Saturday Was Pizza Day

I made pizza on Saturday for lunch. It's not unusual; I make pizza pretty often. On Saturday we had an eggplant, some fresh tomato, and some mozzarella. I whipped up a pizza crust and, while it was rising, I sliced and baked the eggplant.

Pizza #1. I didn't photograph the second one.

Then I got some fresh oregano and thyme from the garden, sliced the tomatoes and the cheese, and heated up the oven. I made two of these, one for each of us. Ken remembered some onion that was in the fridge and we sautéed that for the second pizza. Boy, was it tasty!

Here's my recipe for pizza crust:

Proof about 10 grams of active dry yeast in 3/4 cup of warm water, to which you have added a teaspoon of honey. After about ten or fifteen minutes, mix the yeast into 2 cups flour with a pinch of salt. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil. Mix until the dough comes together. It should be smooth and silky and a bit sticky. Knead the dough for about five minutes.

This can all be done in a Kitchen Aid type mixer, or by hand on a cool surface.

Put the dough in a bowl that has been rubbed with a bit of olive oil. Cover with a clean wet towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour. You can make the dough the night before and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. Let it warm up for an hour or two outside the fridge before you use it.

After the first rise, punch down the dough and form your pizza crusts. Cover them with a clean towel and let them rise for another fifteen to thirty minutes on a floured surface (so they won't stick).

I use a pizza stone in a very hot (250º-300ºC) oven. That's between 480º and 570ºF. Garnish and bake your pizzas until they're done!