And, making bread or pizza crust is just not as hard as a lot of people think (though it is a lot easier with a good mixer and a dough hook). The recipe below is also great for bread sticks! The recipe is as follows - if you don't have a baking stone, no big deal!
565 grams (4.5 cups) of flour (bread flour recommended)
1.75 teaspoons Salt
1.5 Teaspoons Instant or bread machine yeast
1.75 (1 ¾ ) cups cold water
Mix dry ingredients, stir together, then add water. If
mixing with a powered mixer, mix for 8-10 minutes on medium low speed (# 2 on a
KitchenAid mixer) Knead until the dough is smooth and just slightly sticky (you
may have to add just a touch more flour to get it to the right consistency).
You can cut the dough into six sections of 6 ounces each,
depending on the size of pizza crust you want. If you are using one that night,
form into a rough pizza dough shape, spray top with oil and cover with plastic
wrap; let rise for two hours, and finish forming crust, stretching gently to
the size and thickness you want.
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| For a crispier crust, sprinkle some cornmeal on your pizza pan before placing the dough! |
For the dough you are not using, you can freeze the sections
for up to 2 – 3 months; just take out of the fridge about 2 hours before making
the pizza! The best way to freeze them is to lightly cover the dough balls in
oil (pour a little bit of cooking oil into a bowl and roll the dough balls in
the bowl briefly) and then place into small ziplock bags – that’s it!
A Note on Cooking Your Pizza:
Heat your oven up to its maximum amount; most home ovens
will only go to 500 – 550 degrees; turn it up all the way. For gas ovens, place
your baking stone on the bottom of the over. For electric ovens, place the
backing stone on the lowest rack available. In both cases, place your pizza pan
directly on the baking stone.
At maximum heat, most pizza’s will be done in 10 – 12 minutes!
Most pawn shops in Gastonia do not often have kitchen appliances or accessories, but occasionally we do get a nice KitchenAid mixer or a set of chef's knives, so check in to Gaston Music & Pawn to see what we have in stock - and enjoy this easy and great pizza crust recipe!
