Pizza, Pizza!
Making dough was always an area I was uncomfortable with. Even when my grandma Veronica showed me a few techniques with cookies, cakes, and beureks, I always felt that sense of doom: "What if the dough just doesn't turn out right?" Oh, that fear of failure, something that keeps the best hands from trying. So, a natural, basic place to reattempt this skill was to learn how to make pizza dough. I recently joined a pizza-making class at "Sur La Table", and my comfort level immediately increased. I now look forward to making the pizza dough even more than the actual pizza!
There's nothing better than making dough from scratch, to be involved with this hands-on, magical process. No matter how daunting it may seem at first, there is a great feeling in knowing exactly what goes in it(and what doesn't). Plus, watching the yeast activate the flour and water to something essentially living and rising, and then handling, contorting it to a final product, very much excites the senses! By practicing a few times, dough-making from scratch can become second-nature.
While the following recipe, provided to us by Chef Mike Schaffer of Sur La Table, is used for machine-worked dough, it is completely doable by hand. If you have a little bit of strength and the desire, this CAN be done manually each and every time. Here are the basic ingredients and a step-by-step pictorial. Nothing fancy, just five ingredients, and some patience. Please, also note: The demonstration below is my personal twist on how to manipulate dough. You can come up with your own variety on technique.
Enjoy!
.INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup (2 oz) warm water, 110-115 degrees
3 1/4 cups bread-making flour (good organic, unbleached all-purpose flour works just fine)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
1 cup (or 8 oz) water
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| Mix 1/4 cup warm water with yeast, and let sit for 5 minutes or till bubbly |
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| Meanwhile, add salt to flour, and combine (by hand is okay) |
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| Pour in yeast mixture |
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| Start mixing till well combined (it will feel quite sticky) |
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Add cup of water and olive oil
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| Continue mixing by hand (use both hands and work through) |
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Kneading and pressing, using palms and fists
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| Continue working dough till you smooth out all lumps |
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| Place on a lightly floured surface, and work dough for few more minutes |
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| Folding... |
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| Kneading.... |
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| Stretching... |
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| Stretching some more... |
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| Until you have a smooth(slightly damp), ball of dough, with a bit of give when you press in. |
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| Fold and tuck edges under, to make a round ball-Then place in bowl |
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| Cover with a damp cloth and let rest at room temp (1 hour minimum) |
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| Watch dough ball expand to twice its diameter! |
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| Remove cloth and transfer dough to a floured surface |
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| Cut into four sections with a knife- each section will yield approx. 6-8" diameter pizza |
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Take one section, with rolling pin, and press down on center
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Then roll upwards first (may need good firm press)
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| Roll downwards, and then continue pressing and rolling in each direction |
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| Until you achieve a circular shape (can also be rectangular). You may find the dough resisting quite a bit, so work it and roll it well till you get to your desired thickness. |
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| Brush dough surface with olive oil |
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Gently transfer dough onto parchment paper, baking sheet, or pizza peel
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| Add your toppings: In this picture are sautéed leeks, red onions, goat and mozzarella cheeses |
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| Cover well with plastic film(if you wish to freeze) |
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| Or otherwise, bake at 550 F for about 8-9 minutes, (alternatively at 450 about 10-12 min), until desired crispiness achieved and edges lightly browned. Enjoy! |
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| Other topping ideas: Brie, sautéed shallots and garlic, over fresh spinach(left); Cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella with basil and oregano (center); Cherry tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, on top of basil pesto(right). |
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