Ingredients
Pizza Dough: Makes enough
dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas
1=1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
2=1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of
active dry yeast
3=3 1/2 cups bread flour
4=2 Tbsp olive oil
5=2 teaspoons salt
6=1 teaspoon sugar
Pizza Ingredients
7=Olive oil
8=Cornmeal (to help slide the pizza
onto the pizza stone)
9=Tomato sauce (smooth, or pureed)
10=Mozzarella cheese, grated
11=Parmesan cheese, grated
12=Feta cheese, crumbled
13=Mushrooms, thinly sliced
14=Bell peppers, stems and seeds
removed, thinly sliced
15=Italian sausage, cooked ahead and
crumbled
16=Chopped fresh basil
17=Pesto
18=Pepperoni, thinly sliced
19=Onions, thinly sliced
20=Ham, thinly slice
Special equipment needed
21=A pizza stone, highly recommended
if you want crispy pizza crust
22=A pizza peel or a flat baking sheet
23= pizza wheel for cutting the pizza,
not required, but easier to deal with than a knife
Method:
Making the Pizza Dough
1= Place the warm water in
the large bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm
water and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. After 5
minutes stir if the yeast hasn't dissolved completely. The yeast should begin
to foam, which indicates that it is still active and alive.
2 =Using the mixing paddle
attachment, mix in the flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil on low speed for a
minute. Then replace the mixing paddle with the dough hook attachment. Knead
the pizza dough on low to medium speed using the dough hook until the dough is
smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
If you don't have a mixer,
you can mix the ingredients together and knead them by hand.
If the dough seems a little
too wet, sprinkle it with a little more flour.
3= Spread a thin layer of
olive oil over the inside of a large bowl. Place the pizza dough in the bowl
and turn it around so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover the dough with
plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, at
least 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You can let it sit for several hours if you want. The
longer rise will improve the flavor of the pizza crust. If you don't have a
warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off
the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl
of dough in this warmed oven to rise.
At this point, if you want
to make ahead, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to two
weeks.
Preparing the Pizzas
1= Place a pizza stone on a
rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30
minutes, preferably an hour.
2= Remove the plastic cover
from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough
in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with
plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.
3= Prepare your desired
toppings. Note that you are not going to want to load up each pizza with a lot
of toppings as the crust will end up not crisp that way. About a third a cup
each of tomato sauce and cheese would be sufficient for one pizza. One to two
mushrooms thinly sliced will cover a pizza.
4 =Working one ball of
dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a
slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use
your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the
dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then
continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches.
Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. You can
pinch the very edges if you want to form a lip.
5 =Brush the top of the
dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use
your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to
prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.
Repeat with the second ball
of dough.
6= Lightly sprinkle your
pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) with corn meal. Transfer one-prepared
flattened dough to the pizza peel. If the dough has lost its shape in the
transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.
7= Spoon on the tomato
sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.
8= Sprinkle some cornmeal
on the baking stone in the oven (watch your hands, the oven is hot!). Gently
shake the peel to see if the dough will easily slide, if not, gently lift up
the edges of the pizza and add a bit more cornmeal. Slide the pizza off of the
peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizza one at a time until the
crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes. If you want,
toward the end of the cooking time you can sprinkle on a little more cheese.
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