No need to knead--store-bought dough is perfect for these satisfying recipes.

I get to eat some pretty amazing food at F&W. But after all the daring recipes I test in the magazine's kitchen, what I really want is pizza. This craving must be genetic. My grandfather, an ambitious baker, came to America with the first wave of immigrants from Sicily and opened his first restaurant in Brooklyn. At Villa Cordaro, he'd play guitar and sing Italian folk songs while feeding the neighborhood. The last of his restaurants was a pizzeria called Frank's, where people came for the delicious pies made with his yeasty dough.

I don't know what he'd say about using store-bought frozen pizza dough; probably nothing printable, but I think that it's quite good. It certainly won over the F&W staff, especially when paired with some unusual yet simple toppings. The five recipes that follow show that even something so humble as pizza--made with supermarket ingredients--can satisfy the most critical palates.

Published May 1999