Friday Night Pizza

Friday night, I made the best pizza that you will ever taste at my 3rd cooking lesson. So, you know that a pizza is really made well when there is a nice, crunchy taste. When the pizza came out of the oven, the crust was a golden brown and looked very crunchy. I knew that it was going to be the best "Friday night pizza" (a family tradition) that I was ever going to taste. And well... it was. It was even better than the reputable pizzeria down the street called Tino's. And that is hard to do, because Tino's has awesome pizza. After the crispy dough comes the toppings. The dough made enough for two pizzas. One pizza had tomato sauce, cheese, mushroom, and green pepper.  The other had fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes. This one was the winner for me. This is one of the best pizza doughs ever, so I am sure that the crust helped to make me fall in love with that pizza. 

I was sleeping over at my aunt's house and made her dinner. My cousin Matty was turning two and I helped her get ready for his party. We make the cupcakes together. Then I watched my cousin so my aunt could get some things done. She and my uncle loved the pizza. There were 2 slices left and the pizzas were fairly large. So, I consider that a big win.

On Friday nights in the summer, my Nana cooks "Make your own pizza" on the grill and we have a movie night. Usually we buy the dough (Check out the big shop). My uncle Carter usually also helps make the pizzas. He was a pizza maker at a reputable pizza dealership too.  But, this homemade dough was so good that I have found myself the job of making pizza for 20 people on Friday nights in the summer. And guess what?  I don't even care! Yes, I know you may consider me crazy, but the dough is so easy to make, it won't take too long. My cooking teacher (Check out her blog) adapted the recipe so instead of having to knead the dough (which takes forever) you put it in the stand-mixer and it does all the work.  As I said earlier on, one round of dough makes two pizzas. I will make about 8-10 pizzas every Friday night in the summer. It is going to be super easy. 

This recipe is from My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss  So here is the pizza dough recipe.



Napolentana Pizza Dough (adapted from My Berlin Kitchen)
Makes 2 pizzas

•  3½ cups All-Purpose flour, plus a bit more for kneading
•  2 teaspoons kosher salt
•  1 teaspoon instant yeast
•  A pinch of sugar
•  1¼ cups warm water (110°F)
•  2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  Cornmeal, for sprinkling
•  Toppings 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast; whisk around with a fork to mix.  In a liquid measuring cup, combine the water and oil.

2. Fit the mixer with the dough hook.  With the mixer running on the lowest speed, slowly pour the liquid into the dry ingredients.  When it's all combined, increase the mixer to medium speed (4 or 6 on a KitchenAid mixer) and knead the dough for 3-5 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom.  If the dough is sticking to the sides, add some more flour, one tablespoon at a time (allowing it to mix completely), until it clears the sides of the bowl.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it a few times until it comes together in a ball.  Lightly grease a medium-large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl.  Lightly spray the top with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel, and place the dough in a warm spot until it's doubled in size, about 1 hour.

My dough before it is rolled out + all

4. Heat your oven as hot as it will go. Line 2 sheet trays with parchment paper and sprinkle them with cornmeal.

5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, deflating it, and divide in two.  Put one piece of dough back in the bowl and cover it while you work with other. To stretch it, hold one edge of the dough in both hands and let gravity stretch it out, rotating it steadily so that it doesn't just stretch and tear, and turns out roughly oval. Once it's somewhat stretched, lay it down on the cornmeal-sprinkled sheet and continue to pull the thicker parts towards the edge.  The gluten in bread dough--which is what gives it its stretch and structure--might fight back, so just work around, knowing that it'll take a few tries before it reaches its final shape.  If it's being particularly stubborn, start stretching the second dough ball while the gluten relaxes.  The dough is ready to top when you've stretched it to a rough oval/rectangle and it nearly fills the sheet tray.  Leave the edges a little thicker.

6.  Top your pizza with your toppings of choice, leaving an inch or so around the edge.

7. Slide one sheet tray into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the pizza is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.  Slide the pizza, along with the parchment, onto a large cutting board, and slice it with a pizza wheel or a large chefs knife. Repeat with the second pizza.

This pizza was the winner for me. 

**Don't forget the toppings**