The Pizza Challenge

When pizza sauce starts being sold in squeeze bottles like ketchup, you know a new day has dawned. Pizza, the food we weren’t supposed to eat too much of because it might ruin our dinner, has turned into dinner.

As tired working people started coming home and phoning out for pizza, the food companies started fighting back. Their first assault was a giant wave of frozen pizzas. Next there were microwaveable frozen pizzas, then fresh pizzas that were all topped and ready to stick into the oven. Of course, none of these made a parent feel very good; after all, it’s difficult to unwrap a box, put it in the oven and call it cooking dinner for the kids.

Enter the latest entries in the pizza race: They all give you the illusion of cooking. The Pillsbury pizza crust comes in a tube that you have to open, unroll, top with various ingredients and bake. The fact that you can now buy pizza sauce in a squeeze bottle, and cheese that’s already shredded, makes this relatively easy, but you do have to go to various departments in the supermarket to gather your ingredients. The new Contadina pizza does away with even these complications: The sauce and cheese are neatly packaged in a convenient kit, and the crust is already rolled for you. The Boboli shell (it doesn’t actually call itself a pizza) is all rolled too--but with this one you do have the problem of deciding what you are going to put on top.

Are there any differences between them? To find out, we decided to have a pizza bake-off. We compared basic pizzas--just crust, bottled pizza sauce and pre-shredded cheese. We ordered a plain medium pizza from Domino’s and turned on the timer. And then, just to make the exercise more interesting, we decided to see how fast we could bake a pizza without using any convenience foods at all.

Although the delivered pizza got here under the advertised 30-minute time limit, it was the slowest of the lot. We also found that it was unpleasantly salty. One thing in its favor: It did not have that cardboard-box flavor so often associated with carry-out pizzas.

The Pillsbury crust was easy to use, but it tasted more like a biscuit than a pizza, and it had a faintly chemical flavor that put off some tasters.

The Contadina kit was really easy to use. The crust had a bread-like flavor, but tended to be a bit tough. And many of our tasters found the flavor too sweet.

All of the tasters found the Boboli crust the most appealing of the pre-made lot. While it was a bit too thick for real thin-crust purists, it kept its crispness in the oven and was able to stand up to a lot of sauce.

But the homemade pizza was the hands-down winner. We saved time by using a no-rise dough and by simply slicing fresh tomatoes and layering them on top, rather than taking the time to make a sauce. And while it took us a few seconds to grate fresh Parmesan cheese, the flavor was worth the trouble.

So next time you reach for the phone to call out for pizza, consider the alternatives.

Prices were calculated using the cash register receipts from our purchases. They are as follows:

Domino’s medium cheese pizza: $8, plus $1.50 tip.

Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust: $1.89, plus 46 cents for 1/3 of a 15-ounce bottle of pizza sauce at $1.39, plus $1.69 for 3/4 of an 8-ounce package of shredded mozzarella cheese at $2.19.

Contadina kit: $5.59 (although it is often on sale for as little as $4.49).

Boboli: $3.29 for the family-size crust, plus 46 cents for 1/3 of a 15-ounce bottle of pizza sauce at $1.39, plus $1.69 for 3/4 of an 8-ounce package of shredded mozzarella cheese at $2.19).

Homemade pizza: 50 cents for flour and yeast, 51 cents for 3/4 pound of Roma tomatoes, 30 cents for basil, 75 cents for cheese, 25 cents for olive oil.

The winner: It may not have the traditional pepperoni and cheese, but this quick pizza happens to be delicious. If you can, use a perforated pizza pan; the holes help ensure a crisp crust.

PIZZA AL POMODORO WITH ABBY MANDEL’S NO-RISE CRUST

3 to 4 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons cornmeal

1 package dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

Unbleached all-purpose or bread flour, about 2 1/2 cups

Salt

3/4 pound Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Pepper

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Rub 1 teaspoon olive oil over 1 (12 to 14-inch) pizza pan. Sprinkle pan with cornmeal. Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and let stand until foamy.

Combine 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil in food processor bowl fitted with metal blade. Turn on machine. Pour yeast mixture through feed tube. Process until dough cleans inside of work bowl.

If dough sticks, add more flour by tablespoons through feed tube, letting each addition work in before adding more. If dough is crumbly, add water by teaspoons through feed tube, letting each addition work in before adding more. When desired consistency is reached, process dough until uniformly supple and elastic, about 40 seconds.

Roll dough immediately on heavily floured board to 14-inch circle. Add flour to board as necessary, rotating dough while rolling. If dough resists, let rest 5 minutes to relax gluten, then try again.

Fold dough in half, then in quarters. Place on prepared pan with point of dough in center. Unfold dough and lightly press into place, working from center to edge. Pinch edge together or fold over edge to form 1/3-inch rim.

Brush dough with remaining 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cover with even layer of tomato slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees 15 to 18 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden brown. Sprinkle with basil. Makes 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza.

Cut in 6, each serving contains about:

230 calories; 659 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.5 gram fiber.

Note : Dough does not need to rise. However, if dough is allowed to rise until doubled, crust will be slightly chewier. After rising, transfer to oiled bowl and turn to coat entire surface with oil. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm place (75 to 80 degrees) until doubled, about 1 hour. Then roll as directed.

The Pizza Challenge

***** The Winner: Made from scratch: easy homemade crust, sliced fresh tomatoes, freshly grated cheese. 24 minutes, $2.31

**** When Seconds Count: Boboli crust, bottled sauce, packaged cheese. 11 minutes, $5.39

*** Easiest Pie: Contadina pizza kit (contains crust, sauce and cheese). 13 minutes, $5.59

** Deep Pockets: Medium cheese pizza, delivered from Domino’s. 27 minutes, $9.50 with tip

* You Call This Pizza?: Pillsbury crust, bottled sauce, packaged cheese. 20 minutes, $3.99