Homemade Pizza
It has been a long week, and Sunday afternoon was perfect for trying out some homemade pizza! I was able to get a pizza stone and peel from my parents, which made me feel like a homemade pizza "pro." I was really pleased with how this turned out! A recipe I'd make again, for sure!
Step 1: Make yourself a drink :) My husband made me this delicious pineapple margarita. Mix 2 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz lime juice and 1 oz pineapple juice. Yes, we are lazy and use the lime juice in a fake plastic lime from the grocery store...it was still really good, so imagine how tasty it would be with real fresh lime juice!
Step 2: Make your dough, using your favorite pizza dough recipe. I used Bobby Flay's recipe. It recommends using bread flour for more crispy crust, and I didn't have any and was SO tempted to just use regular all-purpose flour but I sucked it up and went back to the store. I am really pleased with the crispiness of the finished pizza, so I think getting bread flour really did the trick.
I was very liberal with cornmeal, sprinkling both the pizza peel and the pizza stone (which I preheated at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, according to the instructions in the post linked above). It made the pizza slide between the pizza stone and peel really easily. A very easy but effective tip!
I topped our pizzas with pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, spinach and green peppers. It baked for 15 minutes, and I sprinkled some fresh basil on top when there was about 1-2 minutes left on the timer.
It seriously came out SO GOOD!!! Like I said, if I could have gotten the crust a little thinner and crispier, it would have been an A++ home run. But even with a little puffier crust, it was DELISH. I really do think the bread flour made a big difference. I even scooped a dollop of ricotta cheese on top... :) I bought the ricotta thinking I'd make one pizza with asparagus as a topping, but my husband convinced me not to "waste" the asparagus (a "healthy food") on pizza. It would have been great with it, but it was still really great without it!!
For reference, this recipe made enough dough for two 12 inch-ish not quite round pizzas. Between my husband and I, we have just less than one full pizza as leftovers for the week. I'll take it!!
I'm a BIG pizza fan but my husband could take it or leave it. Any other recipe or topping recommendations that might mean more regular pizza nights at my house? ;)
Step 1: Make yourself a drink :) My husband made me this delicious pineapple margarita. Mix 2 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz lime juice and 1 oz pineapple juice. Yes, we are lazy and use the lime juice in a fake plastic lime from the grocery store...it was still really good, so imagine how tasty it would be with real fresh lime juice!
Step 2: Make your dough, using your favorite pizza dough recipe. I used Bobby Flay's recipe. It recommends using bread flour for more crispy crust, and I didn't have any and was SO tempted to just use regular all-purpose flour but I sucked it up and went back to the store. I am really pleased with the crispiness of the finished pizza, so I think getting bread flour really did the trick.
I totally forgot to take a "before" picture of the dough, but it rose a LOT! It started out at approximately the 2 cup line in my big Pyrex measuring bowl, and by the time I turned it out to knead and roll, it was at the 8 cup line! I let it rise for about 1.5 hours. For what it's worth, I am at altitude (5,280 feet above sea level). Honestly, I don't know how that affects rising...but if you know more about the science, I'd love to hear!
Once I mixed up the dough, I followed instructions from this post. The hardest part for me was getting the dough as thin as I wanted. It was pretty elastic and when I stretched it out, it kept snapping back. I think if you are patient and have time to let it sit a couple times while you stretch and shape it, it will work out better. We were pretty hungry at my house, so I rushed a little :) Also it's not very round...but that's okay.
I was very liberal with cornmeal, sprinkling both the pizza peel and the pizza stone (which I preheated at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, according to the instructions in the post linked above). It made the pizza slide between the pizza stone and peel really easily. A very easy but effective tip!
I topped our pizzas with pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, spinach and green peppers. It baked for 15 minutes, and I sprinkled some fresh basil on top when there was about 1-2 minutes left on the timer.
It seriously came out SO GOOD!!! Like I said, if I could have gotten the crust a little thinner and crispier, it would have been an A++ home run. But even with a little puffier crust, it was DELISH. I really do think the bread flour made a big difference. I even scooped a dollop of ricotta cheese on top... :) I bought the ricotta thinking I'd make one pizza with asparagus as a topping, but my husband convinced me not to "waste" the asparagus (a "healthy food") on pizza. It would have been great with it, but it was still really great without it!!
For reference, this recipe made enough dough for two 12 inch-ish not quite round pizzas. Between my husband and I, we have just less than one full pizza as leftovers for the week. I'll take it!!
I'm a BIG pizza fan but my husband could take it or leave it. Any other recipe or topping recommendations that might mean more regular pizza nights at my house? ;)
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