Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Pizza for Two Scale out 9 oz. of bread flour (about 1¾ cups)
in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of yeast and pour ¾ of a cup warm
water over the yeast. [I like to use spring water].
Add ½ teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt [or other uniodized salt]. Try
to not put the salt directly on the yeast. Let this sit for 30 seconds to allow the yeast
to soften. Stir all of the ingredients until the mixture
begins to hold together. This is the point to add a little water if the dough seems dry
or a little flour if the dough seems too wet. Use your hands to make this into a dough.
Knead the dough vigorously for 2-3 minutes, lightly flouring the surface as necessary.
Try not to add too much flour during kneading. The more vigorously you knead the dough, the
better developed your dough will be. Round the dough by folding the edges towards
the center, while stretching it at the same time. You want to create a smooth, tight surface
to the dough so that it can hold in the gas produced by the yeast.
Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and allow it to rise. If your kitchen is cool,
you can place the bowl in a pan half filled with warm water.
After 40-60 minutes the dough should be risen to about double in size. A floured finger
should leave an indentation when gently pressed into the dough.
Take the dough out of the bowl, onto your work surface.
Cut the dough in half and round each piece as before. Try not to use too much flour while
rounding the dough. Pinch the dough to seal.
Pour a little olive oil on a sheet pan and roll each piece of dough in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
You can use a sheet pan lined with foil for easier cleanup.
Time to make the pizzas! Spread out each piece of dough with your fingertips
onto the sheet pan. If the dough resists stretching to much, recover and let it rest another 10
minutes. Never try to stretch dough that has just been rounded or kneaded - the gluten
will be too tight. When the pizzas are the desired size, put
on your favorite toppings. Here, I am using my sweet tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella,
pepperoni, parsley and a dash of coarse grind pepper. I also made another batch with sautéed
mushrooms. These are ready to bake. Bake them in a 400º F
oven for about 20 minutes. These are done.
Remove them from the pan. Time to slice and eat! Mmmm.
Here's a look at the mushroom pizza. Goes great with beer on a Friday night.
Happy baking!