pizza perfecto!
  more photos:
 
 
pizza perfecto!

I have been fiddling with a pizza dough recipe for a few years now and I think I finally figured it out. Now all I have to do is get a real pizza oven in my back yard and we'll be all set...!

ingredients:

  ¼ cup warm water
  1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  4 to 4 ½ cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
  2 teaspoons kosher salt
  1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
  1 ¼ cups room temperature milk
  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  olive oil for bowl, pan(s) and crust(s)
 
  Tomato sauce and other pizza toppings

directions:

1. Combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Combine 2 cups of the flour, the remaining sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in egg, milk, oil, and yeast mixture. Mix until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time, stirring in each, until you have a soft dough that holds together nicely. (This can also be done in a stand mixer with the dough paddle attachment.)

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 2 to 4 minutes. Return the dough to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot (I find on top of the refrigerator works well) until doubled in size - about 90 minutes. (Dough can be kept in the fridge over night after rising, to use the next day or can be used immediately.)

4. If making one large cookie sheet sized pizza, roll dough out on a floured surface and place in a well oiled pan, allowing a bit of hang-over at the sides. I like to stuff the crust with cheese, which this overhang allows for. If not, you can either roll the sides in without stuffing or cut them off a bit to make them slightly smaller. If making two or more smaller pizzas, divide dough into balls and roll out to desired size.

5. Preheat oven to 375 F. Top pizza(s) with tomato sauce and all of your favourite toppings (I used eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, sundried tomatoes, vidalia onions, steamed spinach, goat's cheese, mozzerella and parmesan). Brush crust(s) with olive oil and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crust starts to turn brown. Slice and serve!

after-thoughts:

This dough is from a few different English muffin recipes I have combined together to end up with what I think is the best home-made pizza dough possible. It's simple to make, always turns out perfectly and stores well in the fridge over night or in the freezer for a few weeks.

recipe origin: A Domestic Goddess original.