Pizza!

A few weeks ago I found this pizza recipe, by Bobby Flay, in the Parade Magazine, which is included in an area Sunday newspaper. I've been wanting to try it and finally made it last night. We loved it, of course. The dough was so easy to make and to work with. It was a breeze to shape. I wanted to twirl it and toss it in the air, but I know my limits! I love the commercial on TV showing a chef tossing the dough quickly into the air, retrieving it and twirling again. Such fun that would be. But alas, I am no pizza chef. I can only use a rolling pin. If you have not tried making pizza from scratch, this would be a great recipe to try.

You can use all purpose flour for a chewy crust, or bread flour for a crisp crust. I used the AP as that's all I had on hand. We all though the crust was great, but next time I'll try the bread flour for a comparison. The sauce, of which I didn't get a picture, was delicious. The recipe calls for canned plum tomatoes, but I used regular tomatoes that I had in the pantry. This wonderful pizza was baked on a pizza stone. I don't have a pizza wheel to transfer pizzas to the oven, so here's what I did. After rolling out the pizza dough, transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper.

Take the paper and crust and lay it on the bottom side of a large baking sheet or flat pizza pan. Reshape the dough and add the sauce and the toppings. Open the oven door and pull out the oven rack just a little. Holding the pan with the pizza close to the pizza stone, take hold of the parchment and slide the paper with the pizza onto the stone. It works!

My daughter prefers Italian Sausage and Red Onion Pizza, and not too heavy on the toppings. My husband, on the other hand, likes more meat. So I made one with sausage, Canadian bacon and pepperoni. I just like it all. This is now my go to pizza recipe. If you don't have one yet, give this a try! It is easy to make.

PIZZA (adapted from Bobby Flay)

PIZZA DOUGH

makes 2 pizzas

3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour-bread flour for a crisp crust, or all purpose for a chewy crust

1 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (11o degrees)

2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. The recipe calls for the dough to be processed in a food processor, but I don't have one. So in a bowl add the flour, salt sugar, dry yeast and whisk,. Stir in the water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and dough should form a ball. If too sticky add 1 T. of flour at a time. Or if it is too dry, add 1 T. of water. Stir until it comes together in a solid ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is a smooth ball.
2. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half equally. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.

EASY PIZZA SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red chili flakes

1 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes, with juices, pureed- I use regular whole tomatoes, pureed in the blender

2 tablespoons fresh basil - or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano- my addition

1 teaspoon sugar, my addition

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 20-25 minutes. Stir in basil and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Can be made a day ahead.

Assemble pizzas:

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees, with a 16 inch pizza stone on the bottom rack. Heat for about 30 minutes.

2. Place 1 round of dough on a floured surface and roll into a 14 inch circle. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper. Transfer paper and dough to a flat baking pan. 3. Spread 3/4 cup of pizza sauce over dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Add toppings of choice. I used very tradition toppings this time. I used 6-7 ounces of freshly grated mozzarella cheese to each pizza. Then I added the meat and other topping. Open oven door, and holding pan close to the pizza stone, slide the parchment paper and pizza onto the very hot stone. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly, 10 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Repeat process with other piece of dough. Cool 5 minutes, slice. Enjoy! Can't wait to try other variations of pizza using this recipe!

What's your favorite pizza toppings?