Saturday, August 20, 2011

Pizza


Tonight I tried a new pizza dough recipe and I love it. It's my new pizza dough recipe.
 
1 tsp instant or active dry yeast 
1 tsp sugar
2/3 cup warm water (warm enough so that when you stick your finger in you can't feel it)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Pour the water and sugar in the bowl of your stand-up mixer, sprinkle with the yeast. If it foams up in about a minute, mix in the rest of the ingredients using the dough hook. Let it knead for a little while. Here's where it could get tricky; if it's too sticky and wet add a little bit of flour at a time but if it's too dry sprinkle in some warm water. What you're looking for is for the dough to make a ball only by the action of the mixer. Once you have a ball of dough, let the machine knead it for a few minutes.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place to double in size. This will take about an hour.  Or, let it hang out in your fridge for a day or two.  

Preheat the oven to 475 F. If using a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well, setting it on the lowest shelf.
Flatten the dough on a piece of parchment. Roll or stretch out into a circle, cover with sauce, then your toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bottom of the crust is browned when you lift up the edge a little, and cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

The sauce is very easy and versatile. Start with a large can of tomatoes. Pour the can of tomatoes in a saucepan, add a few cloves of crushed garlic, some dried oregano, parsley and basil. Add some black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and a little bit of salt. Let it simmer on medium while the dough is rising. Use your stick blender to puree it.
If you want to add onions, go ahead, just grate them or chop them finely and stir them in, but I never do.

Pizza is easy and fun to make. Look in your fridge for toppings. I'm no parent but I've heard that if kids make their own food they're more likely to eat it so why not let them make a face with broccoli, red pepper strips or whatever you have on hand.

Enjoy!

No comments: