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Pizza with Spinach, Cheddar, and Spicy Beef |
A
lot of people are scared to try pizza from scratch because of the yeast and labour
involved. I’m here to tell you it’s not that hard, and kneading the dough is a
GREAT arm workout without having to schlep to the gym! It also allows for complete control, meaning that you can make healthier choices where toppings are concerned.
Once
the dough is made, you can keep it in the fridge of a couple of days, breaking
off a ball as needed, or stash it wrapped in the freezer for a couple of months
to thaw out when you’re ready. Not only is pizza a crowd pleaser, but it’s also
an economical way of using leftovers.
Lemme
show you.
Difficulty
Level: Medium - Easy
Prep
time: 30 Minutes + 1 hour rise time for dough
Bake
time: 10 to 15 minutes
Ingredients
PIZZA
DOUGH
1
Packet Dry Active Yeast
1
Teaspoon of Honey
1
Cup Warm Water
1
Tablespoon of Olive Oil + More for Greasing
1
Generous Pinch of Salt
Approximately 2 ½ Cups of All Purpose Flour + More for dusting – If you want to be extra healthy, swap out
half a cup of all purpose for ½ a Cup Whole Wheat flour
SAUCE
¼
Cup Olive Oil
Herb
of choice – Oregano is a
safe bet because it’s one of the few herbs that’s better when dried, but you
could use basil or parsley too
1
Large Clove of Garlic, grated
1
½ Cups Canned Crushed tomatoes
1
Pinch of Sugar
Salt
and Pepper to taste
1
Pinch of chili flakes - Optional
TOPPING
SUGGESTIONS
They’re just suggestions because I
sincerely believe you can put almost ANYTHING on a pizza
Cheese
– Mozzarella, cheddar, goat, or parmesan – Thinly slice or grated - use what you like, though mozzarella tends to give the best gooey stretch
when melted
Leftover
Cooked Ground Meat – I’ve
even used leftover taco meat on pizza and it works great!
Pepperoni
or other cured meat
Cooked,
Crumbled Italian Sausage
Drained,
diced Pineapple – It’s a
Canadian thing
Minced
Cooked Ham
Chopped
Veggies of choice
Grilled
veggies of choice – Grilled
Eggplant and Peppers are particularly great on pizza
Equipment
1
Knife and Cutting Board
2-3
Small Bowls
1
Large Mixing Bowl
Measuring
Cups and Spoons
Plastic
wrap or a tea towel
A
clean surface, such as a countertop or large cutting board
Rolling
pin – Optional
1
Regular Spoon
To get the dough started, put the warm water
in a small bowl and stir in the honey. Add the yeast and wait about 5 – 10 minutes.
While waiting, combine the flour and salt
in a big bowl.
When the yeast is bubbling and rising up
the bowl, pour and scrape into the bowl with the flour. Add in the Olive Oil.
Mix it with your hands until it starts to
form a dough. If the dough feels too dry to you, add a little more water, a teaspoon
at a time. If it feels too wet, add a little more flour.
Once it starts coming together in the bowl,
dust a clean surface with a generous amount of flour and dump out the dough.
Knead the dough for about 10 – 15 minutes.
You knead the dough by squishing it in your
hands and pushing it firmly against the floured surface, repeating the process and adding a bit more
flour here and there if the dough starts sticking to you or your surface.The dough is ready when you can rub your
palm over its surface and it feels smooth to the touch and non-sticky.
Grease the large bowl with a generous
amount of Olive Oil and put the dough back in it.
Cover with plastic wrap or a large tea
towel and put in a warm place for at least an hour to rise. If you have errands
to run, now’s a good time.
One the dough has risen, feel free to
divide it into 4 balls and store what you need.
To make the sauce, combine all the
ingredients in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes at room temperature so they
can marry.
While it's doing that, take out your
toppings of choice and preheat your oven to 425 0F.
Take your ball of pizza dough and gently
stretch it to size between your hands OR put some more flour on a clean surface
and roll it into a thin circle with a rolling pin.
Transfer the dough to your baking sheet.
Don’t worry about it sticking. Once the pizza is cooked, it should slide off
easily.
Spread the sauce onto the dough using the
back of a regular spoon in circular motions, leaving half an inch uncovered to
act as crust.
Top with a small amount of cheese and then
add your toppings. This base layer of cheese keeps the toppings from making the
crust too soggy. Top with more cheese as desired.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the
crust is lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
Let it cool for 5 minutes so it’s not
napalm-hot and enjoy!
Questions?
Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be
reached at: for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
Trolls will be
unceremoniously deleted and dismissed.