Hand Tossed Pizza with Tomato and Basil
I did it- completed my third Daring Bakers Challenge! This month’s challenge seemed so easy because I have made pizza in the past. A few days after I printed out the recipe a few lines really caught my eye…the pizza had to be hand tossed. I thought for sure this was going to be a disaster- pizza on the ceiling, flour all over the kitchen… yikes!
So a week ahead of making the actual pizza dough, I did some research on what makes a good pizza sauce. I read a few recipes and decided I liked Giada De Laurentiis’ idea the best- just use some homemade Marinara sauce. For the past few years this is what I usually have made instead of buying pasta sauce from the grocer. The sauce is very simple to make and it is fresh and delicious. This sauce can be used in a number of recipes and it can be stored in portioned amounts in the freezer so you can have quick access for a weeknight dinner. It has become a big item in our kitchen so I generally make a double or triple batch (4-6 quarts).
For a double batch I start by chopping four small onions, I love garlic so I use about a head finely chopped, four stalks of celery, and four carrots. When everything is chopped I pour a cup of olive oil in a huge pot and let it heat up. I then add the garlic and onions to it and let them cook on medium heat for about ten or so. Then I add the carrots and celery and let them party for another ten and add a teaspoon of sea salt and pepper. After they are tender, I add 64oz. of crushed tomatoes and four bay leaves. With everything in the pot, I reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about an hour uncovered. Finally, remove the bay leaves and make seasoning adjustments if needed. Check- sauce completed.
The weekend after, I decided to make the pizza dough and go for it. I started by thoroughly reading the recipe. I noticed that it called for instant yeast. I only saw “active dry” yeast at the store. After racking my brain of this for about an hour, I made Jason hike up to the new Jewel on a mission to find instant yeast. No such luck. So I grabbed “rapid rise” yeast just to be safe. I did some exploring on the internet and discovered that this is the same thing-Score!
This recipe was from “The Bread Bakers Apprentice: Mastering The Art of extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. The recipe makes enough dough for six 9-12 inch pizzas.
To start I mixed 4 1/2c. of chilled ap flour, 1 3/4 t. salt, 1t. instant yeast (or rapid rise). Then I added 1/4 c of vegetable oil, 1T. of sugar, and 1 3/4 c of water that is 40 degrees and mix everything well until it turns into a sticky ball. Next, I floured the counter and divided the dough into six dough balls and lightly coated with oil and flour. I then transferred the dough to a jelly pan and covered them with plastic wrap. I let them nap overnight in the fridge and I would be back to wake them up the next day.
After a good night’s rest, I removed one dough ball two hours before I wanted to eat so I could make the pizza. I dusted the counter with oil and formed the dough into a disc. I then lightly sprinkled it with oil and flour and let it rest for two hours.
While the dough was chillin, I preheated the oven to 500. I thought our apartment was going to melt/blow up/catch on fire- the oven is a certified POS and is very moody.
The dough was well rested and so here came the fun- Alicia hand tossing pizza. I started by making it into the shape I wanted and tossed it up. I noticed with the more I drank the higher I threw it. If you decide to try this, I encourage booze of some sorts.
Tossing Pizza Dough
After I got the dough all set, I put it onto a pan dusted with cornmeal and it was time to assemble the first pizza. Had to be straight up pepperoni with smoked mozzarella. I baked the pizza for about 8 minutes and it was perfect.
I called my brother and told him that he and the sister-in law were coming over for a pizza party for dinner. After prepping a few ingredients and enjoying a beer here and there, everything was set for my pizza pre-fixe meal.
First course: Fresh mozzarella, sliced plum tomatoes, marinara, sprinkled with fresh basil.
Second Course: Hot breakfast sausage with roasted red and yellow peppers, mozzarella and marinara.
Third Course: Portabellas, roasted cloves of garlic, smoked mozzarella, marinara.
Fourth Course: Pepperoni with smoked mozzarella.
This challenge kicked ass and I cant wait to see what November brings. Cheers!
