Home-Made Pizza

I haven't always gotten along with the oven in our apartment.  You see, the oven has a mind of its own and does whatever it wants to do.  I'll tell it to heat to 350 degrees (technically I tell it to heat to about 370'ish because it has a hard time understanding simple instructions) and the oven thermometer yells "350 degrees!"  Then, I put something in there to cook and by the time I go to remove the food, the oven has decided to jump to 400 degrees.  Sigh.


Accordingly, I was a bit hesitant to try making my own pizza.  But, I did.  AND, it was a SUCCESS!!!

I'm not talking about a pizza prepared on a wrap either.  I'm also not talking about a frozen pizza or pizza with a pre-made crust.  I'm talking about a good, hearty pizza with fresh ingredients that I made all by myself!!  Yay!!  However, I did not make the pizza sauce or the pesto.  I decided that I was going to take my "trial run" easy.  But, next time there will be homemade sauce.


I found the recipe on my favorite blog.  It is super easy and incredibly delicious!  It involves a little bit of prep and some time management skills, but it's nothing that can be handled by reading through the recipe before you begin.  The dough makes up 2 batches.  I made 2 separate pizzas: a pepperoni pizza and a chicken pesto pizza with sundried tomato and kalamata olives.  I'm only listing the ingredients for the toppings because I didn't really measure them out.  I was just trying to get this dinner to work out (which it did, yay!).  Plus, pizza is more of a personal preference type thing :)  I am so excited to try out different variations with this dough!


In the recipe below, I reflected my process while mixing by hand.  You can also use a stand mixer for this or a bread machine.  Those instructions can be found by clicking either link below.

Awesome Home-Made Pizza Crust
adapted from Annie's Eats who adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield:  2 pizza doughs
Ingredients

• 1/2 c warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• 1 1/4 c water, at room temp.
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (22 oz) bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Cornmeal
• Non-stick cooking spray for bowl

Instructions

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes.  Add the room temperature water and oil; stir to combine.
2. Combine the salt and half of the flour in a deep bowl.  Add the liquid ingredients and use a  wooden spoon to combine.  Add the remaining flour, stirring until a cohesive mass forms.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 7-8 minutes) using as little dusting flour as possible.
3. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until double in size, about 1.5-2 hours.  Press the dough to deflate it.
4. In the final minutes of the dough's rise, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven.  Heat the oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
6. Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, roll-out and shape the dough into a crust.  Transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with cornmeal.  Top as desired!
7. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone.
8. Bake until the crust edges are brown and the cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8-12 minutes.
9. Repeat with the remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Pepperoni Pizza; Pizza Dough, Pizza Sauce, Pepperoni, Pizza Cheese, Red Pepper Flakes & Italian Seasonings
Chicken Pesto; Pizza Dough, Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato, Shredded Chicken, Kalamata Olives, Red Onion, Mozzarella Cheese & Fresh Basil