Pizza Dough

Doughs with yeast have always intimidated me. The particular temperature the water needs to be, all that fussy rising, and the horror stories I've heard were all more than enough reason to steer clear.

I was craving pizza for dinner this week, and decided I would bite the yeast dough bullet and try my hand at a pizza crust. I heard that pizza crust was a good starting point, and I hoped it was true. I searched for a recipe and decided on Alton Brown's Pizza Dough. I generally like his recipes, the detailed instructions and bits of chemistry he includes. And bonus- this recipe was for two pizza doughs. I hoped I wouldn't mess up!

Well, it turned out to be not that difficult. I was definitely surprised. The only problem I had was that I didn't roll it out enough before placing it on the pizza stone, which led to a slightly small, and denser pizza. Totally my fault though, and now I know for next time.

We topped it with pizza sauce, sausage, peppers, onions, and shredded mozzarella. And let me say, I am never, NEVER buying pizza crust again. This was spectacular! I wasn't going to include a picture, as we devoured this before I had a chance. Then I figured I would just drop in a picture of the second dough that I stuck in the freezer, the one that we will be using very soon!

Pizza Dough
Makes 2 crusts, 4 servings each

2 Tablespoons of sugar
1/2 Tablespoon of kosher salt
2 cups of bread flour

1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 teaspoon of instant yeast

2 teaspoons of olive oil

Directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine salt, sugar, olive oil, and 1 cup of flour. Set aside.

Heat water to between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally, and measuring with a candy thermometer. (It's easier to use more water than you need, and scoop out 3/4 of a cup so you can more accurately take the temperature.) Pour 3/4 cup of water into a measuring cup, and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow yeast to foam for a minute or two, and pour into mixer with flour mixture. Add in remaining cup of flour, and mix to just form a ball.

With a greased (with olive oil) kneading hook, knead dough for 10-15 minutes on medium. Tear off a small piece of dough, and pull apart. If it stretches before breaking, the dough is done. If it just breaks, knead for about 5 more minutes.

Drizzle olive oil on dough, and roll into a ball. Place in a ceramic or glass bowl (not metal) and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

Heat oven to 500 and place pizza stone in, allowing it to warm up with the oven. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into two halves. Wet your hands and roll each half into a ball. Place each half in (separate) a bowl, cover with a tea towel or cloth napkin, and allow to sit for 30 minutes.

After this stage, if you are not using both doughs at the time, place one in a greased ziploc bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days. You can freeze it as well (I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and secured tightly with a rubber band to freeze).

Now, flour your hands and work space and place pizza dough on it. Roll the dough out thin, rotating and creating a lip around the edges. Remove pizza stone from the oven, and slide dough on to it. Top with desired toppings and brush edge of crust with olive oil. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing, and then enjoy!!

Adapted from Food Network, original recipe here.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza

Spinach and artichoke dip is one of my favorite savory treats. I've never actually made it at home, but there are few things I enjoy more than a bubbly, cheesy, creamy spinach and artichoke dip at a restaurant with nice, thick, pita slices to scoop it up. So when I found this recipe for spinach and artichoke pizza that would let me turn one of my favorite indulgences into something that is considered an acceptable meal, I was sold. How could I not be?

I added sun-dried tomatoes and chopped onions, since I had them on hand and thought they would be an interesting addition. You may feel those additions are blasphemy to the very idea of spinach and artichoke dip, so you can feel free to leave them out. 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza
(serves 4)

2 Tablespoons of butter
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk (I used skim, and it worked fine)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese (split into two 1/4 cup portions)

1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
10 oz. of fresh spinach, washed and chopped

1 10-12oz. jar of artichoke hearts, artichokes halved
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pizza dough (thawed if it was frozen)
2 Tablespoons of cornmeal

Directions: Preheat oven to temperature your pizza dough recommends. When oven is hot, insert pizza stone (or baking pan if you don't have one) to heat it up.

Melt butter in a large saucepan, add red pepper flakes and garlic, and saute over medium heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in flour, and stir until combined and smooth. Slowly whisk in milk, continuing to stir. Allow to simmer lightly and thicken for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat after 5 minutes, and stir in first 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the salt.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan, and add onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are soft. Add spinach, and cook until just wilted. When done, press as much liquid out of the spinach as possible. Add to the white sauce, and stir to combine.

Remove the pizza stone from the oven and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Roll out dough and place on the pizza stone. Spread spinach mixture all over the top. Place artichoke halves all around, and then cover it all with mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and bake for the time your pizza dough recommends. Enjoy!

(Note: I put that this makes 4 servings, as it did for a main course. If you're using it as more of a side, it can probably serve 6. Servings also depend on your pizza crust as well.)

Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, original recipe here.

mmm... Pizza

One of our favorite fast, easy dinners is homemade pizza. We buy the refrigerated Pilsbury thin crust dough. They also make a thicker crust, but I think it fills you up too fast and overwhelms the toppings. And the toppings are the best part, of course.

This combination is one of my favorite pizzas to make- it's pesto, shrimp, and tomatoes with feta and mozzarella. I would hardly call this a recipe, but here it is:

INGREDIENTS:
Pilsbury thin crust pizza dough
Large handful of raw, defrosted shrimp
Olive oil
Minced garlic
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
2-4 Tablespoons basil pesto at room temperature (depends on how much you like it)
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Handful of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza stone (or baking sheet with aluminum foil if you don't have one) to prevent sticking (flour can burn). Unroll dough and place on stone/baking sheet and place in the oven. You'll want to wait until it just starts to turn golden brown to get a slight crisp before you put the toppings on.

Sauté shrimp in garlic and olive oil until pink. Remove from heat, chop into smaller pieces, and set aside. When crust reaches a light golden brown, remove from oven. Spread pesto on the dough, then sprinkle shrimp, tomatoes, and feta. Do the mozzarella, or whatever melty cheese (yes, that's a technical term, stay with me) last to melt on top of everything else. Put back in oven for about 5 more minutes, or until it reaches your desired crispiness.


Served with water, it was only Tuesday, you lush. Although I'm sure a good pinot grigio would go really well with it...