The Morning Skinny

I have always wanted to make my own pizza dough and I’m so glad I finally did. There is nothing like fresh dough. It’s so bubbly and crispy. The key to a perfect pizza crust is using a hot stone. Don’t throw away your pizza pan, you will still need it for serving and slicing. Precise baking is measured in grams. Do yourself a favor and pick up a digital scale. It will be a staple in baking.

You will need a pizza stone if you want to achieve the best crust. It needs to be preheated for at least an hour be to hot. If it’s not hot enough your crust won’t be bubbly and crispy enough. So don’t skip this step! Get some parchment paper and a pizza peel, or paddle for placement and removal.

The best homemade pizza dough is made with a sourdough starter. The starter can be homemade or purchased. Making your own sourdough starter takes time. You need to stir and feed every few days. If you neglect your starter you may end up with hooch! That story is for another day. It’s worth it, though, so here are some directions to make your own sourdough starter.

Ingredients:

675 grams bread flour

7 grams instant yeast

17 grams sea salt

180 grams filtered water

180 grams beer (Budwiser)

30 grams olive oil

Directions:

In a mixer combine your bread flour, yeast, and sea salt. Mix with a spoon. Next, use a medium saucepan to heat your water and beer to around 119-121 degrees Fahrenheit. Once heated and you have made sure it’s not too hot you can add to the dry ingredients. Make sure it is a light-colored beer like Budwiser, with a low alcohol content (5%). It will make the dough texture light and add a slightly unique flavor.

Now, you can add your olive oil and sourdough starter, as well. Attach the dough hook and mix at low speed (2) for around 5 minutes. Stop and scrape the sides to ensure all the flour is getting mixed. Repeat until it is all incorporated.

Next, You can shape your pizza dough into a ball, leave it right in the mixer bowl, and cover to sit for 15-20 minutes. After that time has passed you will want to knead or mix your pizza dough for another 10 minutes. All this kneading and mixing is important to change the structure of the gluten, helping the dough strengthen. Finally, you can unplug your mixer, cover it with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 1.5-2 hours.

Prepping Your Pie:

Once the dough has doubled in size you should be able to pull a soft, translucent windowpane. Chop the recipe in half for 2 large pizzas or thirds for 3 medium pizzas. Next, shape back into a ball, cover in olive oil, and let sit another half hour to an hour. At last, it’s time to preheat the oven to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your stone medium to low and allow an hour for it to get hot. The hotter your stone the better your pizza will be!

Finally, slather a piece of parchment paper with oil, shape your dough and apply toppings until your heart is content! I find that using a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough when shaping makes the process much easier.

Once you’ve added all your toppings, slide the peel under the paper and place your pizza onto the stone. This will only need to cook for 5-7 minutes and Vwa-Lah! I like to serve my pizza on this wooden peel. It’s aesthetically pleasing. But you can just use a pizza pan instead. I’m also in love with this pizza cutter wheel. The pizza dough can be frozen or bar baked and frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Quick And Easy Pizza Sauce:

Make a quick marinara by simmering tomato sauce until thick with some fresh garlic and spices! You can use a can of tomato sauce, or I like to roast diced tomatoes and puree until smooth.

In a medium saucepan sautee one fresh chopped garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add your tomato puree, or sauce and a bay leaf. Then, add fresh chopped thyme, basil, or oregano, and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

If you love this don’t forget to try our Pablano Mac & Cheese. Also, check out Nakedwines.com for some amazing deals from independent winemakers!