So…..if making your own pizza dough stops you from this creation ….buy it then! There are some wonderful doughs you can get from your local pizzeria or Whole Foods, Trader Joes, just check out your local markets. See what is around. However this dough is so easy. I make mine the morning before I am going to make pizza because I love the depth of flavor you get when you cold ferment the dough in the fridge. Another time saver if you need one … purchase a good tomato sauce instead of making your own. Rao’s is a good substitute. That being said the tomato sauce I used for this pizza is not cooked and has such a bright fresh taste and you can add the herbs you love to the sauce. I use a mixture of parsley, thyme, basil and oregano. The secret to the crispy edges is the cheese that you liberally pile on the edges. It drips down the sides of the skillet and creates the crispiest edges.
ingredients ~
dough
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 t yeast
- 1 c warm water (100 degrees apx)
- 1 t Herb & Garlic Sous Salt
- 1 T olive oil
directions
Add the yeast to the warm water, whisk it around to get it moving and let it sit until you can see the bubbly action of the yeast. It usually takes 5 minutes or so. Take one cup of the bread flour and whisk in the bubbly yeast then let that sit for 30 minutes to an hour, covered and in a warm place. I put mine in my Breville oven with the proof setting on. What you are doing is hydrating the flour slowly. After that proofing take the cover off and whisk in the remaining cup of flour, the salt and the olive oil. Fold everything together and lift the sides over the middle of the dough four times turning the bowl as you are lifting. The dough should be tacky, don’t worry, don’t add more flour. If it’s tacky drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top. Cover the dough and let it proof for an hour. After that hour just move it to the fridge until you are ready to cook. Take the dough out of the fridge 3 hours before you are ready to make your pizza and place it in a 12 inch cast iron skillet that you have coated with olive oil. Push the dough into the skillet it won’t stretch to fit yet because it’s cold. Just cover it and as it comes to room temp it will begin to puff and you can move it into place. As you do push the dough from the middle so you have a rim of heavenly bubbles.
sauce
- 1 14 ounce can of tomatoes (whichever kind you prefer I use Italian cherry tomatoes)
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- 1/4 t agave or maple syrup
- 1 tsp Spicy Chipotle Sous Salt
- 1 spring each of Thyme, Oregano, Basil and Parsley (strip the herbs off the sprigs)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 T olive oil
directions
If your tomatoes have an excess amount of water, drain them. The brand I used has tomato concentrate in them so I don’t drain them. In your food processor add all the ingredients and process them into your sauce. Thats it!
pizza
- 4 ounces of grated Italian Fontina or Fontal (not the Danish)
- 2 ounce of grated Pecorino Toscan
- Parmesan grated or pulvarized in the cuisinart
- 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
- Pepperoni
Preheat your oven to as hot as you can. Mine tops out at 550. I’ve taken it to 600 once but broke the window in the over door! I also use a pizza steel because it’s an excellent heat conductor. Put your rack in the lower third of your over.
Sprinkle some of the cheese over the edge of the pizza and push it gently down into the rim. Take 1/2 cup of your sauce and spread it evening from the center to the cheese edge you created. Sprinkle more cheese on top and place your pepperoni and mushrooms where you want them on the pizza. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Put your pizza in the oven and cook it until its golden, bubbling and smells heavenly! Let it sit for a few minutes to set up.
Enjoy!