Chantelle Carter
Just to make it clear, I wasn’t always the best homemaker. When I moved out on my own for the first time, my meals mostly consisted of Pizza Hut leftovers (where I worked) and big gulp slurpies. Come on now, no judging it was the first time I lived in a town and near any fast food chains. Needless to say I gained about 50 pounds within the first six months and it was then I realized my true obsession with pizza. My mom made the best homemade pizzas ever and Pizza Hut never seemed to satisfy those cravings. I’m thinking now in my older years it was probably the main reason my place was always the hang out for all the teenage kids in the area, even though we lived 25 kilometres from town.
Mastering the art of pizza dough became my new life goal once I had kids of my own. I wanted to make my Mom proud and one-up her (remember I was pretty young and naïve). Even to this day we still have Friday night pizza and movies and my heart swells when I hear the praises of my kids stating it’s the best pizza they’ve ever had. Got to love traditions.
Pizza Dough Recipe:
Yields 2 (14-inch) crusts
Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can’t find bread flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2
teaspoons
optional: Italian Season and
garlic powder to taste
Directions
Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. You can add Italian seasoning and garlic powder at this point if you want a flavoured crust. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
I use a pizza stone and pre-bake the crust for about 7 minutes at 350 F, then add my toppings, and bake at 425 F for about 10 mins or until golden and the toppings are bubbling.
My favorite pizza EVER:
Cook sliced chicken, green/red/yellow peppers and onion in a mix of sweet chili sauce and hot and spicy Bull’s-Eye barbeque sauce until tender, but not soggy. Smother your dough with that ready-made goodness, add your favourite cheese mix on top and voila: flavour explosion.
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Happy homemade pizza making, valley friends!
