pizza – hot and fresco

BOYohboy did we have some good pizza tonight. I made the dough this morning, and then my darling husband decorated it and baked it. Recipe after the photos:

plum tomatoes. sliced garlic. fresh basil. sliced onion. fried italian sausage. cheeses: mozzarella and a bit of Parmigiano. a drizzle of olive oil

just pulled out of the oven - bubbling and crackling

makes 2 large (ish) pizzas:

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

• 3 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• pinch of salt

Sprinkle the yeast on the warm water (I toss in a pinch of sugar), and stir to dissolve it. Set it aside until it bubbles, approximately 5 minutes.

Put the flour in a large bowl. Pour the yeast mix, olive oil, and a pinch of salt into the flour. If you have a Kitchenaid-type mixer, use the paddle attachment until everything is incorporated, then switch to the dough hook and knead for ~5 minutes. Of course you can also do the kneading by hand – it’s easy and fun. This is not a super stiff dough, so you can do it by hand very easily.

Pour a bit of olive oil in a large bowl, and coat the inside with a thin film. Put the ball of dough in the bowl, turning to coat it. Cover it and let it rise, 1.5 – 2 hours, or until it doubles.

You can either use the dough now or put it in the fridge. If you want to keep it for a while, you should know that it’s very lively, since it has so much yeast; you’ll have to punch it down a couple of times before it finally slows down. Once the rise is going very slowly, you can leave it overnight. Otherwise, on a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into two (large) or three (medium) equal pieces. Using a rolling pin and your hands, shape one piece of dough into a thin round layer. Transfer it to a pan, or a peel.

Get the oven screaming hot; we heat ours to 550 degrees, and keep it there for a good while before we slide in the pizza.

Add your preferred toppings.

Cook the pizza in a regular oven at 500 F for about 8-10 minutes, or until it looks just right. You’ll know.

crispy crust, gooey cheese, onions with a bite. DAMN DELICIOUS.