Gratuitously Homemade: Pizza

My best friend and I are watching Twin Peaks together for the first time. We just finished watching "The Condemned Woman" from Season 2, and can't stop guessing what is going on in that town...

We are in a long-distance friendship, so we coordinated our schedules to enjoy an episode binge over Netflix during her dinner and my lunch. When B told me she was having pizza for dinner, my path was clear:

Pizza. Pepperoni and mushroom. With chunky tomato sauce and a homemade crust.

I've been after a soft, golden crust that reheats nicely in the oven, and this Basic Pizza Dough recipe from Chopped judge and Food Network Chef, Alex Guarnaschelli checks all the boxes. 

You mean we're going to make it from scratch?! Yup. We're focusing on the dough today because that's the scariest part. 

Fortunately, it's also easy. Just look at the first step:

Exciting

This is dry active yeast mixed with lukewarm warm (100-110F/37-43C) water. The bubbles mean we are in business. This step, called "proofing", lets us know the yeast is alive and kickin'. 

Adding the spices when only half the flour has been mixed allows you to fully incorporate their flavors into the dough. Here, white pepper and salt are balanced with the sweet honey.

Alex's recipe calls for sifting the flour, which is tedious but worth the effort.  Sifting aerates flour and eliminates clumps, so you should sift your flour if it's settled or packed into its container. You can totally use a strainer if you don't have a sifter! 

Once you've added all the dry ingredients, move to the counter.

What a beauty! This puppy is ready to sit in an olive oil coated mixing bowl for an hour and a half. This is the worst part because you are so close yet seemingly so far from amazing pizza. This is a great opportunity to do the dishes and watch more episodes of Twin Peaks while you wait patiently. 

Congratulations, you have made pizza dough! I cut this in half and put the rest in the fridge so I'm guaranteed fresh pizza twice in the same week.

Now, let's shape this thing:

This dough is nice and pliable. Make sure you have a generous amount of flour on your working surface before you begin shaping to ensure your pizza doesn't stick to the pan! To shape, press down gently on the dough ball to get a nice disk shape. Working from the center, make the disk larger by spreading your fingers and pushing the dough outward.

Pick up the dough and move your hands along the edges. Keep turning the dough as you go, gravity will help pull it. Don't forget to have fun! It's just dough. Once you have the size pizza you want, transfer it to your (preheated) pizza stone/pan and add the toppings

It's basically an enchanted forest of meat, cheese, and veggies.  I used my homemade pasta sauce, with hand crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh parsley. For a golden crust, brush the edges with olive oil before sticking in the oven. Bake in a 500F/260C oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese and crust are to your liking. 

I like my pizza to be a golden, bubbly dream that I can eat all in one sitting.

(What drama...)

Fleshy tomato chunks. Golden, chewy cheese. Soft mushrooms and fresh sliced pepperoni from Claro's Italian Market . And Alex's crust? Lightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the base is sturdy enough to hold all those topping without sacrificing the flavor or texture. I used all-purpose flour, but I'll definitely remake this crust with bread flour.  Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose, which yields an even chewier crust.

If you exhibited restraint and have leftovers, you are basically the smartest person ever because this reheats beautifully. I put a couple slices under the broiler in the toaster oven at work for 5 minutes the next day, and I think it was even better than it was the night before! The crust maintained it's crispiness and chew, and the flavors married perfectly.

Show me how your pizza turns out on Instagram and Twitter. You'll find me @ElenaKimball!