Recipe: Homemade Pizza

[asterroc]

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to make pizza - and I mean *real* pizza with yeast and everything, not "buy a premade crust and marinara sauce". I started off with this crust recipe from Allrecipes.com and modified a bit (not hugely), so that plus the toppings recommendation are below.

Ingredients:
* 1 package "extra rising" dry yeast
* 1 tsp white sugar
* 1.25 cups warm water (split as described below)
* 2.5 cups fancy flour
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tbsp rosemary
* 1 can (15 oz) cheapass tomato sauce
* 1 onion
* 1/2 package diced mushrooms
* 1 cup grated mozzarella
* assorted Italian-esque spices to taste

Tools:
* 12" diameter round old non-stick pan (alternately, wood slab, other oven-safe pizza thing)
* assorted bowls
* Pizza cutter or bread knife
* Pizza server or metal spatula (hence the cheap old non-stick pan)
* Large cutting board
* Rolling pins and electric mixers are for wusses

Directions:

1. Mix 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, package of "extra rising" yeast, stir gently until mixed then let sit for 10 minutes until slightly creamy and bubbly - this "wakes up" the yeast.


2. While the yeasties are breeding, in another bowl that won't turn orange mix cheapass tomato sauce (generic pureed crap) with assorted Italian-esque spices to taste. (If you wanted to be even more authentic, I'm sure you could blend up a few tomatoes in a blender or stew them or something.) I do something like around 1/2 tsp each of basil, parsley, chives, celery seeds, black pepper, and garlic powder. Yes that's a lot of frakkin spices. When in doubt, add more. Don't do rosemary since you'll be filling up the crust with that.


3. Add 3/4 cup warm water, and then add a half a cup of fancy flour (not just store-brand, get like organic or some shit like that) at a time, adding the oil and rosemary after the first cup, mixing with a spoon after each half cup. If the last bit of flour doesn't mix in but simply puddles around the dough, add UP TO another 1/4 cup warm water - you may only need a couple teaspoons so don't just dump in all of it. Do the last bit of mixing by hand (wash hands first!), then let the blob sit in the bowl for another 5-10 minutes while the yeasties go about their business farting away.


4. Preheat oven to 450ºF (I'm going to try 400ºF and a longer cook time next time).


5. Rinse and chop the onion, and the half-container of mushrooms too if you feel like it.


6. Spread the dough out over the round old formerly non-stick pizza plate or wood substitute. Smush it down hard to get it flat, and make it a bit puffier at the edges for a handle. Yeah it looks thin and like it'll rip, just smush together any rips or tears and they'll heal better in cooking.


7. Spread half the sauce right atop the dough, then put on the onion and mushroom (or toppings of your choice), and then the remainder of the sauce, remembering to leave a bit of crust free at the edges for handles. It'll look like too much toppings, but they'll shrink when they cook. Sprinkle on the mozzarella after the toppings - or do without, I actually forgot this time and didn't realize until halfway through my first slice.


8. Cook in the oven at 450ºF for 15-20 minutes until the whole thing's an inch or two tall, the crust peeking out is golden brown and the cheese is melted and perhaps a little light brown. I'm going to try 20-25 minutes at 400ºF next time - the toppings and crust handle have been perfect, but I'd like the insides of the crust to be a little more cooked.


9. To serve, use the spatula to scrape the pizza off the formerly non-stick pan and transfer it to a large cutting board, cut in quarters with a bread knife, and use the spatula to transfer slices to plates. Each slice fills a plate, 2 slices is a dinner for a normal person so the 4 slices/quarters makes for 2 meals. (For T$ and I it's two meals and a smidge of leftover.)

So in short, it's not as much effort as lasagna, probably more on par with a taco kit though it's much more homemade than a taco kit! Quite yummy, I make it vegetarian, easily modifiable for vegan, probably modifiable for locovores.

Comments

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

What, no oregano? Blasphemy!

Oddly enough canned sliced mushrooms hold up better on pizza and have a better texture afterwords.