The dough recipe comes from my good buddy, Wolfgang Puck. The honey adds such a great flavor to the dough, it is sure to become your favorite as well. This will make 4 pizzas about 7ish inches.
*1 pkg. active dry yeast
*1 tsp. honey
*1 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
*3 c. flour
*1 tsp. Kosher salt
*1 TBSP olive oil
In a small bowl, combine the yeast and honey with 1/4 c. of the warm water. In a food processor (or mixer with a dough hook) combine the flour and salt. Add the oil and yeast mixture and process until dough forms a ball or climbs up the dough hook.
Turn dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. When ready, the dough will stretch when it is lightly pulled.
Divide dough into 4 balls (about 6 oz.). Work each ball by pulling the sides down and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4-5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the dough ball under the palm of your hand until it is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover with damp towel and let rest for about 1 hour. (At this point the balls could be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated a few days. You could also flatten to pizza crust, coat with olive oil and bake just the crust. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.)
But you'll probably want to eat the pizzas sooner than later, so make this sauce while dough is resting.
Pizza Sauce:
1/2 TBSP. Olive oil
1 cloves minced garlic
1 cans (28 oz.) tomato puree
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
Saute garlic in oil over medium high heat. Add puree and seasonings, bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes.
Now to assemble the pizzas. Coat cookie sheets with corn meal. Use your fingers to start stretching each dough ball. Rotate the dough in a circle (envision a clock hanging on the wall and your hands will stay between 11 and 1 o'clock as gravity helps stretch the dough. When the dough gets to be about 1/4 inch thick you're ready to go. Mine look less like you'll find at the pizzeria and more like a rough oval, they taste good anyway.
Lay dough on cornmeal, spread with pizza sauce and toppings of your choice. Here are some combinations we like.*Can't go wrong with pepperoni and cheese
*Shredded rotisserie chicken coated with bbq sauce, sliced purple onions, cilantro (not my favorite with pizza sauce, just put the chicken right on the dough and cover with cheese).
*Diced ham and pineapple chunks
*Mushrooms
*Summer is a good time to go crazy with the veggies: slice tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, etc.
*You could also use a canned alfredo sauce and cover it with spinach and chicken
*Don't underestimate the classic tomato, basil, mozzarella
Once the pizzas are dressed, it's time to bake. Bake at 500 for about 10 minutes. If you have LOADED on toppings, plan to almost double that.
Some hints:
*Too much sauce is not a good thing, just coat the crust.
*Same goes for cheese
*Same goes for toppings
If you are doing this for a party of about 12-16 here are some recommended amounts:
*make double recipes of dough (if you've got big eaters make 2 1/2 of the dough and freeze extra) and the sauce
*divide dough into smaller balls so everyone can make their own pizzas
*plan for about 3-4 lbs. of mozzarella cheese
*1 can of pineapple
*1/2 lb. diced/sliced ham
*1/3 bunch of cilantro
*1/2 sliced purple onion
*1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded and coated in a cup or two of bbq sauce
*1 pkg. pepperoni
*1 c. spinach
*1 c. alfredo sauce
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