I love carbs

 You could not pay me not to eat carbs. Carbs are a girl’s best friend, not diamonds. Bread, pasta, pizza, all amazing. 

Two winter breaks ago, my nieces stayed over for a week. And I love my nieces, but trying to please an 8 and 3-year-old is hard especially when they are picky eaters.

One thing they always love is pizza. And store-bought box pizza isn’t bad. They like it and it's editable. I like pizza. Most people like pizza. But box pizza is nothing like homemade pizza.

On this random Friday in December, my sisters were at work and my parents were out. It was just me and my nieces. So we made pizza from scratch. I thought it would be a great experience for them to cook a little bit and feel like they had a part in making dinner. 

Don't get me wrong, it was fun. They loved it. But giving up that control and letting them do things was hard. I know I could have made dinner 10x faster than they did, but I wanted to spend time with them. 

They had a lot of fun making the dough from scratch and rolling it out. I think the fun they had made the pizza a lot better.

I absolutely love this recipe and I love making it with my nieces. And that's what food is about. Joy. I hope this pizza brings you as much joy as it did for us. 

The best pizza:

Ingredients for the dough

  • 2-2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)

  • 1 packet instant yeast² (2 ¼ teaspoon)

  • 1 ½ teaspoons sugar

  • ¾ teaspoon salt

  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional

  • ¾ cup warm water³ (175ml)

Ingredients for everything else

  • Sauce

  • Mozzarella cheese

  • Parmesan cheese

  • Your favorite pizza toppings

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, garlic powder, dried basil, and salt in a standing mixer.

  2. Add olive oil and mix.

  3. Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour, the dough should be a cohesive, elastic ball and will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.

  4. Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil, and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.

  5. Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.

  6. The dough should rise for 30 minutes and double in size. 

  7. Drizzle olive oil in a caste iron skillet.

  8. Preheat your oven to 425F (215C) and place the caste iron skillet in the oven to warm.

  9. After 30 minutes, use your hands to gently deflate the dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times). 

  10. Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.

  11. Take the caste iron skillet out.

  12. Transfer the dough to the pan.

  13. Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza

  14. Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.

  15. Spread sauce over the dough & sprinkle on cheese

  16. Add desired toppings 

  17. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.

Comments

  1. Dale ThomasFebruary 14, 2024 at 5:10 PM

    Nothing beats homemade pizza! Not frozen pizza or fast-food pizza. Making pizza seems like it would be a fun activity to do with little kids for they are entertained.

    ReplyDelete

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