Pizza dough

[hOTSAUCE]

What are some of your favorite pizza doughs? Anyone ever tried sourdough? Ready made frozen pizza dough?.....

[LeadDog]

I was going to try sourdough pizza tonight unless I get side tracked.

[hOTSAUCE]

You must be glued to your computer that was a quick response! Let us know how the sourdough pizza turns out.

[Sanny]

I've tried Weggies prepared dough, and it was ok, but I didn't really like it. (Weggies = Wegman's, a grocery chain.) I make the recipe here. Easy, quick, stores well, and tastes wonderful off the ceramic cooker.

http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipedetai ... =RE_WP0096

My favorite combination - or one of them - is caramelized onions and slivers of cooked beef, with grated cheese and some canned whole tomatoes (drained). I just stir fry the beef in a little fry pan and drain it some before putting it on as a topping. Sometimes seasoned chicken, done the same way.

I use Gramma's trick of sprinkling some bread crumbs over the crust before topping it, to absorb the tomato juices and other wet things. Keeps the dough from getting goopy.

[LeadDog]

Here is the recipe that I used for Pizza today.

Yes Pizza...!!! San Francisco Sourdough Pizza Recipe Wow...!!!

Everybody loves hot delicious pizza with the stringy cheese...! It's absolutely delicious when served piping hot from the oven, and washed down with your favorite beverage. And, you can doctor it up or doctor it down to suit your taste buds at the time to make it. So, the number #1 question is, what do we do need to make really delicious San Francisco sourdough pizza...? Question #2 is it really that simple to make at home...? Answer to Question #1 is a big Yes...!!! The easy to make pizza recipe follows next. This recipe makes two (2) large 14 inch diameter pizza crusts. And the answer for Question #2, a tasty and delicious Yes...!!!

1-1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)

4 cups to 4-1/2 cups bread flour, unsifted

1/2 cup Mister Baker's San Francisco sourdough starter batter at room temperature

1 pkg. active dry yeast from your pantry or local grocery store (Check expiration date)

(OR use 2-1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast)

2 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano

2 teaspoons plain or iodized salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 - 14 inch diameter pizza pans

In a large mixing bowl, combine water, San Francisco sourdough starter batter, dry yeast and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well and cover with clear plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place (85 degrees F) 1/2 to 1 hour.

Stir in salt, sugar, garlic powder, dried basil or oregano, olive oil, and enough of the remaining flour (about 2 cups) to form a smooth and elastic dough. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (2 to 2-1/2 hours).

Punch down and place the pizza dough onto a lightly floured bread board or kitchen counter. Divide the pizza dough in half, cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. Form the first half of the dough into a 14 inch diameter pizza pan. Repeat the process with rest of the dough batch. This recipe will make 2 - 14 inch diameter pizza crusts. For a thicker crust, let the pizza dough rise about 30 minutes, covered, before adding toppings and baking it in the oven.

SOURDOUGH PIZZA TOPPINGS: Try varying the toppings to suit your own personal taste. First, for each pizza, spread 3/4 to 1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce over the crust. Second, spread each crust with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, and top each crust with 1/2 cup each of; sliced peppers, mushrooms, onion and don't forget the thinly sliced pepperoni. Sprinkle with a 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you choose, try adding some finely minced fresh garlic, sliced black olives, Italian sausage or meatballs. For the pizza hearty, my favorite, add 6 to 9 anchovies...!

Place your sourdough pizza crusts on the oven baking rack. Close the oven door and bake in a preheated (425 degree F) oven for 20 minutes or until the pizza crust is crisp and browned to your personal taste.

The kitchen is now filled with the wonderful aromas of fresh baked pizza. Nothing can compare to the delicious taste of hot, fresh baked pizza, right from your own oven.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place on a cooling rack or counter top, until cooled down to room temperature. Now for the hardest part of all in this pizza recipe. Allow your "work of art" pizza to cool down, before slicing into it.

Now the good times...! Slice up your San Francisco sourdough pizza, pour out a glass of your favorite beverage, and sit back, relax and enjoy the fruit of your baking labors. It will be some great times...! Enjoy the moment...!

I got it from the following website. http://www.yankeegrocery.com/sourdough_ ... ecipe.html

I heated the KK up to 500°F with the Pizza Stone in the KK. When I put the Pizza in it dropped to 400°F. I left it in there the whole 20 mins like the recipe said and I think it was about 5 mins to long. I'm going to cook the 2nd half of the dough tomorrow night. The crust was nice and firm none of this crust that acts like a wet noodle that you get from the Pizzerias in town.

[LeadDog]

2nd try was just great!

I had to learn how to make bread before I would even try to make pizza. Tonight I took it out 5 mins sooner and it was great! This is one of the reasons I got a KK. Now I can make really good pizza.

[Syzygies]

On a lark we used boiling water to make a sponge for pizza dough last night, waiting till the temperature dropped to add the yeast. Using (home ground) whole wheat flour, the sponge instantly turned to cream of wheat breakfast cereal, giving me pause. (As in, where are the take-out menus?) But the final dough kneaded much more smoothly, and the crust was the closest we've come to Italian cracker thin crust greatness.

Just a thought. I've never heard of this for bread dough (I like to experiment), but the first time I saw anyone make pasta dough, it was for pot stickers, and boiling water is apparently part of the standard technique.

[Amphoran]

I've been using Jeff Varasano's recipe (only modification: reduce salt by half) and an Italian sourdough culture for a year now, with great results.

I use a very high-protein bread flour for the wet kneading, and all purpose flour for the second addition.

Here's a link: www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

I've used both the Ischia and the Camaldi cultures, slightly different flavor; both work well.

cheers,

Mike