Homemade Pizza Recipe
Homemade Pizza
Dough
Makes dough for four 10 to 12-inch pizzas
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
Special Equipment and Cooking Notes: A pizza stone or large cast iron pan will give the best crust and quickest, most even bake. If you don’t have either, you can bake the pizza on a lightly floured sheet tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the bottom is fully set.
To make the dough: Pour the water and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, and sprinkle over the yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, flour and salt and mix on low using the dough hook until the dough comes together, it will still be slightly shaggy at this point. Turn the mixer off and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium speed, and let mix for about 8 minutes. Pour dough out into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator overnight to slowly rise. 3 hours before you’re ready to make the pizzas, take the dough out and let it come to room temperature for 1 hour. Cut it into 4 even size pieces. Using flour, shape each piece of dough into a ball, coat in flour and place them on a lightly floured sheet tray. Cover again with plastic and let rise until about doubled in size, roughly 2 hours.
Note: If you’d like to make the dough in one day, mix the dough as early as you can and leave out on the counter to rise for an hour. Then put it into the refrigerator until 3 hours prior to baking and continue as normal.
Guanciale and Calabrian Chili
For the Garlic Oil: Microplane one clove of garlic into 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup canned tomato, blended
1/2 cup mozzarella, torn
3 ounces guanciale, pancetta or bacon, thinly sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons Calabrian chilies, chopped in their oil, or pureed
Salt
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you’re using a pizza stone, put it in the oven before you turn the oven on.
Stretch out the dough, approximately 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Spoon over a teaspoon of garlic oil followed by a few big spoons of tomato sauce, using the back of the spoon to spread the sauce evenly on the dough. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Top with the torn mozzarella, calabrian chilies and guanciale. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 6-10 minutes. Turn the fan on in your oven for the last minute if it needs a little extra color.
Kale, Green Olive and Oregano
1/2 of a spring onion, thinly sliced
Garlic oil
Chili flakes
Salt
1/2 cup mozzarella, torn
1/3 cup olives, pitted and torn
3 kale leaves, destemmed and cut into inch long pieces
Olive oil
Dried oregano
Grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you’re using a pizza stone, put it in the oven before you turn the oven on.
Stretch out the dough, approximately 10 to 12 inches in diameter. To build this pizza, first sprinkle around the spring onion, a few small spoonfuls of the garlic oil, a pinch of chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Top with the mozzarella, torn olives, kale and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 6-10 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, top with some dried oregano and freshly grated parmesan.