Pizza from scratch

My man asks me, “So what could go wrong with a pizza?’
I am not into argument or justification, so I made him my pizzas just a day after he orders Pizza Hut. That sealed the deal. Making a good pizza, is about getting it correct technically.

But the point is that plenty could go wrong with pizza.

• The base for instance could be hard or unevenly cooked. That is why it is important to keep the dough at 100- 110 degrees, you want the yeast to be active and that leads to an airy base. Also roll out the base evenly.
• Pre-heat your oven for at least 45 minutes to get your stone blazing hot. The stone absorbs the moisture from the base and this leads to a crispy base.
• If you are making thin crusts, do not overload your base with toppings and sauce. It will not slide off the peel.

The three tools you need are a pizza stone, a peel, and a pizza cutter.
I bought the following 13” stone. It is made of clay and works excellently. The pizza stone cooks your pizza evenly from the bottom and sucks out the moisture giving you a crisp base.

http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Run-13-Inch-Pizza-Stone/dp/B0000VZ4M8/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1288549708&sr=1-11

I bought the following peel. It is big, made of bamboo, and could also double as an attractive cheese plate.

http://www.amazon.com/CounterArt-78101-Bamboo-Pizza-Peel/dp/B0028LKE6E/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1288549953&sr=1-1

Base- makes four 11” pizzas

I take four cups of all-purpose flour with a teaspoon of salt, and one sachet of yeast. Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. And leave it to mix for 10 minutes before you add it to the flour. The optimum temperature for yeast is 110- 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeast is a living organism and you would like to keep at the same temperature to allow it to grow. Use warm water and a teaspoon of olive oil to knead the flour. Pre-heat an oven to 200 degrees, and leave the door open to allow some heat to escape. When the oven is warm enough, put the dough in, and it will double in size. I keep covering the dough with a warm wet cloth, to maintain warmth and to prevent it from drying. The dough should be ready in 3-4 hours. Punch it, and knead again. Divide into four parts, and roll it out into an 11”-12 “pie on the peel, when you are ready to make the pizza. Use plenty of flour to dust the peel so the pizza should easily slide off the peel.

Sauce

Take a 28 Oz can of crushed tomatoes. You will end up using half, so this sauce is sufficient for 8 pies. To this add one finely chopped garlic, pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on medium heat for 40 minutes. You may add some honey, if you like your sauce sweeter.

Cheese

I buy an eight ounce pack of fresh mozzarella cheese for four pies. If you like your pizza cheesier, use one third of the pack. I also use cheddar, parmesan, feta, and fontina for additional flavor.

Oven

Place your stone in the pizza and pre heat to 450 degrees for 45 minutes.

Assembling

To the pie, add some sauce, about one tablespoon to each pie. Do not add too much sauce, or your pie will not slide off the peel. Add the mozzarella and toppings. Some of my favorites include

• Feta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and basil as optional
• Sautéed mushrooms and cheddar
• Sautéed bell pepper, onions, olives
• Margherita with just some fresh basil

Bake for 15-20 or minutes whenever your pizza looks ready. This depends on your oven. Pull out with the peel.