Pizza pizza!!

[beergut]

Pizza dough ingredients:

4 cups of bread flour



2 tbsp sugar



2 tbsp yeast



1 tbsp olive oil



1 teaspoon salt



1 3/4 cup warm water


Tomato sauce:

1 can San Marzano tomatoes (I use Cento brand, 28 oz or smaller is fine)

2 cloves garlic, diced, or 2 Tbs garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

I Tbs olive oil


Toppings:

3 links Italian sweet sausage

1 bag slice pepperoni

16 oz bag of finely shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Put flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil into mixing bowl, slowly mix on low as you add in water. Let dough incorporate with paddle, then switch to dough hook and knead for up to 8 minutes. Dough ball should form. If dough is too wet, add another Tbs of flour. If it is shaggy and too dry, add a Tbs of water. 

Remove dough from mixer, place in well-oiled bowl, cover and let rise for an hour. 

Cut open sausage links, remove casing, crumble up sausage, saute on oven until browned. Drain grease, put on a plate, and put into fridge to cool. 

Open can of tomatoes, pour into blender (or a cup for an immersion blender). Add olive oil, diced garlic (or garlic powder), salt, and pepper. Blend until it makes a smooth sauce, takes less than 10 seconds in blender or with immersion blender. Set aside in fridge. 

Set oven to preheat at 550 degrees or whatever the highest temperature is. 

After dough has risen for an hour, sprinkle flour on pizza pan, or cover pan with parchment paper, and sprinkle flour over paper. Take dough ball and flatten into a disk, slowly stretching and shaping it into a pizza. If dough is sticky or sticks to paper, toss a little flour on it, and keep shaping. This dough will give you a large sized pizza.

Once you have shaped dough into a pizza, remove sauce from fridge, and slowly spoon sauce onto pizza dough, and spread sauce over the dough. It takes roughly 6-8 tablespoons of sauce to evenly spread out over a pizza. Spread it out in a circular motion, but leave edges of dough clear for the crust.  (You do not cook the sauce, the sauce will cook in the oven.)

Top sauce with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle liberally. Then cover with sliced pepperoni. Take sweet sausage out of fridge, and sprinkle among the pepperoni. Cover with another liberal helping of mozzarella. 

Put pizza in oven at 550 for 10 minutes or until dough is browned and cheese is melted. 

Slice and serve.

I made these two while watching bowl games on New Years Day. 





ETA direction on olive oil, thanks Apple

[chiver78]

first - those look amazing. 

second, questions - dry instant yeast, or do you buy the blocks that pizza shops use? if the latter, where the hell do you find that?
next, when you let it rise for an hour, is that just on the countertop or in the fridge?


I will be snowed in tomorrow, I might give this a try

[beergut]

Jan 3, 2018 15:46:47 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

first - those look amazing. 

second, questions - dry instant yeast, or do you buy the blocks that pizza shops use? if the latter, where the hell do you find that?
next, when you let it rise for an hour, is that just on the countertop or in the fridge?


I will be snowed in tomorrow, I might give this a try

dry instant yeast

Let it rise on the counter top.

You can put it in the fridge for use much much later, but the cold slows the fermentation process. I made the dough used in the pizzas above on Saturday, and stored it in my fridge overnight in gallon freezer bags. You have to keep an eye on it, because the gases from fermentation will make the bag blow up like a balloon, so you have to open them to release the gases every once in a while. 

[chiver78]

okay, so if I leave it on the counter in a big glass bowl, I should be okay to just cover the bowl with a dishtowel. I'll be using it tomorrow if I actually mix this up. 

thanks! 

[beergut]

Jan 3, 2018 16:00:45 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

okay, so if I leave it on the counter in a big glass bowl, I should be okay to just cover the bowl with a dishtowel. I'll be using it tomorrow if I actually mix this up. 

thanks! 

Yes, you should be fine. 

Make sure you cover the dough ball with oil (a bottle cap worth is enough) when you put it in the bowl. It keeps the dough from sticking and makes it easier to manage after it rises. 

[chiver78]

10-4. that, I remembered from making dough when I was a kid. the rest of the details are lost from memory lol... 

