Homemade Pizza
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| Pretty much tastes like it's from the local pizzeria! Get ready for some goooood pizza! |
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| Combine 4 cups bread flour, yeast and salt in mixer. |
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| Add the olive oil and mix up a bit (it won't look like it's doing much). |
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| Get the water to a temperature between 120 to 130 degrees. |
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| Add the water to the mixer and mix until you get a sticky dough (do not over-mix). |
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| Put dough on a floured surface (with bread flour), and knead for 5 minutes, then form the dough into a ball, adding about 1/2 cup more flour, as needed. |
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| Cover in a greased bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. |
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| While the dough is rising, shred the cheese. You have two options: using the mixer attachment, or shredding it by hand, with a grater. |
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| Using the mixer, feed the cheese through the top of the machine, put a bag on the opening of the machine, then shred on high power, using the desired cut. |
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| Using a hand grater, grate the cheese. :) |
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| Once that is done, get going with the sauce. Mince the garlic. |
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| Heat up the olive oil in a medium-large skillet. |
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| Heat up the garlic and oil, until sizzling. |
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| Add the canned crushed tomatoes and mix on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until thickened. |
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| Once the dough has risen, punch it down (fold it into the center). |
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| Split the dough into 3 parts and cover each loosely with plastic wrap (I used a scale to do this). |
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| Cover the dough and let rise again for about 30 minutes. |
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| The sauce is perfect after 15 minutes! |
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| Heat the oven to 500 degrees with the baking stone in it and let the stone heat up for at least 30 minutes on the lower-middle rack of the oven (do not skip this step). |
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| On one of my pizzas, I decided to put on some mushrooms, so I rinsed and cut them up into slices. |
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| Then, I put them onto a paper towel to soak up any excess water (and then I patted them dry, also, with some paper towel). |
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| Once dough has risen for about 30 minutes, use a bit of bread flour on parchment paper and start to make a 12 inch circle. |
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| First, push down on the center of the dough, then hold the center while pulling on the edges to stretch the dough. |
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| You want a 12 inch circle. |
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| Use about 3/4 cup of sauce on each pizza (you'll still have some left over). |
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| Spread it on the pizza, with a 1/2 inch edge of dough uncovered around the circumference of the circle. |
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| Use 1/3 of your cheese (or 1 cup, or 4 oz), and spread it all on top of the pizza sauce. |
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| Spread the grated Parmesan cheese onto the top of the pizza. |
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| Brush some olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per pizza) onto the edge of the pizza. |
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| Carefully put the pizza on the parchment paper onto a smooth-edged pan, then carefully pull the parchment paper with the pizza onto the baking stone. Bake for about 9 minutes. |
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| Do the dame with the rest of the pizzas-- make one while one is in the oven. For the one with mushrooms, I just spread a generous layer of them on top of the pizza after putting on all of the cheese. |
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| Once done, carefully pull the parchment paper back onto the flat pan and pull the pizza onto a cutting board. Spread about 2 teaspoons of dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh basil) on top of the pizza. |
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| Beautiful! |
Homemade Pizza
Cooking time: 36 minutes
Prep time: about 3 hours
Total time: about 3 hours, 36 minutes
Makes 18 servings (1/6 of each pizza)
Nutrition Information for each slice (no toppings):
Calories: 237 calories
Fat: 11 g
Sodium: 227 mg
Carbs: 26 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 9 g
Ingredients:
Dough:
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast (or rapid-rise yeast, or instant yeast)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
Toppings:
12 oz (3 cups) mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons fresh basil, or 6 teaspoons dried basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
**requires a baking stone
Directions:
1. Add all dry ingredients for dough in mixer, then add the olive oil. Get water to within 120 and 130 degrees, then add the mixer and mix until a sticky dough forms (do not over-mix).
2. Knead dough for 5 minutes on surface floured with bread flour, adding about 1/2 cup more flour with kneading. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl and let rise in warm place for about 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
3. Mince the garlic for the sauce, and heat in medium-large saucepan with olive oil and stir over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
4. Place baking stone on lower-middle rack of oven and heat at 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes.
5. Shred the cheese to desired shape using a hand grater, or the grater attachment for the mixer.
6. Once dough has risen, split into three parts, cover each with plastic wrap, cover, and let rise in warm place for another 30 minutes.
7. Once ready, place dough on parchment paper with some bread flour, and push down on the center of the dough. Then, hold the center while stretching the dough outward, the make a 12 inch circle.
8. Spread about 3/4 cup of sauce, leaving a 1/2 inch edge of dough on the edges of the dough. Then, spread on 1 cup, or 4 oz, of cheese, then 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Then, brush about 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the edges of the pizza.
9. Pull the parchment paper with the pizza onto a flat pan, then carefully pull it onto the hot baking stone. Bake for about 9 minutes. While that pizza is baking, prepare the next. Place any additional toppings on the pizzas as desired.
**Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook's Basic Pizza Dough, Classic Cheese Pizza, and Quick Pizza Sauce recipes **
Some work is required, but it is well worth it!! Enjoy!
