Pizza
on Nov 11 in In The Kitchen by SumiWhen I get tired of cooking, I imagine all the choices I have from the fast food restaurants. I visualize the hamburgers with wilted, brown lettuce rags. I think about the oozing condiments between the questionable contents of the buns. It forces me to conceptualize the face off position, where I am on the opposite side staring at this big, ugly hamburger, which is taunting me saying… Well, you gonna eat me? Go ahead, make my day.
I’m not all that strict about eating a sandwich out of a cardboard box. I would just like to limit it to one a week. Is that too much to ask? While I’m still working on that, I have to appease my teenage boys with some kind of homemade food that reminds them that they are still participating in a Western diet.
Today, we are making Pizza. No, not the one with fake cheeses and cardboard crust. It’s homemade from chewy, delightful crust with real mozzarella cheese which you’ll have to slice like tofu. It’s pretty simple if you can get the hang of making this pizza dough. You’ll also be very surprised at what I do for the sauce. It’s simple, simple, simple… but delicious.
These are the ingredients you’ll need for the pizza dough. The water needs to be very warm but not hot.
In a medium bowl – add 1 1/2 cups of warm water (110°) and 1 Tablespoon of honey. Mix.
Immediately add 2 packages of dry yeast.
Mix.
Let it proof for about 30 minutes.
Empty the yeast mixture into a mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid).
Add 4 cups of bread flour.
Add 2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Use the dough hook to mix, but before I do, I use a spoon to mix it up to give it a good start.
While the dough is mostly mixed, I drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Allow the dough to knead for about 10 minutes.
The dough should form a ball like this.
I take the dough out and sprinkle some bread flour on the counter and knead 5 to 10 times to make a smooth ball.
Drizzle some olive oil into a large bowl and smear it all over the inside of the bowl.
Place the dough in the bowl and smear some olive oil all over the dough.
Cover the bowl and place it in the microwave with a hot cup of water and let it rise. It may take several hours. The hot cup of water will give the dough some heat and moisture to rise properly. I know, I smart (ha ha).
Now while your waiting, You can work on the toppings.
These are the ingredients for the toppings. You’ll be able to make two large pizzas and you can use whatever toppings you want.
First I cut all the bacon from the package and fry them in a large pan. I spoon out the bacons onto a plate covered with paper towel and set it aside. Please leave the bacon fat alone in the pan.
Wash the leeks (I use 3 leeks) and chop them up like this. I don’t use the dark green part of the leeks.
I saute the leeks with the bacon grease. You can add a bit of black pepper, but you don’t have to. Set it aside in a bowl. You can saute other veggies such as onions and mushrooms at this time and set them aside also.
Fry up the sausage of your choice and set it aside. Now around this time, I go and preheat my oven to 400°.
Now for the pizza sauce…Take one small can of tomato paste and empty it into a bowl.
Add about 2 Tablespoons of oregano to the tomato paste.
Mixa, mixa, mixa… and that’s it for the sauce. Set it aside, I say.
Now go and check your pizza dough. It should be triple in size. Isn’t it purrty?
Divide the dough in half with whatever. I used my hand, I’m busy.
This is what the texture of the dough should look like. It should be very stretchy and form a see through window when you stretch it apart.
Two beautiful divided pizza doughs.
Next, I cut up the parchment papers and cover two jelly roll pans like this.
I take half of the pizza dough and stretch it into a rectangular shape. I don’t force the dough. I just try to use it’s weight to stretch on it’s own before I lay it on the jelly roll pan and then I push and pull to get it into a rectangular shape.
I pour some EVOO onto the pizza dough. I smear it all over the top with my bare hands.
Then, I smear gently-gently, I say… the half tomato paste mixture.
I slice up some hard mozzarella and place them like this.
I top it with sauteed leeks.
Top it with sausages.
Top it with any other cheese of your choice.
Top it with fresh mozzarella. When your done, place it into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Every ovens different so adjust accordingly.
The result. The-Smell-Will-Kill-You.
Next, you can work on your second pizza. Use the same process, but I like to use different toppings on my second pizza for variety.
I used fresh mozzarella and leeks.
I top it with bacon. Yum!
I top it with goat cheese.
Oh My!
Cut the pizzas.
Eat, pray, love.
Here is a variation with mushrooms. Mushrooms, leeks, and bacon…you’re gonna die.
Pizza
Dough Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup warm water (110°)
2 packages dry yeast
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 cup Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions:
1- In a medium mixing bowl add 1 1/2 cups warm water, honey, and dry yeast. Mix and let it proof and stand for about 15 minutes.
2- Empty the yeast mixture into the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl and add the bread flour and kosher salt. Mix a bit with “The Spatula” and then start the kneading with the dough hook attachment.
3- While the dough hook is working, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue kneading for about 10 minutes.
4- Take the dough out unto a counter sprinkled with some bread flour, and knead 5 to 10 times with hand to make a ball.
5- Grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in and smear some olive oil on top and sides of the pizza dough.
6- Cover the bowl and place it inside the microwave with a cup of hot water beside it. Let it rise for about 2 hours until the dough triples in size.
Topping Ingredients:
3 leeks washed and chopped (not including the dark green parts)
1 package of bacon cut into pieces
mushrooms
grounds sausage
fresh mozzarella sliced
grated cheeses of your choice
1 can of tomato paste
2 Tablespoon oregano
Extra virgin olive oil
1- Preheat your oven to 400° to 425° (depending on your oven)
2- Fry up the pieces of bacon and set the bacon aside but reserve the bacon grease.
3- Saute the chopped leeks with the bacon grease and set it aside.
4- Saute the mushrooms and any other veggies you want and set them aside.
5- Fry the sausages and set it aside.
6- Mix the tomato paste and oregano together and set it aside.
Topping the Pizza:
1- First divide the pizza dough in half (the recipe will make 2 pizzas), stretch each dough (using it’s own weigh as much as possible) and place them onto two parchment covered jelly roll pan.
2- Drizzle the top with some olive oil and smear all over both pizza doughs. Smear half of the tomato paste mixture on top of each pizza dough.
3- Place half of sauteed leeks, some slice mozzarella cheese, then sausages or bacon, then mushrooms, then some more grated cheeses of your choice. You can just really top the pizza with anything you like. Just make sure to top it with grated cheeses at the end. I like to use grated mozzarella cheese mixed with a bit of cheddar.
4- Bake them in the oven (one at a time) for 15 minutes or so until the crust look golden but not brown and all the cheese has melted.
5-Eat. Enjoy. You can leave me a comment of how much you adore me.
Love,
Sumi
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