Pizza Crust

I will admit, I love pizza.  There are so many things you can do with it.  Thin crust, thick crust.  White sauce, tomato sauce.  Meat, veggie.  I invited some friends over a few months ago for a pizza party.  I supplied the crust, they supplied the sauce and toppings.  No two pizzas were alike.  We got to try each other’s creations and everyone had a lot of fun.  I promised to post my pizza crust recipes, so here we are.  The first is very basic and good if you don’t have all day to let the crust rise.

Basic Pizza Dough
Yield: 2 Large Pizzas or 1 Sheet Pizza

1 Tbsp Active dry yeast
2 fl. oz. hot water (1/8 cup)
14 oz. bread flour
6 fl. oz. cool water
1 tsp salt
1 fl. oz. olive oil (2 Tbsp)
.75 oz honey

Spray mixing bowl and dough hook with non-stick spray.  In the mixing bowl, stir yeast into hot water to dissolve. Let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.  Add flour, then the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.  Mix on speed 1 for 2-3 minutes until well incorporated.  Increase to speed 2 for 3-5 minutes or until gluten develops.  Place in lightly greased bowl and cover.  Ferment 30 minutes.  Punch down and divide into portions. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into very thin rounds.  Let rise until desired thickness.  Top as desired.  Bake @ 400 approximately 8-12 minutes.

This sourdough pizza crust is by far my favorite crust, but it will take most of the day to rise.  The result is a crust with great flavor and texture.

Sourdough Pizza Crust
Yield: 2 Large Pizzas or 1 Sheet Pizza

1 c. sourdough starter, unfed
1/2 c. hot tap water
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 1/2 c. Bread flour
1 tsp. salt

In a mixer with a dough hook, knead starter, water, yeast, flour and salt on low until well combined, 2-3 minutes.  Increase to medium speed and mix until smooth & slightly sticky, approximately 7 minutes.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise until double, approximately 2-4 hours.  Punch down and divide dough.  Place dough on pizza pans, cover and rest 15 minutes.  Gently press out the dough. When it starts to shrink back, cover and rest 15 minutes. Finish pressing out the dough.  Cover and let rise to desired thickness, approximately 1 hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven to 450.  Top crust with toppings. Bake until toppings are hot and cheese is melted and bubbly, approximately 15 minutes.

Pizzas are great with kids.  These recipes can be divided for smaller pizzas, and you can let the kids each top their own pizza.  They’re also great for a casual dinner party or game night.  Take my tip, invite your friends over for a pizza party and have them all bring their own favorite toppings.  Everyone can mix and match.  It’s fun to see what your friends can come up with.  Of course, it’s even better to taste it.

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Sourdough Pizza Crust

Yield: 2 - 10" Pizza Crusts

Prep Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 c. sourdough starter, unfed
• 1/2 c. hot tap water
• 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 c. Bread flour
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. In a mixer with a dough hook, knead starter, water, yeast, flour and salt on low until well combined, 2-3 minutes.
2. Increase to medium speed and mix until smooth & slightly sticky, approximately 7 minutes.
3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise until double, approximately 2-4 hours.
4. Punch down and divide dough.
5. Place dough on pizza pans, cover and rest 15 minutes.
6. Gently press out the dough. When it starts to shrink back, cover and rest 15 minutes. Finish pressing out the dough.
7. Cover and let rise to desired thickness, approximately 1 hour. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven to 450.
8. Top crust with toppings. Bake until toppings are hot and cheese is melted and bubbly, approximately 15 minutes.

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