Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Making Pizza Dough

Well, I decided to try something new last night - making pizza. There is a Cooking Light Sausage & Vegetable Deep Dish Pizza that I've been wanting to try, and I figured now or never! I was really nervous about making my own pizza dough, but I used the dough blender attachment on my Cuisinart food processor, and it was actually really easy!

It worked out well with my schedule because the dough only needed to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. So, I mixed the dough after work, left it to rise (covered) while I went to yoga, and popped it in the oven when I got home from my class. Easy! Here is how I did it:

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp. honey
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 c. warm water
  • 2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus additional for blending
  • 1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions

1. Dissolve honey and yeast in 1 c. warm water; let stand 5 minutes.

2. Add 2-1/4 c. flour, cornmeal, and salt to yeast mixture and stir until soft dough forms. (This is where I put everything in the Cuisinart and let 'er rip!)

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. (Again, cut out a TON of my productive time by doing this in the Cuisinart with the dough blender attachment!)

4. Add additional flour, 1 tbsp. at a time, until dough doesn't stick to hands (although dough will feel sticky).

5. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning dough to coat on all sides with cooking spray.

6. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Gently press two fingers into dough - if the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.

7. Roll out or press into a baking dish. For deep-dish pizza, cook for 20 minutes at 475 degrees or until crust is golden, then add toppings and return to oven. In my oven, it only took between 10-15 minutes, so watch your dough carefully.


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