If you’ve read my previous blog on baking bread, you might be surprised that I make really good pizza. My parents owned a couple of pizza shops and I worked at them both and became good at making pizza, my very favorite food of all.
I made pizza for my 50th birthday party with all of my family and my cousins wife, Amy, sent me a message on Facebook afterwards and said that I had inspired her to try and make her own. Her words were that she had tried a recipe she found online and “NOTHING compared to the fluffy cloud of goodness of the delectable yumminess” of my pizzas. Bless her heart…
I don’t have a recipe for the dough, but I can describe how I do it. I use a kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook. I put cool tap water in the bottom about an inch and a half deep. Then I add about a half an inch of milk. I put in a tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle yeast all of the top of the liquid. I turn the mixer on for a few seconds to mix and turn off and let it sit until the yeast bubbles, usually a few minutes. Then I put in a teaspoon of salt and some whole wheat flour, maybe a cup or little more. Then I start adding unbleached flour, while the hook is stirring. I let it go awhile and if it is too runny, I add some more flour. When it just pulls all together, I mix it on the 2nd lowest number for about 3 minutes until there is no dough left on the sides of the bowl and it is all together.
I put in an oiled bowl in a warm spot. Sometimes I sit on the oven and turn it on low. You can also put it in the refrigerator and it raises overnight. You can use it the next afternoon for dinner. You can freeze it before you let it raise and just get out as needed.
When it looks like it has doubled in size, I poke a finger in to the first knuckle and if it doesn’t bounce back up, it is ready to use. I spray oil onto a cookie sheet. Sometimes I put a little cornmeal on it. Then spread the dough to all the corners. You can either let it raise some more, like another 20 minutes or you can just sauce it and lay on your toppings and bake.
I use Dei Fratelli Pizza Sauce. I have made homemade, but don’t really notice much of a difference. Then just the toppings I like and top with a mix of mozzarella and provolone.
Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is browned. About 20 to 25 minutes.
It’s fun to try different toppings and even dessert ones. You can put butter on the crust and add Nutella and marshmallows; cinnamon and sugar; apples and caramel etc. The kids love to get creative and come up with new ones.