Pizza Pizza!
I’ve got some really amazing recipes coming your way with Thanksgiving leftovers, but today I’m going to show you how to make your own homemade pizza. Why the day before Thanksgiving you ask? To that I say, why not? I’m a rebel like that. It’s surprisingly easy, you just need to plan a day ahead to let the dough rise in the fridge. This may sound foreign to you, it did to me to, but this is the method Alton uses and who I am to argue with him? It’s go time!
Let’s start by combining our sugar, salt, olive oil, water, flour, and yeast in your stand mixer’s mixing bowl.
Start off with the paddle attachment on medium until it comes together in a ball. Then switch it out for your hook and let it go for another 15 minutes. You could do this by hand if you wanted. It will take twice as long though, and that’s just too much of a workout in the kitchen for my taste.
Once the 15 minutes has passed, roll the dough into a smooth ball. 
Place in a bowl with olive oil and make sure the dough and bowl are coated.
Cover with plastic wrap and park in the fridge for 24 hours. I know…Scrabble anyone?
Let’s fast forward through the magic of the internet! Here we are 24 hours later. Cut the dough in half and roll into 2 balls.
Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.
While all that rising is going on, preheat your oven and shred that cheese. Hello lover!
After 30 minutes has passed, lightly flour your working surface and start stretching your dough into a flat disk. I even threw mine in the air. No pizza dough was harmed, but I did fall off of a chair. Why was I on a chair? Because I was taking pictures on that instead of the step stool that was 5 feet from me. My husband told me to stop standing on the chair about 2 minutes before I fell. I cannot express this enough, please don’t do what I do! Let’s move on.
I don’t have a pizza stone. We did and we didn’t like the pizza…I’m sorry. So I baked my pizzas on two baking sheets at 425 for about 15 minutes.
But before you bake it, add on the cheeses 😉
Once it’s out of the oven, let it rest for 3 minutes. This will be the longest 3 minutes of your life.
Cut and serve!
These pizza’s weren’t bad. I think we’re VERY picky when it comes to pizza. The dough was a little too sweet for my liking. I also used a jarred sauce with sugar (Which I hate! I accidentally bought it) and that probably added to the sweetness. I would cut the sugar in half next time and make sure my sauce had no sugar.
The verdict, Not Bad Eats.
Pizza Pizzas
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt*
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour (for bread machines)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel
Toppings:
1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, for example
A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone
Directions
Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer’s work bowl. Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.
Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker’s windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.
Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)
Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese.
Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
*This recipe’s been on the web for some time now and although most of the reactions have been darned positive, some of you have commented that the dough was way too salty. At first we chalked this up to personal preference; some folks are just not as sensitive as others to this basic flavor. And of course salty toppings would definitely change the dynamic. Still, we didn’t want to leave it at that. We went back to the lab and found that the flake size of kosher salt differs quite a bit from brand to brand. This could easily result in a too salty crust. So unless you’ve had success with the recipe in the past, we suggest you cut the salt by one teaspoon, from a tablespoon to two teaspoons. So that the yeast doesn’t go crazy, you should also cut back on the sugar by half a teaspoon. Thanks, AB
My Good Eats 