Thursday, December 30, 2010

Margherita Pizza for 2


    I am still sick, and I managed to make dinner tonight. Yeah. That tells you just how easy making your own pizza at home is. A sick person can do it. This is a 30 minute meal if you are a good multi-tasker. It is also fun to let everyone make their own. Shannon did not have that luxury tonight since she was en route from work, so I made both pizzas which was still a cinch. I am including pictures of both of ours as she used all-natural mozzarella from the Cottage that is Vitamin to make it an authentic Margherita Pizza. Seriously, folks, do yourselves, your wallet and your waist a favor, make your own pizza at home. It is just too easy, a great time with your family, way less fattening and so much more delicious. By the time you phone in your order and wait for it to arrive, you could have your own homemade pizza. It is so much more worth it!

Last time we made pizza, the crust was a little to white for my taste. This time I used 2 parts whole wheat flour to 1 part unbleached white flour. A bit cardboardy for my taste, so next time I think I will do half and half. Experiment, experiment, experiment. And, of course, ENJOY!

    Homemade Pizza Sauce
    Makes about 5 cups

    2 tbsp olive oil (I love olive oil, but if you want to cut the fat, use less)
    3-4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 28-oz can Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil
    1 tsp dried thyme
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1/2 tsp salt (plus another small pinch or so to taste)

    Preheat saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to cover if you like, I love the smell of it cooking so I never cover mine. 

Scoop about a cup and half into a mini food chopper or food processor and blend until smooth.



Dough
Makes enough for 2 medium size pizzas
Total Time: 10 minutes


1 package active dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°, no more)
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour or whole wheat flour or a mixture of any or all of them
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for coating



Preheat oven and pizza stone to 375°.


Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; sift together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the olive oil and yeast mixture into it. Stir until it begins to form a ball, then turn it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for about 4 or 5 minutes. Your pizza dough should be a smooth, elastic ball.
From here you can, lightly oil the ball and the inside of a large glass bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. For better crust, punch down the dough, reshape into a ball and let it rise again. You can refrigerate or freeze the dough at this point.

Or you can do what I do and skip the whole rising of the dough step altogether and get straight to the unadulterated pizza makin'. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then, working on a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough and work it with your fingers or a rolling pin to form an 8-inch circle. The outer edge of the circle should be a little thicker than the body, forming a rim (but not necessary). Add sauce and toppings (this pizza only requires tomatoes and basil. How easy is that?).

Transfer to a pizza pan or pizza stone. Bake in a 375° pre-heated oven until the crust is golden brown (and the cheese is melted, if using), 10 to 13 minutes.



2 comments:

  1. Sooo making this when I decide to allow myself Carbs again. Yummmmo!

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  2. Looks good. Thought I would want the one with the cheese, but the top looks a little better to me. That's a good sign, right?

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