Some people are amazed that we make our own crust. They think it takes too much time or is really hard. It's neither. And once you have done it a few times, you won't go back to store-bought crust except in an emergency.
The recipe below is isn't the best crust I make, but it is the quickest. Perfect for when you come home after work and are hankering for something carby and cheesy.
Richard's Homemade Pizza Crust (1 extra large pizza or 2 medium pizzas)
1 Cup warm-hot water
1 Tbsp honey
1 package yeast
2.5 C flour (some combo of white and whole wheat)
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
Step 0. Preheat the oven as hot as it will go. We crank ours up to 550F
Step 1: Dissolve the honey in the warm-hot water and then dissolve the yeast in the water.
Step 2: Mix the salt and oil into the flour and put into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water/honey/yeast mix.
3. Slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid. Mix the dough and kneed for about 5 minutes (the longer the better)
4. Shape into a ball and let rise for 10-15 minutes.
5. Roll out into one or two disks as thin as you like. Top (the less the better) and bake for ~10 minutes or so until the crust and cheese are browned.
Total time, with baking - 40 minutes.
Tips:
a. The longer the dough rises the better. If I have time in the morning, I make the dough then and throw it into the fridge.
b. If you put the pizza on a pizza stone it will get a better crust - but don't roll the dough out too thin or the crust will burn before the topping cook. If the pizza consistently sticks, put it on a sheet of parchment paper. It'll scorch a bit, but it won't burn.
c. If you have a wife/husband, get them to prepare the toppings while you are making the dough. Seriously.
d. Use real Mozza. This is something that I have just discovered; real Mozza (ie, in a ball) makes a better tasting pizza (as opposed to block cheese). The cheese will be the most expensive part of the pizza, but I can get one recipes worth of cheese for $4.50. Not bad for a meal, IMHO.
e. This ultra cheap wine is perfect with a typical pizza. Available at the LCBO.
3 comments:
Why the less toppings the better?
Interesting about the Mozza ball thing. I haven't used pre-grated parmesan for years, but I didn't know there was a big difference between the block and the ball.
I've made dough in my breadmaker in the past (far, far past) but haven't tried the real homemade kind. I just might have to try this one!
Too much topping prevents the top of the crust from baking. This isn't a problem with a pre-baked crust, but it is with a 'raw' crust. Lately I have been putting on pepperoni, mushrooms and olives. Tara likes to stack hers a little higher – she often adds onions and peppers to hers.
We have used brick mozza, marble and cheddar on pizzas before (Kraft, Cracker Barrel, non-name). They work well. But there is something about ball mozzarella; it's mild and stringy and just tastes good. I won’t go back.
If you put the ingredients in the breadmaker, it might work (I take no responsibility for broken or messy breadmakers). Doing it by hand is really easy. Give it a whirl. Or invite yourself over one night and we’ll do it together. We’ll probably need another pizza stone though…
We can have a BYOPS party!
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