by Caroline Gauthier
Friday is pizza night at our house. It’s a meal that everyone looks forward to. Who doesn’t love the comforting gooey goodness of a classic homemade pizza?? It’s the perfect TGIF treat.
Roll out individual pizza doughs to customize with various toppings, or use this recipe to roll out two large pizzas. If you’re a family, it’s enough for one feast, and if you’re solo, extra pizza can be frozen for a mid-week dinner. As for toppings, be creative …. the possibilities are endless!!! You’ll find a short list of possibilities at the bottom, but your imagination and your taste buds are the best guide for your perfect pie.
Don’t be intimidated by making your own dough… It’s easier than you think (and then you have bragging rights)! I’ve included an easy recipe for simple tomato sauce - also not intimidating, and worth the extra effort. You can substitute canned pizza sauce if you prefer.
Bueno Appetito!
PIZZA DOUGH FOR THIN CRUST PIZZA
* makes enough for six individual or two large pizzas
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the flour)
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Directions
1- In a bowl, mix honey in hot water.
2- Sprinkle yeast on top.
3- Wait for 10 minutes or until it gets foamy.
4- Mix olive oil in water and stir.
5- In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
6- Pour water into mixing bowl and stir to combine all ingredients.
7- Once a sticky dough starts to form, place it on a floured surface and knead dough for 6-8 minutes until it is moderately stiff, but smooth and elastic.
8- Place it back in deep bowl and cover with a damp tea towel for 30 minutes (or as long as it takes to rise).
9- Remove from bowl and cut dough in half, if making two large pizzas, or in four for individual pizzas.
10- On a floured surface, start gently forming your dough by stretching out the edges and lightly flouring it. Then without applying too much pressure, gently roll your dough.. do this lovingly!! Dough is dynamic and elastic. If it is sticking to your rolling pin, simply rub a little flour on your pin. Same for the surface… if dough is sticking to your surface a little flour should solve this.
11- I like to prepare my dough and then transfer it onto parchment paper. I can then simply slide them onto a pizza pan by gently sliding the whole parchment paper onto the pan right from the counter.
12- Spread sauce and use the toppings of your choice.
13- Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes.
*Note
There are a variety of pans one can use in the oven. I personally find I consistently get an evenly baked crust using the pizza pans with holes in them. I also sometimes use pizza stones. The key with these is to heat them up for at least 30 minutes before putting your pizza on it. Otherwise, I’ve had lots of success with a good old cookie tray. Just make sure if you are not applying parchment paper to grease your pan with oil.
SIMPLE MARGARITA SAUCE
Ingredients
- 1tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 398ml can finely chopped tomatoes (my fave is Mutti Polpa)
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 1 tsp dried crushed chilli peppers (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2tsp sugar
- 5-10 basil leaves chopped
Directions
1- Heat oil over medium heat
2- Add garlic and chilli peppers, allow to slightly caramelize
3- Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes
MARGARITA PIZZA
Ingredients
- Homemade or canned pizza sauce
- Fresh Mozzarella, Bocconicini or Parmesan, shaved or sliced
- Fresh Basil
Directions
1- Spread desired amount of sauce evenly onto rolled dough
2- Spread grated cheese over sauce
3- Place 5-6 pieces fresh bocconcini over the cheese
4- Place basil evenly on top
5- Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes making sure the bottom is crisped and baked thoroughly.
6- Remove from oven, slice and serve.
Optional Additional Toppings
Vegetarian
- Sundried tomatoes
- Olives
- Hot Peppers
- Bell Peppers, sautéd
- Mushrooms, sautéd
- Arugula
- Broccoli, sautéd
- Eggplant, grilled
- Kale, sautéd
Non-Veg
- Anchovies
- Italian sausage, grilled and sliced
- Chicken breast, grilled and sliced
- Prosciutto or Calabrese sausage, sliced
- Pancetta, grilled
