Monday, November 15, 2010

Homemade Pizza

We went to some friends for dinner and hockey night a week ago. We were treated with homemade pizza! We love pizza! It's probably our favourite "treat" meal. They even had a stone slate! I have to get one!!!
But get this... I have never made homemade pizza! I've made pizza from bread bases (ie Ciabatta Pizza), but never made the dough from scratch. I know, shocker right?

We usually buy the Dr Oetker Restaurante Pizza. It's the dish we usually have at the end of the week when I'm tired and just don't feel like cooking. But, uuuummm, hello!! why don't we have it on nights when I do feel like cooking and have homemade pizza?? Duh! I don't know where my foodie head has been floating off to in the past.
So this weekend I went for it. Wow! It was so quick and easy. It was actually quicker and easier than making the effort of getting my coat and shoes on, walking to the shop, waiting in line and buying a frozen pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH
1 (8g) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (cooler than bath water but warmer than room temperature)
  • 2 cups all purpous flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar (optional, I read sugar makes the crust a bit puffier)

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl mix water with yeast. let stand for about 10 min, then add olive oil
2. In a large bowl combine flour, salt and sugar
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, then pour in wet mixture. Stir together well until a dough forms. Cover with a cloth to let rise for about 30min, or until dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile heat the oven to 375 F (190 C, gas mark 5)
4. Roll dough out (or toss it in the air and pretend you're an Italian cooking in your own pizzeria, like I did) onto a floured surface until it's round and about 1-2 cm thick. Place on a pizza baking sheet (or stone slate if you're lucky enough to have one already)
5. Top with tomato sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice and bake in the oven for 20-25 min, until reached desired golden colour crust and top

I didn't have any tomatoes or sauce on hand but I had some sundried tomato alfredo sauce leftover. Why not eh? I made a sundried tomato alfredo pizza with mushrooms, spinach and mozzarella. Yum yum yum yum!!

2 comments:

Whineaux (Dawn) said...

I love it Pizza and Hockey Night, if you were in Orlando we'd have to do it together. My husband is a HUGE (read crazy) hockey fan (Go Sharks!) Next summer try making pizza on the grill, you will LOVE it!

I love that you used tomato Alfredo sauce as a base. Brilliant!

I have a secret confession -- I've been hooked on (gasp) frozen pizza breads lately, you are inspiring me to get my tush off the couch and make some pizza sauce! Many Thanks!

Sarah @ Taste My Plate said...

Thanks Dawn! I'm so glad I can inspire you. That's alot of what this blogging is all about isn't it? :-)