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November 19, 2005

Homemade pizza

The kids' favorite meal to cook is homemade pizzas. We start with the dough.

About 1 1/2 c warm water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
About 4 1/2 c flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with olive oil. Add 1/3 of the flour, and mix until smooth. Add the salt. The kids should still be able to stir the dough at this point. As you add more flour a cup at a time, it becomes too thick for them.

But they can help knead if they wash their hands first. You knead the dough on a floured board or counter until it becomes smooth, elastic, and sticky again. Our kids like to slap it, roll it into a ball, tear it into pieces, and so forth. Once kneaded, the dough needs to rise for at least an hour in a quiet place like a cool oven.

While waiting you can prepare the toppings. Over time I've learned not to add too many vegetables, meat, fish, or cheese to any particular pizza. Each topping goes a long way. Today we have:

4 fresh mushrooms
1 small onion
A handful of green olives
2 3-oz. pieces fresh mozarrella
2 artichoke hearts
4 oz. sliced chorizo
4 small hunks cheese
Grated swiss cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
1 can pizza sauce
Garlic powder
Basil
Oregano
Olive oil

We might add some canned tuna if it looks like there aren't enough toppings. I slice everything, except for the grated cheese. Thinly sliced rich cheeses melt about as well as when grated.

I roll the pizza crusts out on the same floured counter where I did the kneading. We always make small personal pizzas for the children, so they can add their own toppings. Usually we have 3 small personal pizzas and two large round ones.

On each crust I spread the pizza sauce, then dust with parmesan, garlic, basil, and oregano before adding toppings. It seems to work better if you put the cheese on next, before the rest.

We cook these in our oven turned all the way up, preheated. It usually takes about 15 minutes, but that no doubt depends on your oven. Let them cool a minute or two before slicing. Enjoy.

Posted by Mark at November 19, 2005 05:20 PM

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Comments

Brilliant. And delicious it seems. Thanks for the family activity idea--I'll be needing that in a few years.

Posted by: Andy at November 21, 2005 08:21 PM