More Pizza

Yep, more pizza. We had pizza night this past weekend and made three different kinds. This one was my favorite. We tried a different crust recipe and I thought it was the best one yet. It was nice and thin and just the right bit of chewy, mmm I loved it! Dave "liked it" but would rather have a nice thick crust. We can agree to disagree!

We decided on a white pizza:
First we brushed warm evoo and sauteed minced garlic over the entire crust. Topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella then caramelized onions, pineapple chunks, sliced pepperoncinis and dollops of ricotta cheese and then just a bit more mozzarella.

We didn't change a thing from the original recipe: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Pizza Dough
2 t active dry yeast
1 t sugar
1 C warm water
2 C bread flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 T olive oil

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the flour and salt and start the mixer on low speed. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough should come together into a large ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl; it should be moist but not sticky.

Stop the mixer, remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Set on a flour-dusted baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Alternatively, if you will not be using the dough immediately, refrigerate the dough balls (without letting them stand at room temperature) for up to 6 hours; then remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before using.

Place a ball of dough on a floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a 10- to 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour as needed. Top and bake as directed in your pizza recipe.

Makes four 10-inch pizzas.

Grilled Pizza

This is a really fun recipe. There is nothing like using the grill when the house is hot. Making one of my favorite meals on the grill is an added bonus! My parents are in town so my Mom prepped the dough and my Dad caramelized some onions during the day while we were at work. As you may know my parents are really good cooks. It was so much fun to have them in the kitchen with us. We enjoyed making different meals each night. My family would rather enjoy a homecooked meal over a restaurant any day. There isn't anything better then hanging out with my parents as we each enjoy a rum and tonic made by my Dad!

I found this recipe in Cook's Illustrated, July 2005. As you may now, all of their recipes are tested many times before publishing. You almost always know it will be good because of this. This pizza is no exception.

Just as Cook's Illustrated says, these cook really quickly. You will need a peel or rimless baking sheet, tongs, a small knife (to puncture the steam pockets while grilling), a large cutting board, and a pastry brush. All the toppings need to be ready. The pizzas only took about a minute and a half per side. As you can see by the picture, they will blister and char quite quickly.

Dough
2 T evoo
1 C water at room temperature
2 C bread flour, plus more for working
2 t sugar
1 1/4 t salt
1 t instant yeast

Toppings
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 C cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 t salt
fresh mozzarella

Spicy Garlic Oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 C evoo
salt and pepper

Pizza Crust: Combine oil and water in a measuring cup. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the flour, sugar, salt and yeast until combined. While running add the liquid until the dough forms an elastic ball that does not stick to the sides. If a ball does not form add more flour by the tablespoon or water if it is too dry. Rub a large bowl with evoo and transfer dough to bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When the dough has doubled in size, deflate and transfer to a well floured work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form eat piece into a tight ball on work surface and gently press dough into flattened rounds. Cover loosely with a damp towel and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Gently stretch or roll dough into disks about 1/8 inch thick and 6-10 inches in diameter. Let disks rest for another 15 minutes on well floured surface.

Toppings: Toss halved tomatoes with salt and transfer to a colander to drain for 30 minutes, drain and return to bowl. Slice mozzarella thinly and set aside. Caramelize onions in evoo until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Mix Spicy Garlic Oil ingredients together and microwave for 1 minute or until garlic sizzles. Set aside.



To Grill: Heat grill on high for 15 minutes. Transfer 2 disks to lightly floured peel and carefully place onto the grill. Immediately repeat with next disk. Grill for 1-2 minutes until bubbles form (pierce the larger ones with knife) and bottom is charred. Transfer disks to cutting board and repeat with 2 remaining disks. Brush first two crusts (grill side) with Spicy Garlic Oil, top with cheese, onions and tomatoes. Return pizzas to grill and cover and cook 1-2 more minutes, until cheese melts. Repeat with remaining 2 crusts and remove to cutting board. Sprinkle pizzas with basil and salt and serve immediately.

Pizza Party!

Good thing I started running again! We ate like kings this past week and my body is definitely feeling it! But since the point of this blog is to get some meat on Dave's skinny little body I think we can chalk this up to a successful fattening up! Was it bouldering or golfing that made us so hungry? I can't remember? But what ever it was we decided that making three really large pizzas was in order! Here are some pictures of Pete and Jenny in action.

The pizza was really good. We made a Thai Vegetable Pizza and a Barbeque Chicken Pizza. Hmm the Thai one is a keeper!

Thai Vegetable Pizza
pizza dough
yellow peppers, red peppers, mushrooms, shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce: I've done this two ways and it was a toss up as to which was better. The first time we made this we used leftover szechuan noodle sauce from the barefoot contessa cookbook and added a touch of Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki and the second time I made it I mixed the following:

1/2 C Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki
3 T smooth peanut butter

1 T Sriracha chili sauce
1/2 t vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic

2 t white vinegar

2 T honey

2 T tahini

2 T soy sauce

Puree all ingredients in food processor until smooth. The end result should be a sauce with a slightly thicker consistency. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 475. Roll pizza dough out to desired size and lightly cover with sauce. Top with cheese and vegetables and cook for at least 12-15 minutes. Dave and I disagree on the doneness of pizza. He likes his a little softer then I do. So meet in the middle but I suggest watching for the cheese to begin lightly browning. Make sure you let it rest for at least 3-5 minutes before cutting into it or the cheese will ooze off.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

pizza dough

barbeque sauce

cooked shredded chicken

pineapple chunks

diced red onion

mixture of shredded moz and cheddar

Mix chicken with a small amount of bbq sauce to coat. Roll out dough a spread with a thin layer of bbq sauce. Top with cheeses, chicken, pineapple and red onion. Cook on pizza stone for 12-15 minutes.