Finally the weekend has arrived. No alarm clock disturbance or lunch to pack up. My work clothes don’t need to be ironed and they can stay piled up on the chair for another day or two. Maybe it’ll be the perfect weekend to clean out the cabinets which definitely have too many items “I need to save” but never use. Like those gift boxes that are just too good to toss, vases or jars that never get used. Speaking of jars, I have a half dozen old glass mayonnaise jars. Now that mayonnaise comes in plastic containers somehow I treasure the glass jars more than ever. I really don’t have much use for them, but I just can’t bear throwing them away. They will live to see another day. Which brings me to pizza.
This pizza dough was adapted from Peter Reinhart’s recipe, the best one we have found so far. You can mix the ingredients in a bread machine, stand mixer or by hand.
I’ve tried many brands of pepperoni and like Boar’s Head the best. Their pepperoni has good flavor with a bit of spiciness that’s just right for pizza.
I love pepperoni but I don’t want my pie dripping with grease so I “render” the sliced pepperoni in my toaster oven for 5 minutes at 300 degrees then remove the slices to a paper towel lined plate and dab off the oil.
My favorite toppings are pepperoni, olives and fresh sliced tomatoes, mild Italian sausage and spinach.
You can add spinach to your pizza in its raw form or quickly blanch it. Just press between paper towels to remove the water before layering on your pizza.
Why am I showing you this yogurt cheese? I am lactose intolerant and thus can’t eat mozzarella. I searched around for a cheese that would adequately replace mozzarella on my pizza and voila! Yogurt cheese is my new friend. It melts well and tastes good too. The mozzarella is for my husband.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator about 2 hours prior to baking so that it has time to come to room temperature then form into a 12 – 14 inch circle (above).
Use your favorite pizza sauce, add veggies, pepperoni, sausage and olives.
Check out the Super Peel here. Watch their video on how to use it, you will be amazed at how well it works. It effortlessly scoops up your pizza and transfers it to your stone without a hitch.
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza (bread machine version)
Makes two 12 – 14 inch pizzas
Preheat oven to 550 degrees (1 hour prior to baking)
Ingredients
1/4 cup sourdough starter (If you don’t have sourdough starter, follow Peter Reinhart’s recipe (see link to recipe above).
10 ounces water (1 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
14 ounces bread flour (3 1/4 cups)
2 ounces whole wheat flour (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
Preparation
Mix sourdough starter in the 10 ounces of water.
Place sourdough starter/water and olive oil in your bread machine.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in the order listed into the bread machine. Set bread machine to dough setting. When dough cycle ends remove to lightly floured surface and divide dough into two equal portions (kitchen scale comes in handy). Form into balls and place in oiled bowls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove dough 2 hours before baking. Place dough balls on a lightly floured surface and flatten into small disks. Then cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel.
Once dough has come to room temperature, pat or roll the dough into a 12-14 inch circle. If the dough resists too much, cover again and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Add your favorite pizza sauce, veggies, Italian sausage, pepperoni and cheese. Fresh basil and a sprinkling of dried oregano make a tasty topping as well added before or after baking (see pizza at the top of this page). Bake for about 4 minutes and rotate the pizza with your peel. Total baking time is usually 6 to 7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is nicely browned . Transfer the pizza to a large cutting board. Slice and enjoy! Repeat above steps for second pizza. Or alternatively, the second dough ball can be frozen in a ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months.
*If using a stand mixer follow the same basic steps as with a bread machine.
*No bread machine or stand mixer? Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with large spoon or your hands until the wet and dry ingredients are combined. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough (about 5 minutes) until a smooth ball is formed. Continue with the directions above.
