Most authorities agree that pizza as we know it originated in Naples, Italy. The concept is simple—flatbread with a topping—but the variations are limitless, including anything (and everything) from the most basic pizza topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella to more surprising combinations such as chef Jody Adams’s recipe, which tops a traditional Neapolitan crust with prosciutto and parsley.

Makes two 10-by-18-inch very-thin-crust pizzas

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Basic Pizza Dough, room temperature (recipe follows)
All-purpose flour, for rolling
Cornmeal, for dusting
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
8 thin slices prosciutto

1. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven, or cover the bottom rack with unglazed tiles (check your local tile store), and preheat the oven to 500°.

2. In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until garlic is tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

3. Using plenty of flour, roll one ball of dough into a rough rectangle about 10 inches wide and 18 inches long (or as long a shape as will fit on your pizza stone). If the dough begins to contract as you try to roll it out, let it rest for 10 minutes to relax, then try rolling it again. Pinch the dough lightly around the edge to form a rim.

4. Transfer dough to a peel or sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Dimple the dough with your fingertips so that it doesn’t puff up during baking. Spread a tablespoon of the garlic oil and half of the garlic over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with 3/4 cup chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup fontina and 2 tablespoons Asiago.

5. Slide the pizza onto the stone or tiles, and bake until crust starts to turn brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Top with 4 slices prosciutto, and bake until prosciutto starts to crisp, about 5 minutes more. Remove from oven, transfer to a serving plate, and cut into slices.

6. Brush pizza crust with a teaspoon of the garlic oil, and serve. Repeat process with second ball of dough and remaining ingredients, or wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in freezer for later use.

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 1 pound (enough for 2 pizzas)
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 package yeast (scant 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1. Place 2 tablespoons of the warm water in a large bowl. Stir in yeast, and let rest until yeast begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, the salt, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the yeast mixture, and mix well. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time. At this point, the dough should be too stiff to stir; if not, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. If dough is sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour, but try to add as little as possible.

3. Rub a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Punch down the dough. Cut dough into two pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let rise again at room temperature until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Either proceed with making pizzas, or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Or, if not using within a day, place the wrapped dough in a plastic bag, and freeze. Allow frozen dough to thaw in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before using.