[dee27]

Jan 3, 2018 15:46:47 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

first - those look amazing. 

second, questions - dry instant yeast, or do you buy the blocks that pizza shops use? if the latter, where the hell do you find that?
next, when you let it rise for an hour, is that just on the countertop or in the fridge?


I will be snowed in tomorrow, I might give this a try

Large grocery stores may carry the compressed yeast in blocks; Meier's and Giant Eagle carry the product locally. If you are only using a small amount , it is recommended to cut the block into usable portions and freeze , wrap per instructions in link, and put them in them in bags.  www.canyoufreezethis.com/can-freeze-fresh-yeast/

Amazon has the product on line.

[Apple]

My son made a surprisingly delicious pizza last week.

No sauce, but drizzle a little oil on the crust (we used avocado oil).  Top with fried bacon pieces, caramelized onions, cut up figs, and gorgonzola cheese.  Then bake.  So good.

[chiver78]

okay, I'm giving this one a whirl. I proofed the yeast first, though. it's covered and rising. will post back once we bake it off

[chiver78]

I don't think this is going to work....the dough is still stuck to the hwavily.oiled bowl, and it's risen so much it's over proofed. idk....

[chiver78]

yeah....no. we are actually venturing out in this dud of a storm to go buy pizza. can I ask where you live, beergut? wondering if you're at altitude or something, I am 15' above sea level. this is the 2nd raised dough recipe I have tried of yours that has gone horribly wrong

[dee27]

Did you punch down the dough?

[chiver78]

a few times, yes. it just wasn't workable.

so with the storm, everywhere was closed. but we found a grocery store that was still open, so I picked up two pre-made dough balls that were doable. not ideal as they were also overproofed, but nowhere near as badly as what I pitched earlier. 

I know that elevation matters with baking, I'm basically AT sea level. flood maps have my house as 15'. do I need to be doing anything differently? I'm seriously at a loss here. 

[toomuchreality]

Jan 4, 2018 19:35:55 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

a few times, yes. it just wasn't workable.

so with the storm, everywhere was closed. but we found a grocery store that was still open, so I picked up two pre-made dough balls that were doable. not ideal as they were also overproofed, but nowhere near as badly as what I pitched earlier. 

I know that elevation matters with baking, I'm basically AT sea level. flood maps have my house as 15'. do I need to be doing anything differently? I'm seriously at a loss here. 

I'm impressed that you even tried.

Beergut- your pizzas look FABULOUS!  

Me, I'm calling Pizza Hut. 

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 17:27:48 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I don't think this is going to work....the dough is still stuck to the hwavily.oiled bowl, and it's risen so much it's over proofed. idk....

I don't see anything wrong with this picture? 

Flour your hands, punch it down, roll it into a ball again, and then shape it into a pizza.

This isn't overproofed. 

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 17:52:48 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

yeah....no. we are actually venturing out in this dud of a storm to go buy pizza. can I ask where you live, beergut? wondering if you're at altitude or something, I am 15' above sea level. this is the 2nd raised dough recipe I have tried of yours that has gone horribly wrong [img src="http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/sad.png" alt="" src="//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png" class="smile"]

 I'm in Dallas


 Google lists our elevation at 430

[chiver78]

Jan 4, 2018 22:41:10 GMT -5 beergut said:

Jan 4, 2018 17:27:48 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I don't think this is going to work....the dough is still stuck to the hwavily.oiled bowl, and it's risen so much it's over proofed. idk....

I don't see anything wrong with this picture? 

Flour your hands, punch it down, roll it into a ball again, and then shape it into a pizza.

This isn't overproofed. 

it really was, then half of it stuck to the bowl and it never came to as a dough roll.

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 20:19:43 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Jan 4, 2018 19:35:55 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

a few times, yes. it just wasn't workable.

so with the storm, everywhere was closed. but we found a grocery store that was still open, so I picked up two pre-made dough balls that were doable. not ideal as they were also overproofed, but nowhere near as badly as what I pitched earlier. 

I know that elevation matters with baking, I'm basically AT sea level. flood maps have my house as 15'. do I need to be doing anything differently? I'm seriously at a loss here. 

I'm impressed that you even tried.

Beergut- your pizzas look FABULOUS!  

Me, I'm calling Pizza Hut. 

