Monday, December 14, 2009

PIZZA



I love pizza. I would eat it every day if I could. I have recently been searching for a good pizza dough recipe instead of buying frozen dough, and I think that this one is a real winner. I came across the recipe on one of my friends blogs and used it tonight for dinner. I was very happy about the result.

Pizza Dough:
this recipe called for using half regular flour and half whole wheat but since I didn't have any whole wheat flour and by the time I decided this is what I wanted for dinner it was dark and therefore cold outside and I couldn't work up the nerve to walk the 16 blocks round trip to the store. So while I am sure it is good with whole wheat flour (and healthier) is was very good with just regular flour too.

Also I used instant yeast instead of normal yeast and it worked just fine. Instant yeast is much less intimidating to me than real yeast.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (110-120
degrees F, over 120 degrees will kill your yeast)
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup all purpose or bread flour (+ up to 1/4 cup more for kneading)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. In a glass or plastic bowl (metal can negatively affect yeast), dissolve honey in warm water. Add yeast and let sit (at least 10 minutes) until yeast is active and bubbly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, and salt. Create a well in the center.
3. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it into the well in your flour mixture bowl. Add the extra virgin olive oil. Using a spatula and then your fingers, mix the dough until it pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Knead the dough on the counter top, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour just until it is no longer sticking to the counter and has a smooth texture. (You can brush a little olive oil onto your fingers for the kneading process.)
5. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
6. Deflate the dough into a ball, and let it rest on your counter for at least 10 minutes before you create the crust.
7. Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 450 degrees F. A scorching hot pizza stone is the key to getting that puffy evenly cooked crust.

8. To shape your crust you will simply use your hands and gravity. DO NOT use a rolling pin- it will press out all of the air that has formed in your dough. Take the ball of dough in your hands and simply begin pulling it around the edges. It should start to stretch easily. Rotate it around your first making sure you are stretching each side evenly, so that you have a round crust. The middle will be fairly thin, and you want to leave the edges thicker so they will puff up.

Pizza Sauce:
Don't use to much sauce, use less than you think you should. I didn't use all that this recipe made.

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional- I left it out!)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
2. Sauce should sit for 30 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Both recipes make enough for one pizza, then you can top with anything you would like. I used fresh mozzarella, sausage, green peppers, onions and squash (it just happened to be what I had in the fridge). I also like to use spinach and artichoke hearts for pizza. But really you can use whatever you feel like.

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did.

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