16 February 2010

Make "Real" Pizza at Home, Part Three

Make "Real" Pizza at Home, Part Three - Making and Baking / www.delightfulrepast.com





If my friends who have raved about my pizza knew how easy it is to make, it would spoil my fun. And it takes little in the way of special equipment. My stand mixer and food processor stand idle on the counter as I stir up the dough with a big spoon and bowl, not even having to muster up the energy to knead. My Lodge Pro Logic Pizza Pan, so much easier to handle than a stone, and a rimless cookie sheet standing in for a pizza peel are all that's needed. (If you haven't done so, read Part One and Part Two.)

With the dough, sauce and toppings ready to go, just follow these final steps:

1 A half hour prior to baking time, place 14-inch round cast-iron pizza pan (or a pizza stone) in oven and preheat oven to 475 for 30 minutes.


2 Make the pizzas one at a time, starting with the dough on the rimless baking sheet. With floured hands, press the dough into 13-inch round. (Actually, since the parchment is only 12 inches wide, it will be a little out-of-round, but not noticeably so.) If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. Let stand 10 minutes before saucing and topping.


3 Leaving the edge clear, lightly top it with room-temperature sauce and then with toppings.


4 Slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot cast-iron pan (or pizza stone) in the oven and close the door. Bake for about 15 minutes. After first pizza has been baking for 5 minutes, move second crust to rimless baking sheet and press it out; let stand 10 minutes before saucing and topping.


5 Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Wait about 3 minutes before transferring to a cutting board for slicing and serving. Meanwhile, sauce and top second pizza and put it in oven. Makes two 13-inch medium-thick-crust pizzas.


And here's my precision plan for getting the two pizzas made and served in a timely fashion:

3:00 Remove dough from refrigerator, partially press out and let rest
5:30 Heat oven and pan to 475
5:45 Press out the first pizza crust, let stand 10 minutes
5:55 Sauce and top first pizza
6:00 Put first pizza in oven to bake 15 minutes
6:05 Press out the second pizza crust, let stand 10 minutes
6:15 Remove first pizza from oven to wire cooling rack for 5 minutes
6:15 Sauce and top second pizza
6:20 Put second pizza in oven to bake 15 minutes
6:20 Slice and serve first pizza
6:35 Remove second pizza from oven to wire cooling rack for 5 minutes
6:40 Slice and serve second pizza

Enjoy the delightful repast!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love homemade pizza! I especially like to make it on my Gas barbie during the hot weather, which is plentiful here in the Mohave Desert, where we reside. My main problem has been my dough, which I tend to free lance with a bit too much. So, I am ready to give your recipe a roll out. It sounds like a winner! I will let you know how comes out of the oven.
GTN

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, GTN. I shall look forward to hearing how you did with my dough.

JiffyJ said...

Everybody I talk to thinks I'm wacko for making cooking schedules. Thanksgiving was 3 pages long... Thank you for the validation :)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Happy to help, JiffyJ! Must have a cooking schedule!

My Miracle Baby said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Looks like pizza is popular in Australia, too! What's not to love about pizza!