Pizza Dough

Description:

There are not many dishes that are as fun to make and inspire creativity like making your own pizza. Believe it or not, the easiest part is making the dough. This is a very basic recipe that produces a good thin-crust pizza when rolled out on a hard surface. The best pizzas are made in wood- or charcoal-fired ovens. You can replicate this technique with a good pizza stone placed on your outdoor gas or charcoal grill. Most of the popular kitchenware stores sell them for under $50. Place the stone on your already heated grill and allow it to pre-heat for about 15-20 minutes.

You should also get a ´pizza peel´ to transfer the pizza to the stone. Since dough will stick to most surfaces, you should sprinkle corn meal on the pizza peel before applying the dough and pizza ingredients. Also, you can achieve a crispier pizza if you lightly brush the rolled out dough with olive oil before applying any ingredients.

My favorite pizza is a simple Margherita pizza that consists of a thick layer of my marinara sauce, followed by a layer of shredded mozzarella. Then spread slices of vine-ripe tomatoes and fresh basil on top of the cheese. But the great thing about pizza is letting everyone make up his or her own list of ingredients.

Once you have your pizza creation ready, slide it on the pizza stone, cover the grill and 10-15 minutes later you will have a hot, crisp pizza ready to go.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup Pellegrino water
2 teaspoons yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup corn flour

Instructions:

Mix the yeast and sugar in warm water and set aside.

Put 2 cups of all-purpose flour into a food processor with the salt. Mix and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

With mixer still running, add yeast mixture, then Pellegrino and let blend until the dough forms.

Remove and knead until smooth over lightly floured counter, about one minute. If dough is too sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency. If it is too dry, add one tablespoon at a time.

Separate dough into two balls, lightly coat with olive oil and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

You can also freeze balls for later use (recommend using air-tight freezer bag for long term storage).

2 hours before using, remove plastic wrap and place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft free area.

When preparing pizza dough, sprinkle flour on a hard surface and knead dough into a circular shape. A rolling pin may also be used. If you are feeling adventurous you can try tossing your dough by first spreading it over the knuckles of you clenched fist. Then push it into the air with a twist of your wrist, and let land back on your fist. With each toss the dough should spin and relax into a slightly larger shape, eventually requiring both fists to manipulate the dough.

When you are ready to make your pizza, liberally sprinkle corn flour over your pizza peel or baking sheet before rolling it out. This will prevent the pizza from sticking to the pan.

Finally, once the dough is rolled out on the pizza peel and before adding any ingredients, lightly brush the surface of the dough with olive oil. This will allow the dough to cook evenly and create a crispy, golden-brown crust.