Today I decided to document how I make homemade pizza from scratch. We normally have pizza on Thursdays, but I was feeling pizza-ish so it is what I made tonight.
First you start the yeast.
1 cup of hot water {don’t make it too hot because it can kill the yeast, but if it’s too cool it doesn’t activate it.}
1 tbs of sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
I put water and sugar then mix. Then I add the yeast and mix. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. You should see a foamy layer on top of liquid. That means it is a good batch. I let this one sit for 20 minutes because I had to go pick up my daughter. Usually there is only an inch of foam.
While the yeast is rising prepare the flour.
3 cups of flour
1/4 cup of EVOO {extra virgin olive oil}
I don’t add the EVOO until I’m about to pour in the yeast mixture.
Add yeast mixture.
If you have a heavy duty mixer, use the dough hook and start it slow until it begins to form into dough. {You can knead the dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer. We did this for years!}
You can increase speed once the dough is formed.
The recommendation is to knead dough for 20 minutes. I think I did it for 10 because I needed it to start rising. The dough should be smooth and not tacky. If your dough is sticking to your fingers, you need to add a little more flour.
Pour a little EVOO on your dough ball.{EVOO helps it not to stick to the bowl while it rises. You can use spray if you prefer.} I poured on a little too much here because I was trying to take the picture while pouring.
Cover bowl and let rise for an hour.
While it is rising, get your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500. We have had this pizza stone for 17 years! It is well seasoned. If you take care of it properly you should not have to replace the stone.
Once the dough has risen it should be about twice the size {or more} than your original dough ball. If you are not quite ready to use it, just punch it down and let it rise again.
If you make homemade pizza, it is easier if you use a pizza peel. {It is a huge wooden paddle that you can find at Walmart or Target.} Take some cornmeal and a little flour and sprinkle it on the peel. This helps the dough not to stick to the peel. If you put too much EVOO on your dough for it to rise *ahem*, you will need to get rid of the moisture by covering it with flour.
Roll or spread out your dough on top of the peel. Every so often check to make sure the dough can slide back and forth on the peel. Mine had too much moisture so I had to lift up the sides and throw a little more cornmeal underneath. {This dough turned out great so I was able to make a big pizza.}
Gather your ingredients and start building your pizza. I usually have pizza cheese on hand because I buy it when it’s on sale and just throw it in the freezer until I need it.
Put as much {or as little} sauce on the dough. Some people like to brush on some EVOO on before their sauce.
For every ingredient, pick up the peel and make sure the pizza slides back and forth. The more ingredients you add, the heavier the pizza gets and if it doesn’t move easily you will have MAJOR issues trying to get it in the oven. {Trust me, we’ve had that happen on more than one occasion when we started out.}
When you are done, do one last slide check and then slide it in the oven. If my husband is around, I usually have him do this since my wrists aren’t the strongest. Good thing he walked in the door right as I finished up.
Bake for 10 minutes or to desired crispiness.
There you have it. Homemade pizza.
