em + the kitchen - pizza dough.

Growing up, we always got to choose a meal for our birthday dinner. It could be aaaanything we wanted and to this day, this is what I choose. My mom's homemade pizza is perfect in only the way that a mom could make it. In fact, as I was making the dough, I found myself performing little idiosyncrasies that I only did because I could recall my mom doing the same when I was a kid: I removed my engagement ring (because I have one of those now!) to knead the dough, I covered it with an old dish towel my great-grandmother had embroidered, and I used the leftover dough to make breadsticks because you just sort of have to. My mom did those things and now I do, too.

This dough is relatively quick and easy for a bread. It only needs an hour to rise before it's ready to go. And it's easy to customize to your tastes. Love garlic/oregano/other Italian spice? Add it to the dough! Fuhgetaboutit.

You may, of course, top it however you like. This time I just made sun-dried tomato, Pepperoni and Canadian bacon because it's what I had on hand, but I've made it before with pesto as my sauce or even a white pizza. You really can't go wrong.

Homemade Pizza Dough
(makes 4 pizzas, or 3 + breadsticks)

Ingredients:
1&1/2 cups warm water (if it's too hot, it will kill the yeast and you'll end up with unleavened bread -- I speak from experience...)
2 tsp sugar
1 package active yeast (or 2&1/4 tsp)
1 stick butter, melted but not hot
1 tsp salt
4&1/2 to 5 cups white flour

Mix all ingredients except flour together in bowl with dough hook attached.
Add flour into mixing bowl by 1/4 cup until an elastic ball forms. You want it to be sticky, but able to fall off the dough hook when you lift the head of the mixer. It should stick and pull away from your fingers, not stick completely to them.
Once you've achieved the right consistency, either knead with your hands (adding flour as necessary) or with the dough hook.
Let rise for one hour, topped with a damp cloth.
After an hour, punch the dough down and let rise for another 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425*.
Sprinkle flour on your countertop, rolling pin, and hands. Lift dough out of bowl and separate into 4 equal parts. Roll out each piece until flat enough to fit a 9" pizza pan or pizza stone.
Decorate! And bake for 12 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.

What's going on your pizza??

-e.