Perfect Pizza Starts with Perfect Crust
Our search for the perfect pizza began MANY years ago when we were fresh out of college and Ron was teaching school. We were introduced to a pizza shop where we had the best pizza we had ever eaten. Ever since we’ve been looking for that perfect pizza, no matter where we have lived. Mostly, we’ve been disappointed but we’re still looking. Now days, we are trying to recreate it in our own kitchen.
Ron makes bread once or twice a week, so we’ve been trying out a few different additions and subtractions from his regular dough. Here’s what we have so far! This makes 2 medium pizzas.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups water
3 cups Flour
1/2 cup coarse ground corn meal
2 t. dry Yeast
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
Place all in Bread mixer in order given. Allow to go through the dough cycle (approximately 1 hr. 20 min.). Remove from machine, form into ball, wrap in plastic and place in fridge overnight.
When ready to prepare pizza, remove from fridge & roll out to desired thickness. Place on pan or pizza stone. Add toppings and bake.
Meat Lovers Pizza
This is really good made on a crust that has been pre- cooked, both sides, on a grill. Roll out dough, place on grill on top of a copper grill mat, just until it’s slightly cooked.
Brush with Olive Oil. Spread with Red pasta sauce (we don’t make our own like our Son-In-Law does, so we just buy). Add toppings:
1/4# sausage, cooked
1/4# ground beef, cooked
1/2 cup cooked chicken
1/2 cup cooked onion
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Bake 400 for 10-15 min
4 Cheese Pizza
Make white/ garlic pizza sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 tbsp Flour
1 1/4 c. 2% or whole milk
1/4 tsp Salt, 1/8 tsp black Pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
Melt butter, add flour and cook for 1-2 min. Whisk in milk, cook until thickened. Whisk in Salt, Pepper & garlic. Add Parmesan cheese and continue to whisk just until cheese is melted.
Keeps in fridge up to 5 days. Makes sauce for 4 10″ pizzas
Roll pizza dough to desired thickness. Spread with White Garlic Pizza sauce. Add cheeses, starting with 1/4 # Fontadina slices over sauce, then 6-8 slices of fresh mozzarella, 1 c. mozzarella shredded, 1/2 c. Parmesan.. Bake 400 for 20-25 min.
Stuffed Crust Pizza
Roll Dough out into 16″ round. Place 3/4 c. colby cheese in ring about 1″ in from outside edge of dough. Roll and fold over dough to cover cheese. pinch down to seal.
Lightly saute 3/4 c broccoli flowets, 1/2 c. onion, 1/2c. mushrooms, 1/2 c. thin sliced sweet peppers. Cook just until wilted.
Spread White/ garlic pizza sauce over bottom of crust. Add sauteed veggies. Add 1 c+? mozzarella cheese over. Parmesan if desired.
Bake 400 for 20-25 min.
Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza
Roll dough out to desired size and place on copper grill mat. Grill until lightly browned.
Brush with Olive Oil. Caramelize 1 sliced onion w/ 1 Tbsp butter, a bit of balsamic vinegar + 1T honey in the microwave until transparent. Add fresh rosemary, minced.
Cut figs in half and place over onion mix on crust.
Crumble 2/3 c. fresh Goat Cheese over the pizza. Sprinkle spinach or arugula. Drizzle with balsamic & honey glaze left over from the cooked onions. May add 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Bake 8 -10 mi at 400.
Deep Dish Chicago-Style Pizza
Roll or pat dough out into a pan with sides, continuing up the side to build up sides.
Lay on 8 Fresh Mozzarella slices , then 1 1/ 2 cups shredded mozzarella, then 1/2 c. parmesan cheese.
Take whole canned tomatoes, squeeze them to break them up, drain juice off, add Salt, Pepper, Italian seasoning, 2 cloves minced garlic and place this mix over the cheeses.
Bake at 450 for 30-40 min.
So after all this experimenting, one of Rita’s favorites was the Fig & Goat Cheese and mine was the Meat Lovers (however, next time, I won’t do that one on the grill first).
So, we’re still on the hunt for “Our Perfect Pizza”. The good thing about the hunt is that it requires “more Pizza”. Yum!!
Good Friends
Good Food
Good Times
Ron
My favorite pizza is the Stuffed all veggie pizza. What a great evening.
Great receipes, darn I wish my Grandmother was here today she made the best bread, (no machine,) and the best pizza ever. She also made her own pasta (no machine), I use to help her when I was 11/12 yrs old then I got to big and busy, she left us 26 yrs ago and I never thought to ask her how she did it. Shame on me. I do remember she made a well (pushed flour to the sides) added eggs and whatever and mixed a little at a time and kneaded forever! This was done on her kitchen table and the dough was laid out on her bed on a clean sheet. Miss those days.