Pizza

I have been working on developing the perfect pizza dough for a decade. Over the years my recipe has evolved from a think chewy crust to a thin, cracker-like texture but having experimented with both and everything in between I can almost guarantee that my pizza will never taste the same way twice, but will always please the taste buds..

To make the dough I start by pouring a mixture of whole wheat and white unbleached flour into my mixer. If I am in a hurry I will cheat and opt for quick rise yeast; I add 1 packet, a dash of sea salt and sugar to the flour along with a variety of seeds such as flax, poppy, and sesame, then start mixing this together as I slowly pour warm water and olive oil into the bowl. I never measure but I do pay close attention to what is happening in the bowl. My best dough results from all of these wet and dry ingredients combining after a few minutes, leaving no flour behind and the dough should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl. If either of these conditions are occurring I add water or flour depending if I have a dry or wet dough.

Once all ingredients are combined I use the mixer's kneading attachment for several minutes then knead by hand for 3-5 more. Finally I place this tacky to the touch ball of dough into a floured or greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel for 30 minutes. Once the dough has doubled in size I knead by hand for another few minutes then form the dough into a pizza pie. I understand that a rolling pin is bad news as it squeezes air bubbles out of the crust but I do like the cracker-like result once in a while.

Alternatively, if time is on my side, I will prepare a traditional yeast mixture (warm water, sugar, yeast) and pour this into the flour mixture along with some EVOO. The dough will take a tad longer to develop.

After topping the pizza with yummy ingredients, and I always start with a drizzle of EVOO then a fresh mozzarella, I place the pie into a pre-heated (450 degrees) oven and pizza stone for 10 minutes. The thicker the crust the lower the temp and longer the cooking time.A Sprinkle of fresh Parmesan and ripped fresh basil finish it off perfectly.

Try this and enjoy!!