Favourite Pizza

Hope you haven’t put away that yeast yet. Thought I’d take a small break from the “sweeter side” of life and make something that isn’t classified as a dessert.

Can’t seem to get away from that rolling pin though, maybe next time.

I don’t even remember how long I’ve been using this recipe but do remember clipping it out of a little Robin Hood Flour pamphlet I picked up in a grocery store. A few of my best recipes have come to me this way as opposed to expensive cook books or magazines.

This dough has literally made hundreds of pizzas and mini focaccia over the past years.

While recycle bins filled with empty pizza boxes line the streets, we are doing our part in saving the environment and a lot of dough………… I mean money.
And best of all, not one complaint has ever been heard about never ordering takeout pizza.

Once a batch of dough is prepared and tucked away in the fridge, you can bake a pizza in about 20 minutes whenever the craving strikes, for up to five days.

I’m not sure but I don’t think delivery pizza comes to your door that fast and the aroma that fills your kitchen while it bakes is definitely not on the take out menu!

 

 

Pizza

4 ½ to 5 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm water
¼ cup vegetable oil
Mozzarella
Tomato sauce
Favourite toppings

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. In a medium bowl mix together 2 cups of the flour, salt and oil. Add yeast mixture and beat with wooden spoon until smooth.
2. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest 20 minutes. Roll dough out, add toppings and bake in a preheated 500 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden.
4. Makes four 12 inch thin pizzas, three 12 inch thicker pizzas, or two 10x15 inch rectangular pizzas.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• After kneading, the dough can be placed in clean plastic food bags and refrigerated up to 5 days.
• Before refrigerating, cut dough into desired portion sizes and wrap individually instead of one large portion of dough. When ready to bake, remove only the amount of dough you need from fridge.
• Dough can be used to make six 8 inch focaccia. Use dark metal pie pans. Prepare pans by putting 2 tablespoons vegetable oil on bottom. Place ball of dough in center of pan, brush with oil then with fingers push down on dough forming indentations on the surface of the dough until it spreads to size of pan. Top with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce. Sprinkle some dried oregano and coarse salt over top and bake at 500 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
• I make the focaccia at least once a week to pack for lunches so I’ve designated a few of those dark pans to bake focaccia only. Over time, they have become seasoned like a cast iron fry pan. After each use I wipe them out with paper towel. No soap and water should be used to clean these pans. The more you use them the tastier your focaccia will turn out.