Pizza Pies
Since there was a delightfully cool day and on a Friday night we had to make some pizza. It has been quite some time since we've made pizzas and did we miss it. I got a little crazy with the dough making. We ended up with so much pizza, not that we're complaining here, we'll find some way to eat it all. I started by getting the toppings all together. We had: shredded and fresh mozzarella, fresh torn basil leaves, sliced baby bellas, sliced red and green bell pepper, sliced red onion, sliced jalapenos, tomato sauce and turkey pepperoni. I imagine that we could have even found more things to use but, dang, that was plenty to keep us busy. While the dough mixed I prepped our pizza stone.
I made the standard cheese for the girls. I let them choose some ingredients for another pizza. They selected basil and mushroom. For as much fun as it was for them to make the pizza they found that eating it was not as good as expected. They still are plain cheese lovers. I'm not going to dwell on this little setback. One day they will understand the tasty love a pizza can become. I made a green and red bell pepper, onion, pepperoni for Keith. He would add that I could have put more meat on the pizza, perhaps bacon. I made another for me with the same ingredients but added jalapenos. I like it hot. That was later labeled the nasal drainer. If only Keith had been brave enough to eat that one then his nose would have been cleared out quite nicely. We had our favorite, Margherita, the one we always make. I can't ever eat enough of that pizza. Oh my, that is a weakness, all that fresh mozzarella, oh yeah. There were other pizzas made to use up leftover ingredients.
If you'd like to make some of your own F'Laker pizzas here are our recipes.
Wheat Pizza Dough
Makes two 14 inch pies
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. dry active yeast
2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
Place the yeast, sugar, olive oil and water in your stand mixer bowl attach the dough hook. Let yeast get frothy for about 5 minutes. Next add the salt and half the flour. Begin to mix on the lowest setting until the mixture begins to form dough. Add the remaining flour and raise the speed to med-high (Kitchen Aid number 4) and allow to mix until the dough forms. If you like a thick chewy crust, remove hook, cover bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. I allow the dough to raise while the oven is beginning to warm.
Nasal Drainer Pizza
1 14-inch pizza dough rolled out
1/3 cup sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 jalapenos sliced
turkey pepperoni
sliced onions
sliced red and green bell peppers
sliced mushrooms
Place your rolled out dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel. Spread sauce evenly over the dough. Top with ingredients. I prefer to place the cheese and pepperoni last. Bake* Allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Pizza Margherita
1 14-inch pizza dough rolled out
1/3 cup sauce (chunky sauces are great on this pizza)
6 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, in small bite-sized balls
Place your rolled out dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel. Spread sauce evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute basil leaves over sauce. Dot with the cheese. Bake* Allow to cool slightly before cutting. For this pizza allowing it to cool is the best way to ensure the cheese can set slightly so it can be cut well.
*We bake our pizzas for 10 minutes in a gas oven, middle rack, on a pizza stone lightly dusted with cornmeal at 425F. Your oven may differ.*
I made the standard cheese for the girls. I let them choose some ingredients for another pizza. They selected basil and mushroom. For as much fun as it was for them to make the pizza they found that eating it was not as good as expected. They still are plain cheese lovers. I'm not going to dwell on this little setback. One day they will understand the tasty love a pizza can become. I made a green and red bell pepper, onion, pepperoni for Keith. He would add that I could have put more meat on the pizza, perhaps bacon. I made another for me with the same ingredients but added jalapenos. I like it hot. That was later labeled the nasal drainer. If only Keith had been brave enough to eat that one then his nose would have been cleared out quite nicely. We had our favorite, Margherita, the one we always make. I can't ever eat enough of that pizza. Oh my, that is a weakness, all that fresh mozzarella, oh yeah. There were other pizzas made to use up leftover ingredients.
If you'd like to make some of your own F'Laker pizzas here are our recipes.
Wheat Pizza Dough
Makes two 14 inch pies
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. dry active yeast
2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
Place the yeast, sugar, olive oil and water in your stand mixer bowl attach the dough hook. Let yeast get frothy for about 5 minutes. Next add the salt and half the flour. Begin to mix on the lowest setting until the mixture begins to form dough. Add the remaining flour and raise the speed to med-high (Kitchen Aid number 4) and allow to mix until the dough forms. If you like a thick chewy crust, remove hook, cover bowl with a towel and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. I allow the dough to raise while the oven is beginning to warm.
Nasal Drainer Pizza
1 14-inch pizza dough rolled out
1/3 cup sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 jalapenos sliced
turkey pepperoni
sliced onions
sliced red and green bell peppers
sliced mushrooms
Place your rolled out dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel. Spread sauce evenly over the dough. Top with ingredients. I prefer to place the cheese and pepperoni last. Bake* Allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Pizza Margherita
1 14-inch pizza dough rolled out
1/3 cup sauce (chunky sauces are great on this pizza)
6 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, in small bite-sized balls
Place your rolled out dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel. Spread sauce evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute basil leaves over sauce. Dot with the cheese. Bake* Allow to cool slightly before cutting. For this pizza allowing it to cool is the best way to ensure the cheese can set slightly so it can be cut well.
*We bake our pizzas for 10 minutes in a gas oven, middle rack, on a pizza stone lightly dusted with cornmeal at 425F. Your oven may differ.*
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