Big On Pizza!

Super Bowl 50 is right around the corner football fans!  It's time to think of party food.  Always on the menu at my house is pizza, it's a favorite, easy to eat, and virtually no mess for crazy fans.  Finger food is what people like, a lot of hand motions going on that day and pizza is a one handed kind of food.  Instead of making the usual round pizza this time, I am making a slab pizza out of my fresh dough.  Eating a square slice is much better to hold, while screaming at a referee for a bad call, than a  pie slice!

My homemade dough, recipe below.

You can use homemade sauce (recipe on this blog 6/12/13)  A good friend recommended this sauce, now my favorite.

Roll the dough out to fit your baking sheet, add sauce, cheese and toppings.  I used a little olive oil on my baking sheet so my pizza doesn't stick.  If you want an extra crispy crust, when the pizza is almost done I slide it off the pan and onto the rack in the oven for a few extra minutes, to make the crust extra crispy.

 Everything is better homemade!  Nice, crispy brown crust, melted cheese and pepperoni, equals great pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp canola oil (I use olive oil because I like the fruity taste of it)

1 1/4 cups of very warm water

3 1/2 cups of unbleached flour (plus additional flour for kneading)

2 tsp salt (I like the flavor of  kosher salt that's why I use it but you can use regular table salt)

DIRECTIONS

Attach dough hook to mixer. Combine the yeast, sugar, oil  and water in the bowl of the mixer.  Stir it up until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt and turn the mixer on medium speed.  As the ingredients combine, the dough should start pulling from the sides of the bowl.  As this happens add up to the 1/2 cup of flour that is left.  Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  Turn mixer off.  The dough will be a tiny bit sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand about 10 - 12 times. It should be very smooth.  Roll it into a ball, seam side down.  Oil a large bowl with about 1 Tbsp of oil.  Put the dough in the bowl seam side up and roll the top in the bottom of the bowl.  Turn the dough right side up.  Cover the bowl with a linen towel and set in a cool dry place.  Let it rise for 1/2 hour.

When the dough has risen, dump it out of the bowl onto a floured surface.  Roll dough to fit your greased baking sheet, stretch to the corners of the pan and press lightly so it stays. Let dough rest for about 5 minutes.  Add sauce and toppings and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes (depending on your oven). When pizza is baked, remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack to keep the crust crispy. If you are not using the dough right away cover with a damp linen towel and put in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours. Take out of the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature before adding topping and then bake.

Pizza Express

We are big pizza eaters in my house, at least once a week we have pizza on the menu.  Everyone loves it and its satisfying, served with a salad it makes a nice meal.  I tried a new way of making pizza last night, I usually make my own dough and homemade pizza sauce, but I came up with a new express way of making pizza on the grill, and I have to tell you it was fantastic.  Taste just like a brick oven pizza, without the cost or giving up any of the flavor.  It was a hit with the family, they are my biggest critics, and if it passed them I know I will be making it again.

I used Brooklyn Bred Pizza Crusts.  BJ's as well as Costco sells these.  I also use them for pesto bread which is awesome!  Heat your grill and put them on to crisp up for about 5 minutes on each side.  Be careful and watch them so they don't burn, all grills are different.

My nice friend turned me on to this pizza sauce, it's the best and tastes great! After the crusts crisp up to your liking, add sauce......

A little fresh basil from the garden doesn't hurt.....

And this cheese blend I found at  BJ's, it's great and adds alot of different flavor to my pizzas.

And heeerrrre they are!  If the bottoms of your pizzas get too brown, turn the grill off and set the pizzas to the side, close the lid so the cheese melts.

My pizzas are all done and they look fabulous!

 I cut them across, you can get 5 - 6 slices from each crust, depending how big you cut them.

 Crispy crust on the bottom, just like brick oven pizza!  

Pizza On The Grill

This is something new I tried this year on the grill, pizza!  It was alot easier than I thought is was going to be.  With a few store bought items, I didn't want to go through the process of making my own dough and sauce if it didn't work out as I had planned.  But to my surprise, they were great, enjoyed by all and will be on the menu again soon with homemade dough and sauce.  This is how I made them.

I cut my whole wheat dough into four equal pieces.  Then rolled them out on a floured board and got them on the grill. I didn't oil the grill, and they didn't stick, lucky me!  After you get them all on, top with your sauce.

Start layering on  your toppings.  My son the pescetarian, wanted baby kale, red pepper and Vidalia onion.  I caramelized the peppers and onions in olive oil and then added the kale in the last few minutes of cooking.

 His pizza is topped....

 And so were ours, the rest of us had Margherita pizzas, with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil from the garden.  I used all the burners on my grill turned on low heat, and closed the lid.  I let the pizzas cook for about thirty minutes, depending on your grill.  Check on them frequently so they do not burn.

 My only tip - put the basil on the pizza at the very end so it doesn't dry out.  Very good pizza, and it was really easy to do.  The crust was crispy, not tough, and tasted like pizza you get from a pizza oven.  Try it, you'll like it!

The Margherita Pizza

 The Veggie Pizza

When The Moon Hits Your Eye.....

Who doesn't love pizza, and when you can make it quickly at home it's even better.  I worked this dough recipe for a very long time and now it is perfect. The sauce - what can I say, it's the best! Gather your ingredients.  Recipes below.

get the dough hook on that mixer

Yeast, sugar, olive oil and water

This is what makes it all come together - the flour

Oh yeah, who's in the dough?

 Now grab the ingredients for the sauce

Salsa di Pizza! 

DELIZIOSO!  Che e amore! 

PIZZA DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp canola oil (I use olive oil because I like the fruity taste of it)

1 1/4 cups of very warm water

3 1/2 cups of unbleached flour (plus additional flour for kneading)

2 tsp salt (I like the flavor of  kosher salt that's why I use it, but you can use regular table salt)

DIRECTIONS

Attach dough hook to mixer. Combine the yeast, sugar, oil  and water in the bowl of the mixer.  Stir it up until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt and turn the mixer on medium speed.  As the ingredients combine, the dough should start pulling from the sides of the bowl.  As this happens add up to the 1/2 cup of flour that is left.  Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  Turn mixer off.  The dough will be a tiny bit sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand about 10 - 12 times. It should be very smooth.  Roll it into a ball, seam side down.  Oil a large bowl with about 2 Tbsp of oil.  Put the dough in the bowl seam side up and roll the top in the bottom of the bowl.  Turn the dough right side up.  Cover the bowl with a linen towel and set in a cool dry place.  Let it rise for 1/2 hour.

When the dough has risen, dump it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and cut into 4 even pieces (8")  for a larger personal pizza, or 6 even pieces for smaller pizzas (6").  Roll the dough into a round shape and place on parchment lined cookie sheets (2 on each sheet).  Let them rest for about 5 minutes. If using right away add sauce and toppings and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes (depending on your oven). When pizzas are baked remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack to keep the crust crispy. If you are not using the dough right away cover with a damp linen towel and put them in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours. Take out of the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature before adding topping and then bake.

PIZZA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 small shallot, minced (or onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 - 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp oregano -1 tsp if using fresh 

1 tsp basil - I use fresh

2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a medium size saucepan on medium heat.  Add the shallot, garlic and red pepper.  Cook until tender but be careful not to brown the garlic.  Add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar and cheese.  Add the salt and pepper to your taste.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes.  Use immediatley or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 1 week.  You can also freeze it in a zip loc bag.