Sunday, July 4, 2010

The Perfect Pizza


I am not perfect. And neither is this pizza. It isn’t perfectly round and the toppings aren’t perfectly even, but it is delicious and homemade. And that makes it far better than any take away kind.

This pizza can be made just as easily as picking up the phone and ordering one. Plus, it is topped and cooked just the way I like it. Just enough cheese, perfect seasonings, and a thin, crisp crust.

So, in my eyes, it is perfect.

The Perfect Pizza
Makes 2- 10 inch pizzas

For the crust
1 cup White Flour
2/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
3/4 cup Warm Water
1 tsp Olive Oil

In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water and olive oil. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 3-5 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (about 30-45 minutes).

Once doubled, punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls. Roll out into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough onto a pizza stone if you have, or a baking sheet.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Top the crusts with your favorite toppings. I like the following combinations:
- a thin layer of tomato paste on the base, thinly sliced tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese
- anchovy fillets, sliced onions, dried oregano, and mozzarella topped with an egg (the egg is cracked onto the pizza when it has only about 3 minutes left to bake)

Place the pizza in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. The pizza looks phenomenal! I'll take a homemade rustic style pizza over takeout any day of the week!

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  2. Is there any other word to describe pizza then "perfect"? I've long believed pizza should be it's own food group for sure.

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  3. I think this pizza is PERFECT! I so prefer homemade and this one is gorgeous.

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