatoes, or artichoke hearts from the farmers market)
  • Semolina for dusting the peel

Method

  1. Day 1: combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add cold water gradually, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
  2. Day 2 (or 3): remove dough 2 hours before baking. Divide into two balls. Shape gently into rounds without degassing too much; the bubbles give the crust its character.
  3. Place a baking steel or thick cast-iron pan in the oven and heat to 550F (288C) maximum oven temperature for 45 minutes.
  4. On a well-floured or semolina-dusted peel, stretch one dough ball by hand to a rough 12-inch circle. Perfection is not the goal.
  5. Spread a thin layer of crushed tomatoes, avoiding the edge. Add torn mozzarella and seasonal vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil.
  6. Slide onto the hot steel and bake 6-8 minutes until the crust is charred in spots and the cheese is bubbling with brown patches.
  7. Finish with fresh basil after the oven.

Tip from the editors. The crust should have dark char spots; pale bakes indicate either the oven is not hot enough or the dough was not stretched thin. Push the oven to its maximum temperature and do not open the door while it heats.

Where to eat wood-fired california pizza

Wood-fired California Pizza in Santa Barbara

Lucky Penny ★ 3.5

$$ PizzaFunk Zone

Funk Zone pizza and wine bar in a building tiled with 150,000 copper pennies. Wood-oven pizzas, seasonal salads, and frozen rose at a back-patio counter.

SignatureWood-fired artisan pizza, Frozen rose, Seasonal salads

Directions

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