 Random factoid: Pizza Hut's dough recipe uses 4 cups of flour like mine, but they add in 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, too. They also use a lot less yeast, 1/2 teaspoon vs 1 3/4 Tbs. 

[Apple]

Jan 4, 2018 22:52:23 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Jan 4, 2018 22:41:10 GMT -5 beergut said:

I don't see anything wrong with this picture? 

Flour your hands, punch it down, roll it into a ball again, and then shape it into a pizza.

This isn't overproofed. 

it really was, then half of it stuck to the bowl and it never came to as a dough roll.

It may be a humidity thing...  I live at about sea level (under 200') but the air is usually pretty dry.  When stuff is sticky, I just add more flour and that usually takes care of it.  I worked at a pizza restaurant and usually things were fine with the dough recipe as written, but sometimes we would have to add more flour if it was sticky (just a very little at a time).

I don't think I have any bread flour, but I may try this later this week with AP flour and see how that does.

As far as the "yeast bricks" (regular yeast in a large vacuum packed block) mentioned earlier...  They may have it at a food supply store, but I got some at Costco a while ago for $4.  Split it with my mom since it was so much.

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 22:52:23 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Jan 4, 2018 22:41:10 GMT -5 beergut said:

I don't see anything wrong with this picture? 

Flour your hands, punch it down, roll it into a ball again, and then shape it into a pizza.

This isn't overproofed. 

it really was, then half of it stuck to the bowl and it never came to as a dough roll.

Was it too liquid? Could you pour it out? Too sticky?

If it is too liquid or too sticky, add a little more flour to it, and take it out of the bowl. 

It isn't unusual for it to stick to the bowl a little, that just means the gluten strands have formed. 

The reason I'm skeptical about overproofing: I made a batch of pizza dough in the wee hours of this morning, and fell asleep after leaving it to rise in a  bag on the counter. I woke up three hours later, and the dough had burst a hole in the bag and risen out of it. I simply put a little oil on my hands, took the dough out of the bag, rolled it into a ball again, put it in another bag, and put that bag in the fridge. 

I used that dough to make lunch today.

[chiver78]

it wanted to pour, but half of it was stuck to the bowl and.wouldn't let go.

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 23:06:14 GMT -5 Apple said:

Jan 4, 2018 22:52:23 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

it really was, then half of it stuck to the bowl and it never came to as a dough roll.

It may be a humidity thing...  I live at about sea level (under 200') but the air is usually pretty dry.  When stuff is sticky, I just add more flour and that usually takes care of it.  I worked at a pizza restaurant and usually things were fine with the dough recipe as written, but sometimes we would have to add more flour if it was sticky (just a very little at a time).

I don't think I have any bread flour, but I may try this later this week with AP flour and see how that does.

As far as the "yeast bricks" (regular yeast in a large vacuum packed block) mentioned earlier...  They may have it at a food supply store, but I got some at Costco a while ago for $4.  Split it with my mom since it was so much.

The only difference in the recipe between bread flour and AP flour is the taste, honestly. I made some pizza dough the other days using AP flour, basically halving this recipe because I wanted to make one completely from scratch without using a mixer, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. It came out very well, but you can taste a very slight difference. The bread flour is a little richer in its taste. 

I've never used the yeast bricks. My understanding is they don't last as long as dry yeast, and the variation in taste isn't enough to justify using them. That is just what I've read, though. 

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 23:15:15 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

it wanted to pour, but half of it was stuck to the bowl and.wouldn't let go.

So dig it off with your hands and roll it into the ball 

Where do you live?

I almost want to come over and make this with you so we can see what is going wrong. 

[Apple]

Jan 4, 2018 23:16:48 GMT -5 beergut said:

Jan 4, 2018 23:06:14 GMT -5 Apple said:

It may be a humidity thing...  I live at about sea level (under 200') but the air is usually pretty dry.  When stuff is sticky, I just add more flour and that usually takes care of it.  I worked at a pizza restaurant and usually things were fine with the dough recipe as written, but sometimes we would have to add more flour if it was sticky (just a very little at a time).

I don't think I have any bread flour, but I may try this later this week with AP flour and see how that does.

As far as the "yeast bricks" (regular yeast in a large vacuum packed block) mentioned earlier...  They may have it at a food supply store, but I got some at Costco a while ago for $4.  Split it with my mom since it was so much.

