Pizza

Name: Pizza
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, European
Ingredients: 2 ⅔ cup warm water (warm like a baby’s bath not warm like a cup of tea); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon of salt; 1 tablespoon of sugar; 2 individual packets of yeast (or 4 ½ teaspoons if using yeast from a jar)**; 5 cups of all purpose flour (approximately); 1 tin of San Marzano tomatoes - pureed in a food processor/ninja; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves of fresh garlic minced; 1 teaspoon onion powder or ½ medium onion finely minced; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; Pizza Cheese; Pepperoni and or other favourite pizza toppings

26 steps

Prep:1hCook:20min

We should always have a night of family fun in the kitchen. Pizza night is great for this. On your shopping list I included standard ingredients for pizza like sauce, cheese and pepperoni but I want you to use Pizza Night to achieve something else besides dinner. Use it to clean up the leftovers from the week! Get creative. Roasted vegetables, leftover roasted and braised meats, potatoes, greens….they’re all great on pizza. If you use individual flatbreads or portions of dough everyone can create their unique masterpiece. There are no rules really. Have fun!

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:56:42 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

High

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories722.6 kcal (36%)

Total Fat13.2 g (19%)

Carbs128.7 g (50%)

Sugars4.6 g (5%)

Protein19.8 g (40%)

Sodium1334.4 mg (67%)

Fiber6 g (22%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

Instructions

For the Dough

Step 1

**Check the expiry date on your yeast. Make sure it’s fresh and lively**

Step 2

In a large bowl stir together warm water, olive oil, salt and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Step 3

Sprinkle yeast on top of the warm water mixture

Step 4

Let stand for 5 minutes

Step 5

After 5 minutes you’ll see that the yeast has begun to bloom and foam up

Step 6

After 5 minutes stir the yeast and water together

Step 7

Add 2 cups of flour and stir well to create a thick batter

Step 8

At this point you want to add flour in small amounts so that you avoid using too much flour - watch the snippet of video I was able to upload. It will give you a good visual of building flour into the dough and some tips on rising.

Step 9

Add one cup and mix. Add another cup and mix and then turn dough out onto the counter top and add just ½ cup more flour.

Step 10

Knead and feather in more flour as needed to achieve a smooth dough that holds its shape but is still soft and easy to knead and work with.

Step 11

Allow the dough to rise until doubled. Rise on the counter if you’re having pizza in an hour.

Step 12

Otherwise you can rise in the fridge for up to 3 days in a large tupperware that allows enough room for expansion. This develops some great flavours in the dough and makes a convenient way to keep pizza dough on hand.

Step 13

Pizza Making Tips

Step 14

When you punch down the risen dough to begin shaping the pizza crust, knead it a couple of times, divide it into 4 and allow each portion of dough to rest for 10-15 minutes before you start to stretch it into shape for your pizza. This will make it easier to work with. Everytime you work the dough it tightens up temporarily. If you are struggling to work the dough into shape give it a rest and a few minutes to relax. Then start again.

Step 15

This dough rises quite well. You can stretch it very thin and still get a good crust.

Step 16

Preheat your oven to 450F - the super hot temperature gives your crust a great immediate spring in the oven.

Step 17

We build pizza on parchment paper and cook it on the paper directly on the oven rack or hot pizza stone. This is a little bit of a trick to get into the oven. If you have a pizza paddle it’s easy, you can slide it right into the oven. You can use a lightweight cutting board or a sheet pan without sides as a makeshift pizza paddle. If you have one. If you don’t have equipment to cook the pizza this way, be safe and use a cookie sheet or pizza pan.

Step 18

Pizza is cooked when the center cheese is bubbly and beginning to colour.

Step 19

Pull the parchment paper out from under the pizza in the last 5 minutes if you want a bit of a crispy finish to the crust.

Step 20

Take the pizza out the way you put it in. Slide it off the rack and onto your paddle, cutting board or sheet pan.

Step 21

Allow cooked pizza to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting

Step 22

Pre-cook sausage, bacon and ground beef toppings.

Step 23

Pineapple does not belong on pizza but if you are making a pineapple flatbread use tidbits and allow them to drain for at least 1 hour to ensure you don’t end up with super soggy crust.

To cook the Sauce

Step 24

If using fresh onion and garlic saute them first in a saucepan then add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Otherwise put all ingredients except balsamic in a saucepan and simmer to reduce.

Step 25

You’ll want to loosely cover the pot to keep the splatters contained but leave it askew so that steam can escape and the sauce can reduce. It will take about 30-45 minutes to reach a nice pizza sauce thickness.

Step 26

Turn off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar.