So, it’s late afternoon and you’re thinking about dinner, not sure what to make, don’t really feel like working too hard… what to do, what to do, what to do?
Well, I’m here to tell you, make a homemade pizza! If you have a food processor, bread maker or a mixer with dough hooks, there’s nothing easier and tastier than making your own. A few minutes of work and the rest of the time you can read some blogs, play a game or watch a DVD.
The Count’s pizza dough:
1½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
½ pkg. (or 1¼ tsp if you use the stuff in a jar) yeast
½ cup water
- Food Processor - Put the first four ingredients in your food processor, flip it on, add water, and process for about a minute.
- Bread Maker – Add ingredients, follow manufacturer’s instructions for mixing and kneading.
- Mixer with Dough Hooks - Put the first four ingredients in your mixer, flip it on, add water, and mix for about five to ten minutes.
- By Hand – You can of course do it by hand, but then it would be more work. On the other hand, you could also do the kneading with a large bowl in your lap while watching TV… no reason you couldn’t, just do it for 15 minutes or so.
This next part is about getting the right dough consistency and is only difficult if you’ve never ever made dough or bread. What you want is to add water or flour and process or mix until the dough is tender and sticks the tiniest bit to your fingers. Be sparing, add water no more than two teaspoons at a time or add flour no more than a ¼ cup at a time. The reason it is not an exact amount is due to the flour, it is milled differently, humidity is different, etc.
When just right, put the dough ball on an oiled pizza pan and cover with some oiled plastic wrap and leave on it the kitchen counter. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees, set the timer for 40 minutes and forget about it.
After 40 minutes flatten out the dough and pull/stretch/flatten to the edges of the pan.
Top it and bake it. For those that are wondering, you don't need to let it rise a second time.
- Focaccia - Brush some olive oil on the dough and then sprinkle on some rosemary. Put in oven for 15 minutes.
- Traditional - ½ to 1 cups of pasta sauce, using the back of a spoon to spread it about. Pile on some pepperoni, and/or sliced mushrooms, and/or onion, and/or whatever. This part is totally up to you, just don’t pile it on too thick, and if you want to add raw meat, like sausage, I’d steam it or nuke just a bit first. Top with the cheese(es) of your choice and put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The more topping on top, the longer it ought to be in the oven… just take a peek at the 15 minute mark to see how it’s doing. Don’t forget that some people like their toppings over the cheese!
Believe it or not, but this is actually very easy and hassle free, even for a first timer.
The Countess and my favorite is just pasta sauce, anchovies and cheese. However, before y’all go all “eeew” and stuff, give it a try because the secret is to mush up the anchovies and use a knife to spread them thinly and evenly over the dough (like you would with peanut butter on bread), then add the sauce and finally the cheese. Spreading the anchovies keeps its flavor from concentrating and makes for a slightly salty and tangy pizza... yum!
Comments