Years ago, pizza was mostly made at home. Those were the years before Donatos and Pappa Johns. We grew up with Chef-Boyardee pizzas and were tickled when we got a new pizza parlor down the road. It wasn't until then that we realized, hey pizza can be pretty good, and what we've been fixing wasn't so good.
Over the years we updated our recipe until we didn't even need a recipe, it would be like using a dictionary to spell your own name. So what follows is our modified recipe for hand-made pizza.
We used to just fix the dough and stretch it out in a pizza pan. We still have that pan that is now black as night from so much use. However, at some point in time, we got a cooking stone and a peel to put the dough in and take it back out again from the over. Using the stone gives us a little crustier pizza, but is still a little chewy inside.
The following will make 2 - 12" pizzas (approximate size)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 yeast packet
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Corn meal
Cheese / toppings to suit
In a medium bowl, mix the liquid ingredients first then add a package of yeast and a pinch of flour, mix thoroughly until all ingredients combine. Add 1 cup flour to the water mix and combine. Set aside about 1/2 cup of flour for later use. Add the balance of the flour and mix.
Sprinkle some of the remain 1/2 cup of flour on a solid surface and lay the dough ball on top of that. Fold the dough multiple times adding more of the remaining flour occasionally as the dough becomes sticky. Continue this process until all of the flour is gone.
Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl with a smooth towel (non-nap so raising flower doesn't stick to the fibers). Place the bowl in a warm area for about 1 hour to allow the dough to raise.
After the hour raising time, remove the dough from bowl on the floured board and cut the dough ball in half. (1/2 of the dough ball will make an approximately 12" pizza). You can refrigerate the 2nd ball by placing it inside a sealable plastic lunch bag and placing in the refrigerator for several days before using.
Place the baking stone in the oven and heat to 500 degrees.
Carefully roll the dough ball out with a rolling pin. Take the peel (pizza slider board) and sprinkle corn meal. Carefully place the pizza pie on the peel and arrange. Then add pizza sauce and other toppings.
Carefully place some corn meal on the oven stone (be careful not to sprinkle corn meal on the heating elements and DON'T BURN YOUR HAND ON THE ELEMENT)
Then, with the peel and pizza pie inside the oven, slide the pie off the peel onto the stone. This takes a little practice, mostly so you don't burn yourself. Holding the peel in one hand and a knife in the other, you can gently get the pie to slide off the peel and onto the stone.
Bake for about 10 minutes until crust is browned to suit.
To remove the pie, slide the peel underneath the pie and push until the pie is completely on the peel and remove.
Cut and serve as desired.
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