Pizza Crust with Pizzaz
March 13th, 2008One of my favourite meals for a large gang at the cabin is homemade pizza. While chopping up all the ingredients is very labour intensive, the kids, as well as the adults love making their own pizza. The trick is remembering which is which.
I usually cheat and buy a package of the mini crusts, along with assorted grated cheeses. If I have more time I like to make the crust from scratch. Below is Emiril’s homemade crust - delicious, thick and chewy. The perfect crust. While my kids prefer ham and pineapple, my favourite toppings include: goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, some caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts and prosciutto.
Basic Pizza Dough:
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon saltIn a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. You may not need all of the flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.
Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-inch circle.
Yield: dough for 1 (15-inch) pizza
If you’re feeling brave, you may want to try Emiril’s Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza - this recipe looks awesome.
What’s your favourite pizza topping?
Cheers,
Julie
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