Quick and Easy Pizza

 I guess I'm just an appliance-girl - who knew?!  This weeks challenge is for your food processor! You ladies are all going to think we only eat bread around here, but some of my best recipes are baked goods.  Oh well, that's what I love about this - we all have different strengths and I've gotten so many delicious ideas for meat and soups already from you.

We Picciottoli's love our pizza and as any Jersey Girl knows, you can't get good pizza everywhere and we're lucky to have it here in the Garden State.  BUT...I hate to pay for it!  So when I found out you could make pizza (dough) in a food processor, I was right on board, ticket in hand!  You don't have to have a food processor, but it sure makes it fast and fool-proof! 

I've shared this recipe with some of you already, but here it is for the rest.  I've made changes to thins document over time, so as to keep track of what I find works or what topping combinations we like.  We always serve this with a salad for the vegetable since it won't hold up to a ton of toppings.  I know it's long, but the recipe is quite simple, and again FREEZABLE (I <3 freezer-cooking!!).  I hope everything here is clear - if not let me know!


One recipe makes 1 large, 2 medium or 4 small (personal sized) pizzas.

Preheat oven to 500 F for at least 15 minutes.  Very lightly oil a cookie sheet and then, if you want, sprinkle with corn meal.  Stretch dough out over pan, let it rest 5 minutes and then complete stretching.  Dough should be quite thin, but with no holes.  Spread toppings on dough- scant amount of sauce (1/2 cup) and 1 - 1 1/2 C cheese.  You should still see dough/sauce peeking through (the thinner the toppings the crispier the crust).  Bake 8-12 minutes or until cheese is lightly golden, crust edges lightly brown and bottom does not stick/is no longer "doughy".

:The last time I made this I did a few things differently and it turned out UH-MAZE-ING. (1) I used bread flour which I think made a big difference in the texture, (2) I made the dough in the morning and let it sit int he fridge all day (a cold ferment!), (3) I stretched the dough as much as it wanted to over the pan, let it rest 10 minutes, then stretched it the rest of the way and (4) I cranked the oven up as high as it would go, not just to 500 (obviously it cooked much faster - 4-9 minutes not 8-12). None of these things is hard to do, just take a big of planning maybe, and it still tastes great even without these tips, but try it and let me know what you think!

:if dough has been refrigerated unwrap cling wrap and place on lightly floured board, cover lightly with a floured cloth or cling wrap and allow to come to room temperature before forming.

:if frozen, loosen cling wrap (but keep covered so it doesn't dry out and form a 'skin').  Allow to thaw in refrigerator, in an oiled bowl , then bring to room temperature before forming.  (Best to transfer from freezer to fridge 24 hours before baking).

:i use just regular baking sheets/jelly roll pans that have been lightly oiled and (when i feel like it) sprinkled with corn meal.  It works best to use a pan that is not too large so the dough just covers the entire surface of the pan.  If I had a baking stone I'd use that though and it's ok to use a bugger pan, it just might not cover the whole pan - so don't worry about stretching it too far.

:You can freeze this dough in a blob covered twice with plastic wrap or flattened out on a baking sheet.  Once it's frozen, it should pop off the sheet and then you cover it twice with plastic wrap and put it back in the freezer.  This is way better because you only have to defrost for an hour or so (not 24) and you don't even have to get flour on your hands for a quick dinner!!

Dough Recipe
scant 1 T active quick rise yeast (such as red star) or 1 packet
pinch sugar
3/4 C very warm water
1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour
1/2 t salt
optional: may mix in 1 T olive oil

with food processor
:In a small bowl, mix sugar, water and yeast, then cover loosely with cling wrap or cloth and leave 5 - 10 minutes away from drafts or cold. 

:Place flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.

:Check yeast; if it is ready it will be frothy.  If no bubbles appear, it is expired.  Discard and use different yeast.

:Add liquid mixture (and olive oil if using) to dry mixture and pulse until blended, adding a bit more flour as you go until mixture just forms a ball and follows the blade around the bowl (do not process until bowl is "clean"- it will kill the yeast).

: To remove from food processor bowl, flour hands well, form dough into ball and shape into crust on pan.

OR

by hand

:In a small bowl or glass measuring cup dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water, stir and set aside for 10 minutes. Mixture should begin to bubble and foam at the end of the time (indicating that the yeast is activated & alive.)

:In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt, set aside.

:Add the liquid yeast mixture (and olive oil if using) to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

:Flour a work surface and knead dough for a couple of minutes until smooth and elastic.



VARIATIONS:

• bbq pizza: 1/4 C bbq sauce mixed with 1/4 C tomatoe sauce.  Spinkle 1 - 1 1/4 C mozzarella on, then sprinkle 1/2 - 1 C shredded chicken mixed with bbq sauce.  SOOOOOO good - michael's favorite.
• mexican pizza: 1/2 can of refried beans, mixed with 1/4 water, 1/4 t cayenne pepper, 1/4 t paprika, 1/2 t cumin. Spread on dough, then cover with 1 C cheddar or mixed cheese, chopped tomatoe, sliced olives, 1/2 C frozen corn, 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 c thenly sliced red onion - basically taco toppings.  Just made this last weekend and we really liked it.
• garlic pizza: really thinly slice several cloves of garlic and lay over sauce before adding cheese. 
• white pizza: mix 3/4 C ricotta with 1 egg, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 1/2 t italian seasoning (or parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil).  thinly slice two garlic cloves. sprinkle 1 T olive oil on dough, sprinkle with garlic, put blobs of ricotta mixture evenly spaced across dough, then sprinkle with 1 - 1/2 C mozzarella.  Top with small pieces of broccoli if desired.
• whole wheat pizza: replace 1/3 - 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat (white whole wheat is best) and top as usual.