Pizza Challenge

I recently joined a group called Daring Bakers and each month I will be given a challenge, this month it was homemade pizza dough.  I had never made pizza dough or worked with yeast before, so it was definitely a challenge.  We were supposed to toss the dough in the air like real pizza makers, I however was not that good at it.  Here is a picture of my attempt.  The dough only left my hand by maybe an inch so we couldn't really get a picture quick enough. 

Anyways I made two different pizzas.  The first one I made had an olive oil infused with garlic and onion sauce topped with tomatoes and a little bit of basil and mozzarella cheese.  It was mighty delicious!  

The second pizza was a barbeque pork pizza.  Now John and I love bbq chicken pizza, but I only had pork chops so, I cooked them up in barbeque sauce and ta da.  I put sweet baby ray's barbeque sauce down first and then covered it in the now shredded pork and of course covered it with both cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  This was also equally delicious and if you ask John he would probably say that he enjoyed this one better than the first one because he loves barbeque sauce!  

So you're probably wondering about making the actual crust.  Well, it does take some time because it is a process.  However, the recipe makes 6 small pizza crusts that are freezable so it is worth it if you have the time.  After you make the dough it only takes like 6 minutes in the oven so it is super quick once you are to that point.  Plus the pizza isn't greasy at all!  A lot of times after eating pizza I feel gross from all of the grease, but these pizzas are smaller in size and they aren't covered in grease, so totally guilt free!  Okay so here's the recipe which was taken from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 C. All purpose flour chilled (which you do this by putting it in the freezer for 15 minutes)

1 3/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. instant yeast 

1/4 C. Olive oil or vegetable oil 

1 3/4 C. water, ice cold (40 degrees F.)

1 T. sugar

Semolina/durum flour or Cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

Day 1:

1.  Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2.  Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (low speed with paddle attachment if you are using a stand mixer) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.  On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed.  If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much though) and if it is too dry and 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

*If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.  The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50-55 degrees F.

3.  Flour a work surface.  Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment.  Lightly oil the paper.

4.  With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal parts.

5.  Sprinkle some flour over the dough.  Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Gently round each piece into a ball.

6.  Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil.  Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic wrap.

*If you are wanting to freeze them here is where you would do that.  Instead of spraying them with oil coat them completely with oil and put them in a freezer bag.

7.  Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

Day Two:

8. On the day you plan to eat the pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it remove the desired amount of dough balls from the refrigerator.  Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Place the dough on the floured surface and sprinkle them with flour.  Dust your hand with flour and delicately press the balls into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches wide in diameter.  Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil.  Loosely cover them with plastic wrap.  Allow them to rest for 2 hours.

9.  At least 45 minutes before making the pizza , place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500 degrees F.)

*If you aren't using a stone don't worry about this step.  DON'T preheat your pan.  But DO PREHEAT YOUR OVEN!

10.  Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan (if you aren't using a stone) with semolina durum flour or cornmeal.  Flour your hands.  Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper.  Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce.  Once the dough has expanded outwards, move to a full toss.

*Make only one pizza at a time.

11.  When the dough is the shape you want place it on the floured or cornmealed jelly pan.  

12.  Lightly top it with toppings of your choice.

13. Bake  for 5-8 minutes turn it 180 degrees after 2 minutes.  Watch the pizza carefully!

Well there ya go good luck!