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Pizza Dough Ingredients
We will start by making the dough. You will need the following ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon rosemary
Mix and Knead Dough Ingredients:
Start by dissolving the yeast in the water. While we are waiting for the yeast to dissolve, add the salt and rosemary to the flour. Give it a quick stir. Once the yeast is dissolved, add the olive oil. After you add the liquid ingredients to the flour, you can stir for a little bit, but pretty soon you will need to use your hands. And now, I have to abandon ship. Time to use my hands.
Once you have worked all the flour in, continue to knead the dough for another few minutes. Allow Dough to Rise, once the dough is kneaded, we need to allow it to rise. Take some olive oil on a paper towel and apply that to the inside of the bowl, so the dough does not stick while rising. Now, put the dough back in the bowl, cover it, and let it sit for an hour or so. You will know it us ready when it doubles from its original size.
 The best way to cook pizza at home is on a pizza stone, which can be purchased at any kitchen or home goods store. What you want to do is heat the pizza stone for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees. It retains heat from the oven, and actually cooks the dough from the outside, giving you a nice, crisp crust.
While it is heating, we will prepare the dough. You want to make a fist and punch down the dough so that the air that has built up in it is released. This would be the time that some cooks would show you how to throw the pizza dough up in the air. We ware not going to do that today. You can get the same result by rolling it out. Make sure that the surface you are rolling on and the rolling pin are well coated with flour so that the dough does not stick. Always start from the center when rolling, not the edges. And do not worry if it is not perfectly circular. An amoebic-shaped pizza is part of the charm.
Now that the dough is ready and the pizza stone is heated, we are going to put the dough on the pizza stone and add our sauce and toppings. By putting a thin layer of cornmeal on the pizza stone we can prevent the dough from sticking. If any of the dough spills over the pizza stone, it is okay. Just fold it back over and you will make a nice crust. Put the pizza in the oven and let it cook at 425 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. You will know it is done when the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown. Once the pizza is cooled, all that is left is to slice, serve and enjoy.
An evening snack with a great combination of cheese and tomato ketchup will give your taste buds the best it deserves. |
