It’s Pizza Thyme!

Ok, there is no thyme in this pizza but I’m kind of enjoying the play on words 😊. Ask my kids what their ultimate comfort food is and they’ll probably say pancakes or pizza. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved in the kitchen. I’ll share my favorite pancake recipe at some point too, but for now… let’s make pizza!

Up first, the dough…

You can purchase pizza dough from most deli sections of your local grocery store. When I have a little time to make it myself though, I whip out my KitchenAid mixer and dough hook to make dough using the following recipe adapted from Bobby Flay. This will make 2 balls of dough.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 – 4 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose, which makes a more chewy pizza) + more for rolling

1 tsp sugar

1 envelope dry instant yeast

2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups water very hot water (just boil it and have it nearby for use)

2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tsp

Combine bread flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the mixing bowl using a whisk. Using the hook attachment, turn on mixer and add water and 2 tbsp oil. Beat until ball forms. If too dry, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time. Scrape dough onto a floured surface and gently knead it into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease the mixing bowl with the remaining oil and add the dough back in. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area for 1 hr (tip – I like to heat my oven to 200 and immediately turn it off once it reaches that temperature. This way, I actually have a warm space for the dough to rise). After an hour, turn onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal pieces. Cover the dough back up by laying plastic wrap on top or a clean cloth. Let dough rest for 10 minutes before using. You can also refrigerate the dough for 3-4 days or freeze until ready to use. Let frozen dough defrost in the fridge overnight before using or defrost on the counter for a few hours.

Now let’s talk cooking methods…

I have tried baking pizza three different ways:

Large (or small) cast iron skillet: This method yields a thick, soft-bottomed crust that browns nicely. If you use this method, add a bit of olive oil to the bottom of the pan and a bit of small-grain cornmeal (this helps keep the pizza from sticking). Make the pizza directly in the pan then heat it on the stove on medium-high for 5 minutes. Bake in oven at 450 for 12 minutes or until crust starts to turn golden brown/cheese starts to brown sightly.

Sheet pan: This one is great for serving a crowd and allows you to cut rectangular slices. Follow the same instructions as above, but skip the stove-top heating portion. Using this method, you can stick the pizza straight into your preheated oven.

Pizza stone: Ready for a hot mess? Use this method 😊. I absolutely love the way the crust turns out when baking on our stone, but it’s definitely the most challenging, in my opinion. We start by preheating the oven to 450 with the stone in it. While it’s heating, add some cornmeal to the bottom of your pizza peel. Before stretching your dough, read this: you need to allow at least 2 inches between the dough and the edge of the stone. Stretch your dough accordingly on the peel. If you don’t, you risk having a cheesy, hot, smokey, burnt mess in the bottom of your oven and might just set off your smoke detector 😳. Assemble your pizza on the peel then carefully slide it onto the hot stone. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese just begins to turn a little brown.

Building your pizza:

Season first! I always start by spreading a little olive oil on the crust, followed by a sprinkle of garlic powder.

Sauce: I’ll leave this one up to you. I’ve tried a few varieties of canned pizza sauces. Cento, recommended years ago by a friend of mine, is excellent. When I can find it, I go for it! If not, Barilla Traditional Marinara sauce, or your favorite spaghetti sauce, works just as good. You can even go sauce-less and use olive oil as your base. Really, don’t sweat this step. One day I’ll make my own sauce, but for now the jarred stuff works just fine.

Cheese: I love using mozzarella logs from the deli section of the grocery store. They are often circular and pre-sliced. One log is plenty for one pizza. Any mozzarella cheese will do, the logs just make the pizza feel fancy and give you pockets of creamy, cheesy goodness on each slice. Provolone is a good partner for mozzarella or any of your favorite easy melting cheeses, especially if you have some on hand and want to use it to fill in any cheese gaps on the pizza. If you’re making two pizzas, you’ll definitely want to have two mozzarella logs or another favorite cheese on hand to fill in the gaps. Get creative with it! After all, pizza is art.

Other toppings:

I could add an extensive list of toppings, but let’s be honest – everyone likes their pizza different! Instead, I’ll share a few tips for adding the goods…

Meat: Pepperoni, ham slices or mortadella from the deli can be added straight onto the pizza. For hamburger, bacon or Italian sausage I recommend pre-cooking it before adding. Don’t forget to drain the grease!

Veggies: Thinking of adding peppers and onions? Chop them and sauté them in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes before adding them to the pizza. This ensures they won’t be too crunchy when the pizza comes out of the oven. Adding spinach? It’s a good idea to sauté that too.

Finish with some seasoning and herbs…

Dried basil, oregano and a sprinkle of cracked pepper are great ways to add flavor. Fresh basil is also good, just add it to the pizza during the last few minutes of baking so it doesn’t burn.

That’s it! Gourmet pizza right from your own oven. Have fun and get creative with it. You could even use the sheet pan technique to make mini pizzas, dividing and stretching the dough into smaller, circular sections and giving each family member (or friend!) their own pizza canvas. Bon appétit y’all!