Thursday, February 12, 2015

As Per Your Request: Sanatorium Pizza

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about pizza night at our house. A friend of mine, Mila, just started blogging this year, and she asked if she could use that post on her new site, www.ldsfamilies.com. I was pleased that she wanted to share it with her readers as she starts this new adventure in the blogging world.

Her request was timely. In the comments of that post, a few of you asked for my dough and sauce recipes. So here ya go:

I used the same basic pizza crust for about 20 years, but I could never get it quite right. Over those 20 years, my taste in pizza crust changed from the super doughy, super oily, super thick pan pizza crust to a crisper, thinner crust. My cousin Myke is quite a chef, and he is also quite enamored with pizza. So enamored, in fact, that he served pizza at his wedding reception. (Yeah, you'd like him.)

I've followed his adventures in pizza making, and I knew that if I were going to venture to a new dough recipe, he would be a reliable source to trust. He recommends the basic New York-style crust (among a few others) found at seriouseats.com. I'm not a precision chef, so I adapted the recipe a little to suit my lazy tendencies.  Here's my version:

Thin-Crust Pizza Dough (makes 2-14" pizzas)
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons yeast
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 15 oz. lukewarm water
Mix all ingredients until combined. This only takes about 30 seconds to a minute. Don't over-mix it. The dough has an unusual texture when you're done mixing. It doesn't look quite done, does it? It is.
It's really sticky and not particularly smooth. That's just right, folks.

Turn the dough onto a floured counter, divide into two equal balls, dust with a little more flour (or your hands will disappear and never come out) and knead until it forms a smooth ball.
It only takes a minute or so to make it smooth.

The seriouseats.com directions say to place the dough in a ziploc bag and place in the refrigerator for a full day (or up to 5), then place on counter to warm before using. I've only placed it in the fridge once (for a few days), and I didn't notice any difference from when I used it a few hours later. Either way, it works. Pizza snobs may notice a difference, but we're not snobby around here.

I place the kneaded balls of dough into a proofed oven . . .
. . . and I leave them there for a while. How long is a while? Anywhere from an hour to a few hours, depending. And I haven't noticed any difference.

This batch sat in the oven about an hour.
Take the dough out of the oven and preheat to 500*. Spray the pans with nonstick spray.

When you turn the dough out of the bags, it's still really sticky and soft, so make sure you flour the counter and the top of the dough before rolling it out. It rolls out nicely, but it kind of stretches and pulls as you roll it . . .
. . . which makes it easier to shape once it's on the pan. I press the crust to the lip of the pan with my fingers instead of trying to roll it out into a precise circle. For two 14" pizzas, the crust is pretty thin.
Sometimes I brush the dough with olive oil. Sometimes I don't. I haven't noticed a difference either way. I like to think it tastes better brushed with oil, but I think I think that because I know I did it (or didn't do it).

Bake for 6 minutes on a high rack (one below broil level) and remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 400*.

This time, I experimented cooking the crust for 8 minutes instead of 6, and it was a little too crispy for everyone (still yummy though). Won't do that again.
Here's my pizza sauce recipe. It's the same one I've used since visiting Brad's cousin Thatcher and his wife, Gerilyn, in DC back when we only had three kids between us. Thanks, Gerilyn!

Pizza Sauce--enough for 2-14" pizzas
  • 8 oz. tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons oregano (or Italian seasoning)

Mix all ingredients. Easy, right?

Top with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. Return to the 400* oven and let bake until the cheese melts--about 5 minutes, give or take.

My boys love ham and pineapple, so one pizza is always that.
 Lily and Brad are meat lovers, so most of the other pizza is pepperoni, ham, and sausage.
I'm the veggie lover, and my 2 1/2 slices are always a little different, depending on what we have around. Tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, and just a bit of sausage. Sometimes zucchini and broccoli or spinach. Just depends on my mood.

These two pizzas feed our family of six just right--usually 1-2 slices left over, or enough to share with one visiting friend.

I'm ready to branch out into some new toppings now that I've got the crust down. Maybe imitate CPK's pear gorgonzola (my all-time favorite) or a margherita or . . . any suggestions?

7 comments:

  1. We do a heart shaped pizza for dinner every Valentine's Day, and I will have to try this recipe! Though the recipe I have been using is so easy and quick that I may revert back to it every once in awhile for laziness' sake. :)

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  2. Homemade pizza is one of the things I really miss since we went gluten free. I've tried so many gluten free varieties and never had one that I wanted to try again. The sauce, though. That I will have to try.

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  3. That sounds so yummy. I was thinking of doing pizza night with my boyfriend and his kids for Valentine's Day. This recipe just might be getting a trial run!

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  4. We do pizza a lot - one year it was my New Year's resolution to make a different on every week. Some of our favorites are: lots of fresh spinach and garlic, sauteed mushroom and onion, and bbq sauce with pineapple and cilantro.

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  5. Dave loves a thin crust, and this looks right up his alley!

    =)

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  6. i'm SOOOO excited to try your sauce recipe!!!! after almost 7 years of making homemade pizza every friday night, it's the one thing i still feel like is lacking! i seriously can't WAIT:) thank you thank you!!! our dough recipes are almost identical, but i love that you cook the crust a little first before toppings. new pizza tricks are my jam. gracias!

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  7. i'm SOOOO excited to try your sauce recipe!!!! after almost 7 years of making homemade pizza every friday night, it's the one thing i still feel like is lacking! i seriously can't WAIT:) thank you thank you!!! our dough recipes are almost identical, but i love that you cook the crust a little first before toppings. new pizza tricks are my jam. gracias!

    ReplyDelete