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Bob and Paul’s Homemade Pizza

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Ingredients
  

Pizza Dough:

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast; see step 1(e) below if using instant yeast
  • 3 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. sugar

Pizza Ingredients (your choice):

  • Olive oil
  • Pizza sauce
  • Firm mozzarella cheese, grated
  • Fresh soft mozzarella cheese, separated into small clumps
  • Fontina cheese, grated
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Feta cheese, crumbled
  • Mushrooms, very thinly sliced and sautéed
  • Mushrooms, very thinly sliced and sautéed
  • Bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, very thinly sliced
  • Italian pepperoncini, thinly sliced
  • Italian sausage, cooked ahead and crumbled
  • Chopped fresh basil
  • Baby arugula, tossed in a little olive oil, added as pizza comes out of the oven
  • Pesto
  • Pepperoni, thinly sliced
  • Onions, thinly sliced and caramelized
  • Ham, thinly sliced

Instructions
 

To prepare the pizza dough:

  • Place the warm water in the large bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer.
  • Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved.
  • After 5 minutes, stir if the yeast hasn't dissolved completely.
  • The yeast should begin to foam or bloom, indicating that the yeast is still active and alive.
  • If you are using "instant yeast" instead of "active yeast", no proofing is required; just add to the flour in the next step.
  • Using the mixing paddle attachment, mix in the flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil on low speed for a minute.
  • Replace the mixing paddle with the dough hook attachment.
  • h) Knead the pizza dough, on low to medium speed using the dough hook, about 7 - 10 minutes.
  • If you don't have a mixer, you can mix the ingredients together and knead them by hand.
  • The dough should be a little sticky, or tacky to the touch.
  • If it's too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour.
  • Spread a thin layer of olive oil over the inside of a large bowl.
  • Place the pizza dough in the bowl and turn it around so that it gets coated with the oil.
  • At this point you can choose how long you want the dough to ferment and rise.
  • A slow fermentation, 24 hours in the fridge, will result in more complex flavors in the dough.
  • A quick fermentation, 1 1/2 hours in a warm place, will allow the dough to rise sufficiently to work with.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap.
  • For a quick rise, place the dough in a warm place, 75°F to 85°F, for 1 1/2 hours.
  • For a medium rise, place the dough in a regular room temperature for 8 hours.
  • For a longer rise, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 24 – 48 hours.
  • The longer the rise, to a point, the better the flavor the crust will have.

To prepare the pizzas:

  • Place a pizza stone on a rack, in the lower third, of your oven.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 475°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
  • If you don't have a pizza stone, you can use a pizza pan or a thick baking sheet; you need something that will not warp at high temperatures.
  • Remove the plastic cover from the dough.
  • Dust your hands with flour and push the dough down so it deflates a bit.
  • Divide the dough in half.
  • Form two round balls of dough.
  • Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 15 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
  • Prepare your desired toppings.
  • Note that you are not going to want to load up each pizza with a lot of toppings as the crust will end up not crisp that way.
  • About a third a cup each of tomato sauce and cheese would be sufficient for one pizza.
  • One to two mushrooms thinly sliced will cover a pizza.
  • Working one ball of dough at a time, take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface.
  • Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick.
  • Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further.
  • Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches.
  • Treat the dough gently.
  • You can also hold up the edges of the dough with your fingers, letting the dough hang and stretch, while working around the edges of the dough.
  • If a hole appears in your dough, place the dough on a floured surface and push the dough back together to seal the hole.
  • Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker.
  • Pinch the edges if you want to form a lip.
  • Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling.
  • Brush the top of the dough with olive oil to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings.
  • Let rest another 10-15 minutes.
  • Repeat with the second ball of dough.
  • Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel.
  • If the dough has lost its shape in the transfer, lightly shape it to the desired dimensions.
  • Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.
  • Slide the pizza off of the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven.

To bake the pizza:

  • Bake, one at a time, until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10 - 15 minutes.
  • If you like, just prior to removing the pizza from the oven, sprinkle on more cheese.
  • Leave in oven just enough time for the cheese to melt; remove.