The universe was trying to send me a message. It was telling me that I needed to make pizza. Various signs all pointed in this direction.
1. I received a pizza cutter from KitchenAid at Food Blog Forum Orlando.
2. When I came home from Florida the first thing I saw was a Bon Appétit magazine that had pizza on the cover.
3. The first Friday back in New York I took a day trip to NYC, the pizza capital of the world.
While I was in NYC, it was decided. I would make pizza.
I live about an hour and a half from NYC and I do not visit nearly enough.
This weekend I finally made pizza! Dear universe, I got your message.
This was my first time working with yeast and I’m pleased with my results. I mixed the dough then waited for it to rise.
I shaped the dough, waited again then reshaped a second time and then topped my round dough with various things.
I made basil pesto and used that instead of tomato sauce and then topped it with mozzarella cheese.
I kept it classic with 2 cheese pizzas and a pepperoni pizza.
I topped one of them with pineapple and ham and the other with sliced red onions and olives, my personal favorite!
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
dough
- 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping dough
- 4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
pizza
- Basil Pesto and Mozzarella Cheese
- Tomato Sauce, Olives, and Red Onions
- Mozzarella Cheese x 2
- Mozzarella Cheese and Pepperoni
- Pineapple and Ham
Instructions
Dough
- Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl.
- While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated.
- Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball.
- Transfer to a large clean bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72 degrees) in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds.
- Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions. Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.
- During the last hour of dough's resting, preheat oven to its hottest setting (500 -550°F)
Pizza
- Arrange dough disk on baking sheet; top with desired toppings.
- Bake pizza until bottom of crust is crisp and top is blistered, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a work surface to slice.
- Repeat with remaining pizzas.
Notes
Dough recipe from Bon Appetit (March 2012)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 1103mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. You may want to spot check this information.
