Get Your Grill On

Not to take anything away from Todd and Michael’s pizzas, here’s another pizza post. 

Henceforth, I think all my entries here may be entitled “Best ______ Recipe EVER!!!”  Whether my recipe for hummus is in fact “The Best Ever” is debatable, it certainly gets more hits than anything else here.  What’s more, almost everyone who winds up here in their search for a hummus recipe Googles “Best Hummus Recipe Ever.”  And they read it on the Internet, so it must be true, right?

Last weekend the wife and I, along with number one son, put these pies together to munch on and bask in the warm glow of the television.   Counterclockwise from the left we have:

• Olive oil, roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes, leftover chicken, and feta. (Me)

• Red sauce, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, black olives, and mozzarella. (Number One Son)

• Red sauce, mushrooms, black olives, pepperoni, and mozerella.

• Red sauce, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella slices. (The Wife)

They were all tasty, but the chicken on mine didn’t really add anything to the equation.  Aside from the crust and the roasted garlic, all the ingredients were either canned or otherwise ready to use.  The sauce was from a jar (gasp!)

For all their, cheesy goodness, I still have two significant pizza problems.  For starters, I am completely unable to make a round, uniform crust.  My crusts taste great, but they usually look like some sort of amoeba or something.  Secondly, as much as I like to use a pizza stone, (I love a thick, crunchy crust) I cannot use a peel to save my life.  I can get the pie onto the stone, but about half of my toppings bounce off the back of the oven and slide down to the bottom, only to leave burnt cinders that I somehow never get around to cleaning.

Anyway, here is my recipe for pizza crust.  This recipe will make two large crusts or in our case, four personal size pizzas (maybe 10″ in diameter.)

Best Pizza Crust Ever

Combine one 1/4 ounce package of yeast, 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar, and 1 1/2 cup of warm (100 degree) water in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Gradually mix in about 2 1/2 cups of bread flour (I use a stand mixer and a dough hook) until you have a well defined ball that is no longer sticky.  Continue to knead in the mixer for 5 minutes.

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a clean cloth.  Allow to rise in a warm area for about one hour.  After an hour, punch down the dough and roll into a tight ball, using more flour as needed.  Divide in half for two large pizzas or into fourths for personal size pies.

Roll or toss your dough to your liking (I like mine kind of thick.)  Add sauce and your favorite toppings and bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your pizza.