Pizza Party

Recipe testing is hard work.  It takes hours of dedicated research.  Tasting the same thing time after time after time - understanding the nuances of flavor.  You need to enlist the help of numerous people.  And you have to eat alot of pizza.  Gosh, life is rough.
If you haven't made homemade pizza before, I highly encourage it.  It is super easy and generally tastes way better than anything you can buy at the store.  My favorite part is that I can make it exactly the way I like - thin, thin, thin almost cracker like crust, minimal tomato sauce (if any, I prefer pesto) and all my favorite toppings.  Pizza is such a blank canvas that there is no wrong way to make it.  One of my favorites is homemade Romanesco sauce, burrata, fresh tomatoes, and arugala.

We have been testing the pizza dough recipes in the office for an exciting new product (to be divulged at a future time) and this is the winner.  It is easy to make., easy to work with and tastes delicious!

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza by thekitchen.com

Makes two 10-inch pizzas 

For the dough:

3/4 cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon active-dry or instant yeast

2 cups  unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

 

Heat over to 475F. A great tip is to leave the oven at full temperature for about 15-30 minutes before putting your pizza in the oven.  

Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl, and stir to dissolve the yeast.  Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until you've formed a shaggy dough.  You can also do this in a food processor and pulse until a ball forms.

Turn the dough out on a clean, lightly floured surface.  Knead until all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky.  Cut dough into two even balls and cover with plastic wrap or place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about an hour or two.   If you are pressed for time, you can let it rise for as little as 30 minutes.   After rising, you can use the dough, refrigerate it for up to three days, or in a freezer bag and freeze. IF you have refrigerated or frozen your dough, bring it back to room temperature before using.

Place dough onto lightly floured surface and roll to desired size and thickness.  My book - the thinner the better!

Bake for 12-18 mintutes based on the ingredients used.  This is for cheese and vegetable pizza or pizzas with meat that has already been cured or cooked.

 

For other ways to use pizza dough, visit: blog