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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Pizza Party

Tonight was pizza night here! I made the dough early in the day, so putting it all together in the evening was quick and easy. My dough recipe follows. It is super simple, but very tasty! I like to stretch it out thin and pile the toppings on!

For the kids, I normally make small, mini pizzas, so they can all have their favorite kind. Hannah likes everything, Owen likes nothing, and Megan doesn't like sauce, so it's an easy way to let them each have their way.
As for me, I like my pizza with prosciutto and spinach. When we lived in West Des Moines, there was an AWESOME little pizza place that specialized in wood-fired pizzas (Red Rossa). It was divine! Kevin, the kids and I all loved it and ate there frequently. Sadly, there isn't anything nearly as good here. Through trial and error, this is pretty darn close!

Pizza Dough (originally from my friend Angela)
2 Tbls. olive oil (separated)
1 tsp. honey
1 cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast
3 cups flour (divided)
1 tsp. salt

Put 1 Tbls. olive oil and honey in a bowl; add in 1 cup of very warm water and stir. Add in 1 pkg. of yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 cups flour and salt. Stir to form a soft dough. Add in an additional 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Turn onto a clean surface and knead for about 5-7 minutes. Put 1 Tbls. olive oil in a large clean bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and roll it gently in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a dish towel and place in a warm place for 2-3 hours.
My Sauce
(I've never written it down before, so bear with me). I like pizza sauce to be unfussy. Only a handful of ingredients. Pour a Tbls of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add 4 or 5 cloves of minced garlic and cook until just browned (you can obviously use less, but I'm a garlic addict). Add a jar/can of strained tomatoes (any brand) and cook on low, until bubbly. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste (about a Tbls. of salt). Chop a small handful of fresh basil. Wilt into the sauce and continue cooking for 5-10 more minutes.

That's it.

Preheat your oven to 425. Lightly grease your pizza pan. Stretch/press your dough into a thin layer. Top with lots of sauce (don't be skimpy)!
Course chop a few slices of proscuitto (I use about 3) and layer over the pizza. Top with fresh, soft mozzarella and then pile high with fresh spinach (it wilts a lot in the oven). It is so, so good! You'll most definitely be ruined for Pizza Hut and the rest of the greasy pizza chains for life!

6 comments:

Michelle said...

AWESOME!!! Food jealousy as always!

Jayme said...

I'm going to try this!! I remember that pizza place and it is very yummy. I was going to ask you what the name of it was again so I'm glad you mentioned it. I might have to have Jason pick some up on the way home from work one of these nights. Anyway, I've tried homemade pizza a handful of times...and always fail...on the crust!! So frustrating. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. What "warm place" do you usually use?

soccermom10 said...

They look DELISH!

Joanne said...

I usually turn my oven on for a minute or two (no more!) and then turn it right back off. Then, I put the bowl in there to rise.

Amanda said...

This looks so good! We just had this conversation the other day, about how spoiled we are on this one pizza place, Bazbeaux, that we just LOVE. We get a half and half...Daniel gets the Quattro Formaggio and I get the Garden. both have ricotta which makes them so unique. Anyway, you are inspiring me to try to master them at home. So when we finally move back to TX, we won't miss our favorite pizza. :) Also, I cooked the Pioneer Woman's bbq meatballs today....YUMMY!!! We couldn't stop eating them! Thanks for the recommendation!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the tips!!