Homemade Pizza!! (100% Homemade)

Ok, I honestly didn't think I would pull this off, but... it was a success!!

I managed to remember an artisan bread recipe that I learned last year and adapted it to a quick rise dough recipe of my own I've made for years.. The result??

HOMEMADE PIZZA - Artisan Quick-Rise Dough and Homemade Sauce (to be featured later)

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Recipe - This bad boy is all me.  Follow closely and you will WOW your guests!

1) Have your dough prepared the night before... right.. ya see what I did there?

   1a) If you were too busy and totally forgot to make the dough last night see 1b

  1b)DOH!  see 2.

2) Ok, we don't all have time to sit and kneed and kneed and let rise and kneed and..yep.. here's how to make my quick rise dough.. (This recipe also makes delicious artisan loafs!)

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Dry Ingred.  (MIX ALL TOGETHER IN ONE BOWL)

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2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda     (yes, two for each.. it's the key)

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tbsp VERY active Dry YEAST (The quicker acting, the better, they sell very active yeast at the grocery)

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp fresh herbs chopped very small  (I used Chives and Basil)

Wet Ingred.  (HEAT OVER STOVE UNTIL JUST ABOVE LUKE WARM, usually once the butter melts)

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4 tbsp Real Butter (use margarine if you have to, but the dough will taste much different)

1 1/2 Cups Milk  (better to have more and not need it)

1 clove garlic minced (optional, but highly recommended.. make sure it's pressed or minced.. pressed better)

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Directions - Follow them.. not your way.. this way.. I don't care if you have a mixer.. use your hands.. yes?.., nono, I understand you spent tons of cash on a mixer.. nono, use your hands... it's a labor of love..

WASH HANDS (do I really need to say this?  prolly do... sad, but true.. moving on..)

In a stainless bowl or plastic bowl, add all well-mixed dry ingredients, make a small pool in the center of the dough.  Pour the LUKE WARM liquid into the bowl and start mixing (now, I do use a wooden spoon for this part, it saves me frustration and stops me from adding excess oil to the dough).. 

Dough should be fairly wet, but hold shape.. if it is, it's perfect, if it's too wet and won't form, add 1/3 cup of flower to the top and work it in.  (we'll make it better in a minute, just wait)

time for hands..

Flour large surface turn dough onto said surface.. put about 1/3 cup of flower over the top.. thoroughly coat your hands in olive oil, it keeps the dough from sticking and gives your pizza dough, the oil it requires at the same time.. (nice huh!?)

Now kneed the dough until it is smooth, form into a ball  (quick kneed lesson:  always pull the dough to you from one corner, push in with the palm and pull from the same corner again... over and over.. don't switch directions, your trying to build glutton, not break it down!)

Place dough ball into greased (I use olive oil, coat every inch of the inside)  bowl twice the size or larger of the dough ball (it has to rise)  -  Let it sit for 45minutes to 1 hour (the longer you can get to the 1-2 hr mark, the better)

Now, this is why it's a 1hour bread... normally you'd punch down and let re-rise... yep, normally.. remember, we forgot to make it the night before... like we will.. from now on... right?  we'll see.. 

Split into 2 portions for 2 medium, or 1 for a 16" Pizza (or 1 Medium and 1 Artisan bread the next night in our case!)

Yah, nope! You are READY TO BAKE!

I usually just give a quick, light punch-down, re-kneed quickly and let rise again while I get all my ingredients for the pizza/whatever I'm making with the dough.. 

Get your oven as HOT as you can... Mine goes to 550, that's where I put it.. 

Grab a very small amount of water

If you have a pizza stone, place dough or bread on stone and do NOT pre-heat, if not.. well, you should get one, but if you don't have one.. a regular THICK tray will work.

Decorate your pizza/foods

top with cheeses of choice

As QUICKLY AS YOU CAN:  

Put pizza into oven on pan/stone, take water and splash a LITTLE on the bottom of oven to create STEAM (no more than 1 tbsp!), CLOSE THE DOOR AS FAST AS POSSIBLE and right away TURN the oven DOWN to 425 

10-12 minutes later:  You have Pizza/Bread/GOODIES made with 1 hour quick-rise ARTISAN bread!

Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting, and ENJOY!

The sauce is my own secret recipe.. I might just let that one out someday.. it's made 100% from scratch.. the only thing out of a can and not fresh was the tomato paste.. I don't have 30 hours for that.. and even in Italy they call for it, so, good nuff for them, good nuff for me..

Goodnight!