I baked pizza for the family last night (Thursday). Baking pizza from scratch takes a while - there's prep time, then the crust takes 2 hours to rise (add some time at the hour mark for shaping it into the pans) and then it has to bake. But it's well worth the effort. (I learned this a week ago when I made pizza for a group of friends at school with awesome results)
The yummy leftovers (today's lunch) got me thinking - what's going to be different about Italian pizza from the varieties I know and (mostly) love?
.......
Pizza (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Dissolve 1 package yeast in 1 1/3 cups warm water. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in approx. 4 cups flour, kneading when dough gets too stiff to stir. Knead dough for about 6 minutes. Lightly coat with vegetable oil and place in a covered bowl. Wait until it rises to double in bulk (anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on weather. At home, putting it in the oven worked wonders - the gas pilot light kept the oven warm and there were no drafts.)
Punch dough down, then stretch into shape on greased pans. Let rise again. Bake at 400F until crust is golden brown. Coat with tomato sauce and arrange toppings and mozzarella cheese (optional) on top. Put back in oven until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling slightly. Serve.
The yummy leftovers (today's lunch) got me thinking - what's going to be different about Italian pizza from the varieties I know and (mostly) love?
.......
Pizza (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Dissolve 1 package yeast in 1 1/3 cups warm water. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix in approx. 4 cups flour, kneading when dough gets too stiff to stir. Knead dough for about 6 minutes. Lightly coat with vegetable oil and place in a covered bowl. Wait until it rises to double in bulk (anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on weather. At home, putting it in the oven worked wonders - the gas pilot light kept the oven warm and there were no drafts.)
Punch dough down, then stretch into shape on greased pans. Let rise again. Bake at 400F until crust is golden brown. Coat with tomato sauce and arrange toppings and mozzarella cheese (optional) on top. Put back in oven until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling slightly. Serve.
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