Pizza!

Growing up we made pizza all the time. Now that means the dough and sauce were made from scratch. My Mom would have had us make the cheese too, except we didn't have cows. So, that was bought. We used several different recipes over the years. But, I think the one I am about to share is the best one I've used. I bought this magazine a couple years ago at an airport (can't remember where) flying back to Alaska from North Carolina. That was in the stress free flying days when I could take a book or magazine and read it while flying though the air. These days, not so much. The whole time is spent telling the kids not to kick the seat in front of them, and PLEASE for the hundred time quick touching everything, it's nasty. I was informed though that if it doesn't look nasty it's okay. It has to look nasty to be nasty. So, to my boys germs aren't nasty. Glad we settled that discussion.
Back to the pizza recipe, it comes from Simply Perfect Italian magazine. The article was so cute. This was a 100 year old family recipe that even now was requested at all family gatherings. This recipe calls for an egg which adds richness and several risings that result in a lighter, tastier crust. This really is the best crust recipe. It looks like a lot of steps, but it is really rather simple and so worth the little bit of effort involved.

Pizza Dough:

In a small bowl,  stir 1 package of yeast and 1 cup or warm water. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add 1 1/4 cup of flour. Beat with  an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can (total flour is 3 1/2 to 4 cups).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel (make sure it doesn't touch the dough). Let it rise for 30 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into the shape of the pan you are using. Place onto the grease pan. Cover with damp towel and let rise for 20 minutes.

Spread oregano over the dough, then sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Break off small chunks of sausage and arrange on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Drizzle olive oil over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crust  bottom is crisp and brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

Let me know if you make this and how you like it.

Rhiannon loves it, but prefers it on the table not on the plate.

Christine