The only difference in the recipe between bread flour and AP flour is the taste, honestly. I made some pizza dough the other days using AP flour, basically halving this recipe because I wanted to make one completely from scratch without using a mixer, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. It came out very well, but you can taste a very slight difference. The bread flour is a little richer in its taste. 

I've never used the yeast bricks. My understanding is they don't last as long as dry yeast, and the variation in taste isn't enough to justify using them. That is just what I've read, though. 

The yeast I use is just dry yeast, just packaged in a brick-looking thing (because of the vacuum seal).  Once you open it, it's little individual yeast bugs like normal, not a clump or actual brick.  I just pop it in the freezer.

The stuff we used in the restaurant was referred to as a "brick" often, but it was just the same stuff, so wasn't sure which one she meant.

This stuff is just a lot cheaper to buy "in bulk" at Costco:

[Apple]

If I make it at work (my plan...) I'll have to knead it by hand since I'm not bringing in my stand mixer.  I have a little hand one I leave here, but it's not that powerful.

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 23:21:00 GMT -5 Apple said:

Jan 4, 2018 23:16:48 GMT -5 beergut said:

The only difference in the recipe between bread flour and AP flour is the taste, honestly. I made some pizza dough the other days using AP flour, basically halving this recipe because I wanted to make one completely from scratch without using a mixer, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. It came out very well, but you can taste a very slight difference. The bread flour is a little richer in its taste. 

I've never used the yeast bricks. My understanding is they don't last as long as dry yeast, and the variation in taste isn't enough to justify using them. That is just what I've read, though. 

The yeast I use is just dry yeast, just packaged in a brick-looking thing (because of the vacuum seal).  Once you open it, it's little individual yeast bugs like normal, not a clump or actual brick.  I just pop it in the freezer.

The stuff we used in the restaurant was referred to as a "brick" often, but it was just the same stuff, so wasn't sure which one she meant.

This stuff is just a lot cheaper to buy "in bulk" at Costco:

I thought she was referring to 'fresh yeast' like this:




The difference is that instant dried yeast is dormant dried yeast granules, while fresh yeast is a block of yeast cells compressed together with 70% moisture. Dried yeast can be stored at room temperature but lasts longer if kept in a fridge or freezer. Fresh yeast needs to be refrigerated, and has a two week shelf life. Fried yeast can last pretty much as long as you want to preserve it. 

[beergut]

Jan 4, 2018 23:23:18 GMT -5 Apple said:

If I make it at work (my plan...) I'll have to knead it by hand since I'm not bringing in my stand mixer.  I have a little hand one I leave here, but it's not that powerful.

Are you going to use a spoon and a bowl? Mix it on your break, let it rise, then bake it at lunch time?

Do y'all have an oven at work?

You could always just make the dough the night before, put it in the fridge at work, and take it out and let it get to room temperature before shaping it into pizza. 

[chiver78]

Jan 4, 2018 23:18:20 GMT -5 beergut said:

Jan 4, 2018 23:15:15 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

it wanted to pour, but half of it was stuck to the bowl and.wouldn't let go.

So dig it off with your hands and roll it into the ball 

Where do you live?

I almost want to come over and make this with you so we can see what is going wrong. 

I tried, it didn't work. and it's incredibly frustrating bc I can actually cook. so idk what is going on when I try your recipes. your pics are great, and then I manage to turn it to shit. I am basically at sea level on Cape Cod.

[beergut]

Jan 5, 2018 9:32:00 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Jan 4, 2018 23:18:20 GMT -5 beergut said:

So dig it off with your hands and roll it into the ball 

Where do you live?

I almost want to come over and make this with you so we can see what is going wrong. 

I tried, it didn't work. and it's incredibly frustrating bc I can actually cook. so idk what is going on when I try your recipes. your pics are great, and then I manage to turn it to shit. I am basically at sea level on Cape Cod.

 And being so close to sea level, dough should actually rise faster. 

 You said the store-bought dough was overproofed, too. What made you think that?

[chiver78]

the way it responded when I opened the bag. similarly to the bread flour dough I pitched. I think I only let that one rise about 45 minutes on the counter.