My bread machine broke.
Ok, to be fair, the actual machine didn't break, but the pan that mixes and bakes all that yeasty goodness broke. And because this was a wedding shower gift about a decade ago, I'm having problems finding replacement parts for it.
I have, however, had a much easier time finding a replacement pizza dough recipe. Much as I love the beer dough I've been making the last few years, this one is just plain AWESOME. It's simple. It's easy. And it makes a LOT.
And when you're feeding three hungry males the same meal every single week, a recipe that makes a ton is always appreciated.
Pizza Dough (a.k.a. Olive Oil Dough)
Recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
Prep time: 5 minutes Rise time: 2 hours Bake time (for pizza): 15-18 minutes
2 3/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (Or any other course salt. If you want to use table salt, you'll need to decrease this by a quarter)
1 tbsp sugar
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1. Mix the water, EVOO, yeast, salt, and sugar in a 5-quart container.
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| The yeast and EVOO do battle over who is the most fragrant. |
2. Mix in the flour, without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook).
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| Lots of flour. |
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| Lots of dough. |
3. Cover (NOT airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
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| Cover. Walk away. Come back and make pizza. |
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (NOT airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.
5. To make a pizza, sprinkle the surface of the dough with a little flour and, using a serrated knife, cut of 1/4 of the dough. Just like with the
Artisan Bread, stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go. Place on a floured surface, dust the ball with more flour and, using your hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten to your desired pizza shape and thickness.
From here it's pretty straightforward. Decorate your pizza with whatever toppings you like. I like to bake mine on a pizza stone in a 425 F oven. My boys share a smaller, cheese pizza, which I do for about 15 minutes. Rob and I usually share a larger, thinner, pepperoni pizza which takes 18-20 minutes.
Another thing I like about this dough is it's versatility. Sure I mainly use it for pizza, but it can also be used for focaccia. I'll have to save the Caramelized Onion & Rosemary Focaccia for another post though. ;)
