If the kiddos and KC had it their way we would probably live off of pizza and steak sandwiches. I prefer a little more variation, especially since Dust and KC always want just pepperoni pizza.
Regular pizza is very similar, I cook it at 500 degrees, about 12-18 minutes depending on how large and how many toppings.
The great thing about now having a fool proof pizza dough recipe, is that I can easily make different kinds of pizza, or mix it up and calzones, stromboli, or just breadsticks. And the dough freezes well!
You can substitute a 12 ounce room temperature beer for the water, I use a cheap simple beer like Budweiser. It's gives a nice malty taste to the dough, I especially like it if I'm using the dough for Pepperoni Rolls, Cheeseburger, or French Dip Pockets. (Recipe coming soon!)
Pizza, Calzone, & Stromboli Dough
Ingredients:
3 1/2-4 1/2 Cups Flour (Bread Flour will make them chewier and more traditional, but you can use white, wheat, or a mix of both as well.)
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast
1 1/2 Cups Warm Water (115 degrees-120 degrees)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Preparation:
With this dough you do not want to proof the yeast. I use my stand mixer, but you could easily mix it with a spoon and then kneed it for several minutes by hand.
First, put flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a bowl and using the dough hook, turn on mixer to stir option. While the mixer is going slowly pour in the warm water, and then add the olive oil and turn the mixer up to medium. Let mix for about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides and not formed into a tight ball slowly add more flour 1/4 cup at a time, letting it mix for about a minute with each addition.
Remove and put into an oiled bowl (I use olive oil for my pizza dough, it helps later if I'm making skillet pizzas). Let rise for 1 hour.
(If you want to freeze the dough, punch it down and then put in freezer bag and freeze, it should last about a month.)
Now is the fun part, you get to decide what you want to make!
Note: It is best, when working with pizza dough, to not add any extra flour, don't roll the dough out on a floured surface or flour your hands, the olive oil helps with this, I can usually work with the dough right on my kitchen counter and it doesn't stick to the counter or my hands.
We do cast iron skillet pizza a lot, the above dough recipe is enough for about 2 12 inch pizzas depending how thick you like your crust. When I do skillet pizzas I divide my dough into the two skillets (or three, depending on the sizes I'm using) and let it sit for about 20 minutes, this lets it flatten out to fill he pan on it's own. Then I poke any bubbles, lift the crust on each side to remove any air bubbles underneath, and add our toppings. Then I bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. (Depending on the size and how many you have in the oven sometimes it takes longer, just keep on eye on them and take them out when the cheese is a bit brown on top.) Then quickly remove from the cast iron to a cutting board. (It important to remember that the cast iron stays hot and will continue cooking anything that's in it after it come out of the oven.)
Regular pizza is very similar, I cook it at 500 degrees, about 12-18 minutes depending on how large and how many toppings.
Calzones are another favorite, they take a bit more time but we always have leftovers and they are great for KC's lunches, Barbecue chicken with cheddar is a huge hit, or the traditional pepperoni and mozzarella. I know that normally you don't put sauce into calzones, but we do. I usually make about 8 using the dough recipe above, flatten each piece of dough into a circle about 7 inches diameter, then add sauce to half, a bit of cheese, other fillings (pepperoni, sliced jalapenos or serranos, barbecue chicken, red onion, the option are endless!) and then a bit more cheese. Fold the the empty half over and crimp the edges with your fingers. I put them on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray, bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. (You can egg wash them before baking, they might look a bit prettier, but taste the same either way.)
Stromboli is a bit trickier, I've learned to make sure I roll out the dough to be pretty thin, otherwise it rises too much while it's baking. Also, use lots of sauce, cover all but one inch on three sides and 2 inches on the other side. Then add lots of toppings, if I'm doing only pepperoni I make sure they are overlapping. Then cover with a good amount of cheese. Egg wash the sides and fold the 1 inch sides in over the toppings, then start rolling starting with the folded over side. Egg wash the top, sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Cut slits about every 1 inch. Bake about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
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Gotta try! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's such an easy recipe! If you don't have a stand mixer with a dough hook mix all the dry ingredients and then add the water and oil slowly while you stir, then dump it onto the counter and kneed for about five minutes, turning a quarter turn every four kneeds... if that makes sense! It's also great for bread sticks, I roll or stretch it to about 1/2 inch height, cut it into 1/2 inch strips with a pizza cutter, and then twist it. Put it on a greased/sprayed cookie sheet, melt some butter and use a basting brush then sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, and a tiny bit of salt. Cook at 350 for about 10 minutes. They reheat easily!
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