Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Pizza! 3 ways to make it for the whole family....

So, like most people, we LOVE pizza.

What I don't like, is not knowing what is really going into my pizza.

I also don't like the price...
and the fact that we live in the country and can't get more than 1 company to deliver to us!

So I decided to pull out the ol' bread maker and stop whining.
(You can still make this recipe without the bread maker...but its more manual work)

With the bread maker, it really was easier than I would have expected!

Here is the dough recipe:

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp water (80 degrees F, 27 degrees C)
2 tbsp veg oil
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast)

I can't stress enough how important it is to follow the directions exactly!
When you use a bread machine, you have to add the ingredients in exactly the manner they tell you.

step 1.  add water, veg oil to bread pan
step 2. add flour, sugar, salt to pan.  Tap ingredients to settle.  Level ingredients and push flour mixture to the corners of the pan. 
step 3.  Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and add yeast.
step 4.  lock pan into bread machine, close cover and set timer to "dough".

THAT'S IT!

The bread machine now does the work of mixing and punching the dough.

I decided to double the above recipe and make a few kinds of pizzas to show you the variety of flavours you can acheive by making your own pizza!


Of course there is the traditional cheese, sauce and pepperoni pizza.
I make this one for all of us, but mainly wee Master Owen.
Owen is 5 yrs old and adventurous doesn't describe his taste buds.

This one is by far the easiest.  Brush on sauce, add pepperoni slices, top with
shredded mozzerella cheese and bake for 15 mins.  Voila!


Noah is 11 yrs old and is starting to expand his taste buds these days.
He is much more receptive to a slice of spinach and feta pizza than Owen.

For this one you have to make the stuff in 2 stages.
Fry onions and garlic in a bit of oil.
Add huge fists of spinach and simmer until wilted.
Artfully place the whole mess on a pizza dough already brushed with sauce.
Crumble feta on top and add some shredded mozzerella cheese if you wish.

If you skip the cheese, this qualifies as vegetarian or good for Meatfree Mondays.
Bake for 15mins and enjoy!


Stemming from my years in Toronto, I grew to love non-traditional pizzas.
There was a fantastic place in Kensington Market that served all kinds.
Gluten-free, dairy-free and definitely not taste-free!


In honour of those days, I made a potato, carmelized onion and rosemary pizza.
(I also had loads of rosemary still outside and needed to do something with it...)

If you skip the cheese, this also qualifies as vegetarian or good for Meatfree Mondays.
This recipe called for the dough to be grilled...which in hindsite I should have done.
This one still turned out fine, but I can see it should have been crispier.

Wash and pat dry some potatoes.
Pierce and nuke for 1-2 mins.
Slice into 5mm slices and set aside.
Carmelize onions in some oil.
Brush dough with oil and fry for 2 mins on one side.  Then flip and add potatoes & onions.
Top with fresh rosemary and parmesan cheese.  S & P to taste.
(recipe called for fontina cheese, but either cheese works well)

Grill in oil on a flat grill and serve!


There are 3 excellent recipes for pizza made in your home, but the list can go on and on.
The main ingredients for the dough don't cost a lot if you space them out over several grocery trips.  Best part is, once you have the stuff...it seems to last for a long time.  (even the yeast lasts if kept in the fridge)

Stock up and have homemade pizzas all winter long...
without worrying if the pizza guy will make it to your door in the snow!

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