last weekend i went to a friends apt that i hadn't seen in a while. actually its the friend that involuntarily put josh and i together (long semi-interesting story). anyways the night turned out to be a total bachelor dude party, with poker and the whole nine.
back track with me a bit. earlier that day when my friend called me up he mentioned that we would probably grab some pizza and a few beers etc etc. needless to say - i had my heart set on the pizza. by the time i arrived everyone had already partaken in eating and beer to a extent that no one agreed with my pleas to order pizza from the place literally two flights of stairs away from us. ugh! guys right? such bad hosts. so i was aggressive enough and after a few hours of hassling everyone with the occasional threat of the place closing and leaving us all to starve in that NYC luxury apartment i was joined in placing an order. i chose the pizzas that i was denied last time when my friend somehow still thought i still didn't t eat meat - huh. i should stay in touch more i guess. it was a thin crust with pineapple, bacon and basil. amazing. i scarfed it down and then trekked back to my little apt. to do something other than watch basketball and mediocre poker playing.
for a week now i have been obsessed with pizza. i really don't make it enough. its so easy, versatile and cheap there are no excuses not to. and so i did just that today. you have to use a whole wheat crust - its just simply better. better people, better - that means just use whole wheat. I added in cornmeal into the dough this time and it was perfect; adding just enough crunch at the ends.
WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH
1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1/2c cornmeal
1c AP flour
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbs olive oil
1c warm water
*in a large bowl sift together the flours, cornmeal & salt
*stir in the water and oil w/ a wooden spoon. stir until it becomes to difficult.
*turn out dough onto floured surface and knead with your hands until smooth and elastic
*grease a large bowl, put the dough into the bowl and turn to coat w/ oil
*cover with plastic and let rise to double 1-2 hours or put in frig and let rise for a bout 6-8 hours
*preheat oven to 525F, sprinkle your pan w/ cornmeal or flour
*divide dough into 2 (for larger) or 4(for smaller) balls, let rest covered for a few minutes.
*w/ your hands press and/or pull the dough into a round, again let set cover a few minutes
*roll out the rounds to your desired thickness (i always go for a thin as possible)
*place on prepared pan and lightly spray or brush w/ olive oil
*top w/ your desired foodstuff and cook for 10-15 minutes until everything is golden and to your liking. see below for what i used and was more than delighted with.
ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO & CILIEGINA MOZZARELLA
1c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 oz fresh ciliegina mozzarella, each piece cut into thirds
1c homemade** roasted tomato basil soup
2 tsp dried basil
**i make a lot of this soup in the summer and freeze, if you don't happen to have any of your own homemade (which i understand is highly unlikely) just use good quality store bought.
*heat soup to a medium simmer in a small sauce pan
*in a small cup (shot glass works well) combine 1 tsp cornstarch w/ 2 tsp water
*add mixture to the simmering soup stirring to combine well, let simmer a few minutes then take off heat
*spread as much sauce as you prefer on to prepared dough
*continue with the remaining ingredients - its a pizza, don't freak out about it!
No comments:
Post a Comment