Making Pizza, from start to finish
...is not as hard as some build it up to be. Once you learn the steps and how much time to allow for each, you will enjoy your participation in the making, almost as much as actually eating pizza! Making it yourself costs a fraction of having it delivered to your door. That is actually why I learned in the first place... we couldn't afford to buy it made (and lived too far out in the sticks for delivery anyway, in Vermont). Here in Nigeria, there isn't really a satisfactory pizza. Or maybe after eating our own all these years we are just spoiled. So go ahead and spoil yourself!
You can whip up pizza in an hour, if you use the accelerated dough tip, or spend all afternoon fussing in a warm kitchen, listening to your favorite music. Children love placing the toppings on. You can even make mini-pizzas for each child and have them top their own-- in fact, that makes a great children's party.
Steps:
Make dough
Prepare sauce (or use store-bought)
Prepare pans
Roll out dough
Add toppings
Bake
Eat!
Step I: The Dough
Dough can be mixed up well ahead of time. In cool weather it can sit on the counter all day in a large enough bowl to accomodate rising. In warm weather it should be refrigerated or it will rise and fall and become tough and sour. Pizza dough is very forgiving, however, so don't worry. Warm water encourages quick rising, and cool water slows the process (which comes in handy if you want to mix the dough before going to work or running errands).
Normal method:
2 cups hot water (you should be able to keep your finger in it for ten seconds without saying "ouch")
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
5-6 cups of flour, enough to make medium soft dough (varies widely with quality of flour)
You can substitute 2 cups of flour with semolina or corn meal, if you wish. Some also like to add a small amount of olive oil for flavor; some claim it makes the crust crispier but I am undecided about that.
Dissolve the yeast in the water and allow it to "bloom" for a few minutes. Stir in the salt and 2 cups of flour, beat well. Add enough remaining flour to make a somewhat firm, but not tough, dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured countertop and knead about ten minutes, till dough is smooth and elastic (i.e, there are no lumps and when you pull a piece, it springs back). Return the dough to the bowl, coated with oil. (TIP: after turning the dough out, fill the bowl with warm water. When the dough is kneaded, wash the bowl and dry thoroughly; add a dollop of oil to the bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. The warm bowl encourages rising, and there will be one less bowl to wash later.)
If using a heavy duty stand mixer use the dough hook and add enough flour that the dough forms a ball. Continue to add small amounts of flour as it kneads to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl. Knead by machine 4-5 minutes. At the last, add about a tablespoon of oil and let it continue to turn for a moment to coat the ball of dough. Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl to let it rise.
ACCELERATED DOUGH TIP: When time is short, use hot water, and add 2 tsp. sugar to the dough, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. The sugar helps it rise faster and the olive oil covers the slightly different texture the dough will have from not working for hours.
DELAYED DOUGH TIP: Use cold water and no sugar. You can refrigerate the dough up to 24 hours before using. It can be rolled out right from the fridge; it will warm quickly and begin to rise.
REDUCED SALT: Salt controls the growth of yeast, so be aware that if you reduce or eliminate the salt the dough will rise faster.
Step II
Prepare Sauce, or use store-bought. A smoother and thicker sauce is to be preferred over a chunky or thin one. (You can whirl sauce in the blender to smooth it, and add tomato paste to thicken.)
Ingredients:
2 cups paste tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Blend all together. Simmer in a saucepan till thickened; or the sauce can be used fresh.
Step III
Prepare the pans by either:
-oiling well (olive oil is best, if you can afford it),
-sprinkling with cornmeal or breadcrumbs, or
-both (preferred).
You don't need to buy special pans for pizza, you can use rectangular cookie sheets. They do not need a lip. I used to own pizza "stones" but to be honest, the texture was not noticeably different from using metal pans. I have one perforated pizza pan and again, the difference is not much; although for thick crust it probably would prevent doughiness in the center. My favorite pans are two aluminum sheets of metal I bought in a thrift shop many years ago. They don't really match and I'm not sure what they were originally, but it was obvious from the patina that they had been turned into baking sheets long before. They are heavy and without an edge.
The irony occurs to me that some frugal wife may have raided her husband's workshop for them-- usually it is the other way around. I haven't forgotten my stainless steel Revere-ware mixing bowls (wedding gifts) that were used to water the huskies back when we had a dogsled team, and bore tooth marks ever after.
Step IV
When dough has risen to twice its bulk it is ready to use. Punch it down and use about 1/3 for each pizza. You will learn to judge the size of your pans and how thin or thick you like the dough to be. Remember it will rise somewhat.
Roll out the dough with a roller, sprinking with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking. Lay the rolled-out dough on the pans, stretching and smooshing to fit. They are ready to top, or they can sit and rise for a while. They will rise during baking as well.
Step V
Now the fun really begins! You are in complete control, Mwahahahaha!!!
Regular, "cheese" pizza is made simply by brushing the crusts with olive oil (optional), spreading with sauce, and sprinkling with mozzarella cheese. Then, of course, add whatever vegetables, meat, fruit (yuck), herbs and spices you like. For me, garlic and oregano are indispensible, but find your own happy combination. I like sweet and hot peppers, onions, sauteed mushrooms, and of course, pepperoni.
Resist the temptation to load the crusts with a lot of sauce and cheese. It can end up gooey and uncooked in the center. Experiment by starting with somewhat less than you think you should use. I like to use a wide spoon to smooth the sauce over the crust and close to the edge. (Wetting the outer, bare crust with a wet pastry brush will make them crispier.)
Step VI
Heat the oven to 500F (260C). (If your oven has no thermometer, like mine, it should be very hot, much hotter than for cookies or bread.) Bake the pizzas 10-15 minutes, checking to see if they need turning. They should be browning in a few places.
Let them cool a few minutes before cutting. I know, it smells SOOO good, but you don't want a burned tongue spoiling your enjoyment anyway. Enjoy!!
Two favorite variations are Margherita Pizza and Cinnamon Pizza.
Pizza Margherita
Brush the unbaked crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed garlic, chopped basil leaves or oregano, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Layer with thin-sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Drizzle with more olive oil over all. Bake as usual. Pure heaven.
Cinnamon Pizza
Use a rectangular baking sheet prepared with butter or vegetable oil (not olive oil). Lay the crust on and use a pizza wheel to slice the dough into strips. Drizzle generously with melted butter and sprinkle very generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake as usual. This began as a way to use up extra dough, but became a requested treat in its own right. It is rarely to be found the morning after...
